Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
Chief Business Officer
Jeanette Evans is Chief Business Officer at the CGT Catapult and is responsible for leading the organisation’s business development, commercialisation of research, legal and IP departments. Jeanette provides strategic leadership and supports these teams as they work to establish and maintain collaborations with academics and industry.
During her extensive career to date, Jeanette has had the opportunity to lead business development projects and transactions globally, and across many therapeutic areas. She has held senior roles at companies including Adaptimmune, MSD and AstraZeneca.
Rentschler Biopharma
General Manager, ATMP
Robert Panting is General Manager of Rentschler Biopharma’s ATMP business, leading a client-centric approach to bringing advanced therapies to patients. He joined Rentschler Biopharma as a pivotal member of the ATMP team, leveraging over a decade of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, as well as strategic leadership and executive management experience.
Previously, Rob was an integral force in shaping FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies’ landscape, where he spent an impactful decade starting as a Principal Scientist and advancing to VP of Program Management and S&OP in the UK. During this time, he directed strategic planning, led program delivery and provided cross-functional team leadership, significantly contributing to the company’s growth.
He holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, along with a BSc in Biochemistry from Newcastle University.
Gilead Sciences
Director
Debbie Flanagan (BSC MSc PhD) is a Director at Gilead Sciences Ltd. With >27 years’ experience across the pharmaceutical and diagnostic industry, she is passionate about shaping the policy and reimbursement landscape to ensure patients can access new and innovative therapies, spanning therapeutic areas such as HIV, Hepatitis C and Cell & Gene therapies. She is proud to have been involved in the collaborative approach taken by industry, NHSE and NHS Providers in enabling the initial establishment of CAR-T therapies in the UK. This has had a significant impact on patients living with diffuse large cell B Lymphoma and won an HSJ Partnership Award in 2020. Another significant achievement for Debbie was when Gilead won gold in the England Hepatitis C elimination tender – this ground-breaking partnership between NHSE & industry has made the elimination of an infectious blood borne virus a reality for many underserved and marginalised sectors of society. She is determined to continue to build on these successes and champion collaborative working with the system to ensure that optimal pathways are in place and all patients can benefit from innovative treatments.
Kiji Therapeutics
Chief Executive Officer
President-Elect and Board of Directors member of the International Society of Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT) from May 2022. Previously Chief Commercialization Officer and Chair of the ISCT Commercialization Committee (2014-2020) leading the expansion of the industrial community, strengthening the Committee to better represent the industrial translational objectives and needs of society membership.
CEO and Co-Founder of Kiji Therapeutics and Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) with AdBio Partners, Executive Chairman of the Board of StemBond and consulting through mC4Tx to several organizations, Professor at the Lisbon University and Board of Directors and Executive Committee member for Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM).
Previously CEO of Bone Therapeutics (2019-2022) leading the listed company through strategic refocus, several raises and a successful M&A transaction. Before that, CEO of Zelluna Immunotherapy (2017-2019), where he established the corporate structure, raised successfully, built the team and launched the strategy for solid tumors allogeneic C>. From 2010-2017 was CMO/COO of TxCell, establishing and leading the professional C> product translation development for autoimmune diseases. Participated on the company IPO and several successful raises. From 2006-2010 was VP of Global Medical Affairs at UCB contributing to the development of the biologics portfolio, product approval and launch. In 2004, joined Nabi Pharmaceuticals as the VP of Medical/Regulatory Affairs for Europe, leading from inception the creation of the vaccine company in Europe.
After several public sector clinical, academic, and regulatory positions in Portugal and at the European Medicines Agency (EMA), namely as CHMP member, spent six years with BMS (1998-2003) as Country Medical Director, Executive Director, and VP of International Medical in Portugal and Belgium.
Holds an M.D. and Specialist in Infectious Diseases from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, a Ph.D. in Immunology, University of Birmingham, and a certificate on Health Technologies Economics, Stockholm School of Economics. He is Fellow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the RCP in the UK.
Complement Therapeutics
Vice President Operations
Mustafa is currently Director of R&D Operations at Complement Therapeutics where he is responsible for driving discovery and development efforts. He has significant industry experience in the translation of cell and gene therapies gained at GSK and CGTC. Mustafa has led process and analytical development for AAV, CAR-T and PSC derived products to support FIH and late-stage clinical studies. He also serves as a board member of the British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy working to overcome common barriers to translation and commercialisation of Advanced Therapies.
Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
Chief Executive Officer
Matthew Durdy is Chief Executive of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, having been part of the founding team in 2012. Prior to 2020, he was Chief Business Officer and was responsible for strategy, communications, marketing, and business development. He is credited with leading the design and implementation of the commercial model for the highly successful Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult manufacturing centre and being a global champion for the early integration of healthcare economics and reimbursement expertise into decision-making and clinical product design.
He began his career in international investment banking and venture capital, and has successfully invested in and managed a number of biotechnology SMEs and regional operations of multinational organisations. He has an MA from the University of Oxford in Pure and Applied Biology, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment. He is also Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the charity Parkinson’s UK.
Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
Chief Executive Officer
Matthew Durdy is Chief Executive of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, having been part of the founding team in 2012. Prior to 2020, he was Chief Business Officer and was responsible for strategy, communications, marketing, and business development. He is credited with leading the design and implementation of the commercial model for the highly successful Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult manufacturing centre and being a global champion for the early integration of healthcare economics and reimbursement expertise into decision-making and clinical product design.
He began his career in international investment banking and venture capital, and has successfully invested in and managed a number of biotechnology SMEs and regional operations of multinational organisations. He has an MA from the University of Oxford in Pure and Applied Biology, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment. He is also Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of the charity Parkinson’s UK.
Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
Non-Executive Director
Dr Nicole Mather has over 20 years’ experience in the health and life sciences industries and has worked across the commercial, public, and third sectors with a focus on cross-sector collaboration. Nicole currently leads IBM’s Health Data & AI and Life Sciences teams in the UK and Ireland, deploying technical expertise to deliver digital transformation across the sector.
Nicole is a Non-Executive Director of the Wellcome Sanger Genome Research Ltd and sits on the Health Data Ministerial Industry Group. Nicole has also held roles as the founding Director of the Office for Life Sciences, and with NHS DigiTrials and the Health Research Authority.
NJ Redfern Ltd
Consultant
Following 5 years’ experience working in the gene therapy arena at bluebird bio, with a focus on reimbursement and commercialisation, Nicola set up NJ Redfern Ltd in 2022 to enable her to consult, coach and collaborate with other organisations.
With a consistent focus over recent decades on rare disease & oncology/ haematology, her primary attention has been on pricing and reimbursement, service delivery and shaping the external environment. She has been in the pharmaceutical industry since 1989, and has been employed by 10 different companies.
Since her company’s inception last year she has contracted with over 12 organisations on a diverse range of projects – including supporting 2 further gene therapy companies in their launch planning in the UK. Nicola was previously an active member of the ABPI – chairing the ATMP working group during 2021, a member of their Value and Access group and supporting various government affairs/communications initiatives. She has worked closely in the last 6 years with the Cell and Gene therapy catapult in the UK. More recently Nicola has been invited to sit on the advisory board for company ATMPS, has given talks at various ATMP congresses in 2022 and 23, been interviewed by Lumanity and Haemnet, and since January 2023 sits on the ethics subgroup of the International Society of Cell and Gene therapy and is a member of ATMP engage.
Nicola is committed to and motivated by patients having a choice and being able to access transformative treatment options quickly once science and innovation reaches a point to positively impact the lives of people living with significant health challenges. Having worked at Martin House hospice in Yorkshire, sat on the board of trustees at Naomi House and Jacks Place – a Hospice for children and young adults near Winchester, UK – and through working alongside multiple patient organisations over her career, she has a strong empathy and understanding of life limiting conditions and their impact on the individual, their families and society as a whole.
She has consistently demonstrated strong leadership capabilities – with a passion for creating and shaping new diverse teams – embedding a positive culture, helping individuals develop, then leading them through defining their strategic focus and driving the initiatives through to completion.
MEF2C Foundation
Chairperson
Digital technologies offer new opportunities to overcome key challenges in ATMP manufacturing, such as quality control, efficiency and sustainability. How is the UK embracing these opportunities to make ATMPs faster and more efficiently?
Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
Chief Manufacturing Officer
Stephen has held the position of Chief Manufacturing Officer of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult since 2018, leading the strategic manufacturing, supply chain, skills and industrial growth programmes.
From January 2013, Stephen was Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult’s founding Chief Operating Officer, establishing the company’s world class process development and analytical capabilities at the London site.
As Chief Manufacturing Officer, Stephen has led on the design, build and GMP licensing of the innovative £75m CGT Catapult facility in Stevenage, establishing a unique operating model and making the facility central to the development of the largest cell and gene therapy cluster outside the US. He is also leading on the set-up of the new CGT Catapult site in Braintree, which has received £127m from Government to support the national effort to manufacture millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccine, plus the development of large scale manufacturing of cell and gene therapies.
Stephen also works closely with industry stakeholders to develop and deliver impactful and first-of-their-kind national skill programmes, such as the Advanced Therapy Skills Training Network (ATSTN) and the Advanced Therapies Apprenticeship Community (ATAC). He brings to the organisation almost two decades of specialised cell and gene therapy expertise from his career in biological medicine research, development and manufacturing. Stephen thrives on bringing cutting edge technologies to patients by developing commercially viable products and is passionate about expanding the UK’s cell and gene therapy manufacturing and development supply chain.
He is a current member of the Medicines Manufacturing Industry Partnership leadership team, actively promoting and supporting biomanufacturing in Government as well as at a grass-roots level. He has two degrees, his first from the University of Birmingham and his second from the Medical School of Southampton University. Stephen is an Executive Director of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
RoslinCT
Head of Digital Operations
After 20 years at GSK in a mix of roles across R&D and supply chain, I am still motivated by Pharma’s combination of science, technology and engineering to save lives. I have the experience and enthusiasm to lead teams and manage significant budgets. My experience is in biopharmaceutical scale up and launch, sterile manufacturing and digitization: Designing and delivering one of GSK’s first digital factories. I am gaining experience in cell and gene therapy, returning to my degree specialisation in Genetics.
MicrofluidX
Co Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Antoine is the CEO and co-founder at MicrofluidX. He has 5 years of experience in cell therapy tools. Prior to MicrofluidX, Antoine was a management consultant at McKinsey for 5 years. He holds a PhD in Engineering from Cornell University.
Cellular Origins
Chief Executive Officer
Cell and gene therapies have shown the ability to cure some of the most terrible diseases. I am passionate about finding ways to get these treatments to more patients by revolutionizing how we manufacture them.
For nearly 20 years, I have been fortunate to work with some of the world’s most innovative companies to help bring new life science products to market. The last 8 years I have dedicated to cell and gene therapy manufacturing, spanning from commercial strategy through technology development and onto production.
Following a PhD in robotic vehicles at Cambridge University, I worked on some of the earliest EMA approved cell therapies and since then I have been involved in the development of over 10 novel cell therapy automation platforms.
Adthera Bio
Chief Digital Officer
Kwok Pang is a seasoned executive with over two decades of impactful experience in the cell and gene therapy sector. He holds a Master of Science in Immunology from Imperial College London. Kwok’s career spans academia, NHS, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology, showcasing his versatile expertise across these domains.
As Chief Digital Officer at Adthera Bio Ltd, Kwok leads the digital strategy and solution implementation of Adthera’s cell therapy-focused, digital-first CDMO offering. He excels in building partnerships with best-in-class innovators to address the challenges of delivering cell and gene therapies to more patients.
Prior to Adthera Bio, Kwok co-founded and held the post of Chief Operating Officer at Autolomous Ltd. He was instrumental in securing £2.5 million in funding and driving three significant UK government grant-funded projects worth £3 million. His strategic vision and leadership led to Autolomous being recognized as a global leader in the digital transformation of cell and gene therapy delivery, securing prestigious clientele from academic institutions like UCL and Stanford, NASDAQ-listed corporations, and CDMOs.
Kwok also served as a Collaborator Project Manager at the Cell & Gene Therapy Catapult, where he played a pivotal role in establishing a state-of-the-art manufacturing centre. His tenure at GSK Pharmaceuticals as Informatics Lead involved orchestrating key projects aligned with the company’s CGT informatics strategy. At Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, Kwok managed all information systems for the CCGTT group and significantly expanded the repository’s clientele and sample deposits.
Kwok’s early career included roles at University College London and Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust, where he developed and implemented biobanking platforms and GMP manufacturing processes. His extensive experience, strategic acumen, and innovative approach have made him a respected figure in the cell and gene therapy industry.
Manufacturing ATMPs requires advanced and constantly evolving skills. How can industry and government work together to ensure the UK has the skilled workforce needed for the growth of the ATMP sector?
Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
Skills Programme Lead
✔ Looking to bridge the gap in Education & Skills between industry, academia, government & industrial organisations
✔ Delivery of projects to budget and timelines
✔ Enthusiastic communicator: public engagement, #scicomm, #EarlyCareers, science entrepreneur club, developing the next generation of talent in STEM careers, capable and passionate networker
✔ Multilingual: fluent in English, German, Croatian, and Dutch
✔ Inter-disciplinary: Industry experience, academic qualifications, strong network
✔ Science expertise: PhD Viral Cell Biology, 9 years of Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology and Virology experience
✔ Driven by a desire to help people reach their potential and change lives with the work I do. Career to date has therefore led me to Skills within the Cell and Gene Therapy sector
🔊 All views my own and do not represent my employer
MFX
Vice President of Operations
James is the Vice President of Operations & Product Owner at MFX, where they are developing the Cyto Engine, a cell therapy bioprocessing and manufacturing platform to help industrialise cell therapies.
James has experience in cell and gene therapy process development and process translation for manufacturing. His work has focused on understanding the translational requirements for robust product realisation, considering aspects such as process development, manufacturability and ultimately the clinical adoption and health economic implications of cell therapies.
James also has strong entrepreneurial background and experience having started and been involved in a ventures ranging from biotech, health & fitness, professional development, food retail, e-commerce to real estate. He holds a Ph.D. in regenerative medicine from the Centre of Biological Engineering at Loughborough University, UK and is an awardee of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Shott Scale Up Accelerator Award. James also serves as a strategic & scientific advisor for ReProGO, an advisory board member for the Centre for People-Led Digitalisation and is a steering committee member of University College London’s MSc in Cell & Gene Therapy Manufacturing & Commercialisation Programme where he is also a visiting lecturer.
Complement Therapeutics
Vice President Operations
Mustafa is currently Director of R&D Operations at Complement Therapeutics where he is responsible for driving discovery and development efforts. He has significant industry experience in the translation of cell and gene therapies gained at GSK and CGTC. Mustafa has led process and analytical development for AAV, CAR-T and PSC derived products to support FIH and late-stage clinical studies. He also serves as a board member of the British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy working to overcome common barriers to translation and commercialisation of Advanced Therapies.
Rentschler Biopharma
Head of Talent Operations
As an accomplished Recruitment and Talent expert, with strong experience in the life sciences sector across Europe, my expertise spans a range of critical areas, including enhancing hiring processes, developing advanced retention strategies, and delivering pivotal market insights within cell and gene therapies.
Beyond these core areas, I am adept at establishing comprehensive learning and development frameworks and elevating employer branding, ensuring organisations are not only appealing to elite talent but also primed for enduring success. In addition, my role encompasses overseeing HR Management in the UK, where I apply a strategic approach to align human resources with broader business objectives.
My overarching mission is to make a significant impact on global health by ensuring the recruitment and development of top-tier talent, fostering healthcare innovations and solutions.
Cytiva
EMEA Field Application Specialist Leader
Dr Vara is the EMEA Field Application Specialist Leader at Cytiva. Dharmesh leads a team that supports the industry to utilise Cytiva’s cell therapy portfolio to progress their therapies towards patient benefit.
Dharmesh has spent the last two decades working in manufacturing, QA/RA and most recently Commercial Field Applications at Cytiva. He is passionate about upskilling the cell therapy workforce by hosting numerous practical workshops for scientists and helping them create safer therapies with automation and process standardisation.
LifeArc
Programme Director Translational Fellowships Skills Lead, Innovation hubs for Gene Therapies Senior Business Manager, LifeArc
Anji is a TT professional with more than 19 years’ experience of working with early-stage translational research. Anji has extensive experience of IP and contract management, licensing, business development of healthcare technologies, and development of knowledge transfer policies. Her current role at LifeArc involves working with academic and charitable establishments to identify, cultivate, fund, and commercialise early-stage healthcare technologies, focusing on rare diseases and the advanced therapies.
A proponent for professional advancement in STEM careers, Anji is active in many initiatives missioned to address the current UK skills gap and training shortage. These include leadership of the LifeArc-AUTM TT Training Fellowship and LifeArc TTO Fellowship programmes, designed to train, and assist scientists to become TT professionals; directing LifeArc’s translational placement and training programmes, and working with external partners to improve STEM learning and development in education. As the Skills Lead for recently launched Innovation Hubs for Gene Therapy, Anji works with the Innovation Hubs to address the identified skills needs in the advanced therapy sector.
An advocate of equality diversity and Inclusion, Anji cofounded Global Equality, Diversity and Equality in Technology Transfer (GEDITT), an initiative missioned to raise awareness and promote EDI in the TT sector.
Anji holds an M.Sc. in Human Molecular Genetics and Ph.D in Cancer Genetics from Imperial College, and M.Sc. and Certificate in IP Law from QMUL. She is a certified project manager, Registered Technology Transfer Professional and Certified Licensing Professional.
Anji is a board member of AUTM, The Alliance of Technology Transfer Practitioners (ATTP), ASTP, Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) and, a member of the BioIndustry Association (BIA) Cell & Gene Therapy Advisory Committee, and the AUTM Equity, Diversity & Inclusivity Committee.
How to succeed in the cell and gene therapy (CGT) space? An insightful session that will delve into the critical factors and strategies for CGT biotech companies to accelerate their journey from lab through clinical development to commercialization.
Rentschler Biopharma
General Manager, ATMP
Robert Panting is General Manager of Rentschler Biopharma’s ATMP business, leading a client-centric approach to bringing advanced therapies to patients. He joined Rentschler Biopharma as a pivotal member of the ATMP team, leveraging over a decade of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, as well as strategic leadership and executive management experience.
Previously, Rob was an integral force in shaping FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies’ landscape, where he spent an impactful decade starting as a Principal Scientist and advancing to VP of Program Management and S&OP in the UK. During this time, he directed strategic planning, led program delivery and provided cross-functional team leadership, significantly contributing to the company’s growth.
He holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, along with a BSc in Biochemistry from Newcastle University.
The UK is home to world-class innovation hubs and science parks. How do these hubs support the collaboration and sharing of facilities and expertise required for successful ATMP development?
Mills & Reeve
Partner and Head of Life Sciences
James heads Mills & Reeve’s multi-disciplinary life sciences practice. He supports businesses across the full product lifecycle, from start-up to commercialisation.
A key focus of his work is supporting clients on strategic contracting covering technology / IP in and out- licensing transactions, research collaborations, clinical trial agreements and long term partnering agreements. James also advises on sector regulation including pharma and medical device regulation, market access, borderline products, advertising and clinical trials.
Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst
Chief Executive Officer
During her time as CEO at Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, total private equity investment in biotechnology raised in Stevenage has grown to become comparable with that of Cambridge, London and Oxford.
Sally Ann has been responsible for the strategy, growth and development of four internationally recognised science parks including Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, Harwell Oxford, Colworth Science Park and Norwich Research Park.
She began her career with Unilever as part of the management training scheme and later had lead responsibility for In-Licensing, Strategic Alliances and Open Innovation within the Unilever Foods and Discovery divisions. Being part of the founding team of Unilever Ventures and Unilever Technology Ventures gave Sally Ann an insight into the needs of growing companies. She gained her property experience through Goodman International where she was Director of Science Parks responsible for the development and management of their UK portfolio.
Sally Ann is passionate about the translation of UK science into world leading innovations and the creation of supportive environments to help early-stage companies grow. She has a PhD in molecular biology from the University of Cambridge and is a qualified management accountant (CGMA).
FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies
Senior Director, Viral Gene Therapy
Michael is responsible for overseeing FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies’ (FDB) Viral Gene Therapy operations in the UK. Prior to this he spent 4 years at FDB’s College Station location in Texas USA where he was Head of Process Development, and was responsible for leading a rapidly expanding process development team. He has previously served in a number of technical roles at FDB’s sites in Texas and the UK and before joining FDB, worked for MSD Biologics and Avecia Biotechnology. Michael gained a BSc in Medical Microbiology and Immunology and an MPhil in Developmental Biology from Newcastle University.
Stevenage Borough Council
Director
Tom is Stevenage Borough Council’s Strategic Director and Deputy CEO. He joined Stevenage in 2016, having worked for the London Borough of Barnet. Tom’s role includes working on town centre regeneration, affordable and mixed housing development projects, planning, ICT and digital transformation and working on growth projects across Hertfordshire. In his previous roles, Tom has led the delivery of major capital projects, Council wide transformation, service performance and management of operations including environment services, libraries and museums. Tom has a PhD in Business Studies.
CPI
Head of Intracellular Drug Delivery Centre
Juliana (Jules) Haggerty is Head of Centre of Excellence in Lipid Nanoparticles at CPI where she is responsible for anchoring and advancing UK capability and building collaborative Grand Challenge programmes in this exciting technology area, essential for the delivery of RNA vaccines and therapeutics. She supported CPI’s programmes in RNA vaccines for the UK Vaccine Taskforce in 2020 and provided expert advice and due diligence on legacy activities and onshoring throughout 2021.
Jules sits on the Technology and Innovation committee of the Medicines Manufacturing Industry Partnership and on the Technology Roadmapping and Digital Technology Roadmapping groups within BioPhorum. She has significant expertise in the use of public/ private funding and collaborative R&D models to advance technology and innovation and led this activity within CPI for 5 years.
Jules has a BSc (Hons) degree in Physiological Sciences and an Engineering Doctorate in Biopharmaceutical Process Development from Newcastle University. In her early career, she spent 8 years at global Life Sciences company, Millipore, working on advanced and novel technology development and developing downstream processing best practice for biopharmaceutical manufacture.
AscellaHealth
Vice President of Market Access
Serving as Vice President of Market Access at AscellaHealth, Gillian brings 20 years of experience in the life sciences industry in both the European and US markets. She has held commercial and market access leadership positions at Baxter, Novartis Oncology and AstraZeneca, as well as trade relations and formulary strategy leadership roles at UnitedHealth Group. At AscellaHealth, Gillian provides strategic innovation and consultative market access support to pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare organisations. Gillian holds a BSc (Pharmacy) and MSc (Hospital Pharmacy) from Trinity College Dublin, as well as an MBA from University College Dublin Smurfit Business School. Gillian also has a Diploma in Health Economics from the National University of Ireland Whitaker School of Government and Management.
We need to get advanced therapies to the people who need them rapidly and cost-effectively. How can we improve the bench to bedside journey to cut costs and improve efficiencies? How can we ensure the UK sees ATMPs as an investment in our health and economy?
NJ Redfern Ltd
Consultant
Following 5 years’ experience working in the gene therapy arena at bluebird bio, with a focus on reimbursement and commercialisation, Nicola set up NJ Redfern Ltd in 2022 to enable her to consult, coach and collaborate with other organisations.
With a consistent focus over recent decades on rare disease & oncology/ haematology, her primary attention has been on pricing and reimbursement, service delivery and shaping the external environment. She has been in the pharmaceutical industry since 1989, and has been employed by 10 different companies.
Since her company’s inception last year she has contracted with over 12 organisations on a diverse range of projects – including supporting 2 further gene therapy companies in their launch planning in the UK. Nicola was previously an active member of the ABPI – chairing the ATMP working group during 2021, a member of their Value and Access group and supporting various government affairs/communications initiatives. She has worked closely in the last 6 years with the Cell and Gene therapy catapult in the UK. More recently Nicola has been invited to sit on the advisory board for company ATMPS, has given talks at various ATMP congresses in 2022 and 23, been interviewed by Lumanity and Haemnet, and since January 2023 sits on the ethics subgroup of the International Society of Cell and Gene therapy and is a member of ATMP engage.
Nicola is committed to and motivated by patients having a choice and being able to access transformative treatment options quickly once science and innovation reaches a point to positively impact the lives of people living with significant health challenges. Having worked at Martin House hospice in Yorkshire, sat on the board of trustees at Naomi House and Jacks Place – a Hospice for children and young adults near Winchester, UK – and through working alongside multiple patient organisations over her career, she has a strong empathy and understanding of life limiting conditions and their impact on the individual, their families and society as a whole.
She has consistently demonstrated strong leadership capabilities – with a passion for creating and shaping new diverse teams – embedding a positive culture, helping individuals develop, then leading them through defining their strategic focus and driving the initiatives through to completion.
PDC*line Pharma
President & Chief Executive Officer
Serial entrepreneur that combines strong strategic, technological and managerial experience with proven track record of deal-making and fund-raising. During his career he achieved together with his different teams to bring four drug candidates from research to the clinics (up to phase IIb). Overall, Eric has raised as of now a total of more than €160 million from VCs and strategic partners in Europe, USA, Japan and Korea and have had numerous successes in the sale and initial public offering of biotechnology companies. He is CEO of the biotechnology company PDC*line Pharma and board member of Essenscia (Bio.be). Eric is co-founder of four biotechnology companies called Myosix (bought by Genzyme mid-2002), Murigenetics, HairClone and Digital Orthopaedics. He is co-Inventor of the first GMP approved mobile manufacturing unit for cell therapy. Eric worked for 12 years in the Healthcare and Life Sciences Practice of Arthur D. Little. Eric holds two master’s degrees in pharmacology and Molecular Biology and a MBA from ESSEC business school (Paris, France), with an advanced degree from the Health Care ESSEC chair.
Gilead Sciences
Director
Debbie Flanagan (BSC MSc PhD) is a Director at Gilead Sciences Ltd. With >27 years’ experience across the pharmaceutical and diagnostic industry, she is passionate about shaping the policy and reimbursement landscape to ensure patients can access new and innovative therapies, spanning therapeutic areas such as HIV, Hepatitis C and Cell & Gene therapies. She is proud to have been involved in the collaborative approach taken by industry, NHSE and NHS Providers in enabling the initial establishment of CAR-T therapies in the UK. This has had a significant impact on patients living with diffuse large cell B Lymphoma and won an HSJ Partnership Award in 2020. Another significant achievement for Debbie was when Gilead won gold in the England Hepatitis C elimination tender – this ground-breaking partnership between NHSE & industry has made the elimination of an infectious blood borne virus a reality for many underserved and marginalised sectors of society. She is determined to continue to build on these successes and champion collaborative working with the system to ensure that optimal pathways are in place and all patients can benefit from innovative treatments.
Autolomous
Head of our Business Development
A Biochemical Engineer by training, I have a passion for translating small scale discoveries into industrially relevant biological processes to make it possible for them to reach the people who need them. This has been the focus of my further doctoral training and early employment work.
Although I have experience operating downstream processes, my work to date has focussed on upstream processing, its optimisation and characterisation for the improvement of bioprocesses.
University of Bristol
Professor of Paediatric Renal Medicine
I trained as an undergraduate at University College, London. I am a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. My PhD was in transplantation immunology at Institute of Child Health, London. Paediatric nephrology training at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London. I set up my independent laboratory programme in glomerular cell biology in Bristol, as well as holding a post as a consultant paediatric nephrologist since 1999, with an international reputation in management of nephrotic syndromes, and a pioneer of the field of podocyte biology.
I now head Bristol Renal, a glomerular research group of approximately 45 researchers, covering all areas from cell biology, transgenic models and population cohorts and genetics (H index 82).
I was the originator of the UK Renal Rare Disease Registry (RaDaR), and am currently leading the UK nephrotic syndrome study (NephroS), as well as a major industry-academic collaboration termed NURTuRE (National Unified Renal Translational Research Enterprise). I am PI on several MRC projects, including Precision Medicine, laboratory project grants and a Global Challenges program to establish international NS cohorts.
My gene therapy program commenced in 2014, and is focused on targeting the podocyte in order to radically change the treatment of kidney diseases. I am now co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Purespring Therapeutics
Newcastle University Medical School
Scientific Director, Transplant Regenerative Medicine
Dr. Bill Scott is a Biomedical Engineer who has spent the past 20+ years embedded within healthcare, identifying problems and solutions for the transplant community. He presently works at the Newcastle University Medical school in the Translational and Clinical Research Institute where he helped to establish and serves as Scientific Director for the TRM facility the ‘Transplant Regenerative Medicine’ (TRM) group, and co-founded the Islet Isolation and Innovation Hub. Bill is a basic/translational researcher in transplantation and regenerative medicine; particularly focused on understanding changes during the peri-transplant period and developing/assessing novel interventions to overcome these towards increasing utilisation and posttransplant function. To facilitate translation of these findings into clinical practice, Bill has developed a particular focus on improved access to critical research tissues, working with regulatory bodies to adapt to emergent scientific developments, as well as understanding the commercial aspects of clinical translation.
Bill contributes to several national consortia including as a co-Investigator on the NIHR funded ‘Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Organ Donation and Transplantation’ in collaboration with Cambridge University and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHS-BT); Co-Investigator and National Tissue and Cell Processing Coordinator for the Quality in Organ Donation (QUOD) MRC Tissue Bank. Beyond these research activities, Bill also serves as the Module Leader for the Transplantation Master of Research Course at Newcastle University; acts as the Commercialisation and deputy theme lead for the Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cells, Transplantation Faculty Theme; is a member of the leadership group for the Newcastle University Centre for Excellence in Biomedical Engineering, and contributes to a number of national NHS-BT initiatives related to facilitating transplant-related research. Beyond Newcastle, he has been appointed as the University of Manchester External Examiner for: MSc Clinical Sciences. He is active in many societies and is presently serving as an elected board member for the European Society for Organ Transplantation Basic Science Committee (vice-Chair) where he is presently leading a webinar series and contributes to organising meetings and educational initiatives. Bill also serves as a member of the HESI Cell Therapy – TRAcking, Circulation, & Safety (CT-TRACS) Committee and supervises a student who cultivates their ‘Data Portal for Imaging Cell Therapies’ database. Outside of his academic endeavours, Bill is currently the Chief Scientific Officer for ScubaTx Ltd.; a spin out from Newcastle University that has raised in excess of £2M in Venture Capital and grant funding towards developing a medical device for enhanced organ preservation, that meets the real-world constraints of transplant personnel, money, logistics and physical space.
In the current economic environment, both public and private funders are tightening their purse strings. How can we demonstrate the health and economic benefits that would come from a return to previous levels of funding for the ATMP sector?
Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
Chief Business Officer
Jeanette Evans is Chief Business Officer at the CGT Catapult and is responsible for leading the organisation’s business development, commercialisation of research, legal and IP departments. Jeanette provides strategic leadership and supports these teams as they work to establish and maintain collaborations with academics and industry.
During her extensive career to date, Jeanette has had the opportunity to lead business development projects and transactions globally, and across many therapeutic areas. She has held senior roles at companies including Adaptimmune, MSD and AstraZeneca.
Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
Head of Commercialisation of Research and Investments
Advanced Therapy commercialisation professional and published scientist with wide-ranging interests including research commercialisation, venture capital, intellectual property, life sciences and novel medical technologies. Passionate about gene and cell therapies, spin-out creation and technology investment.
Parkwalk Advisors
Life Science Investor
Karolina has nearly a decade of experience in investing and building life sciences and healthcare companies within the Cambridge Cluster. Currently, she sits on the boards of five early-stage companies in Cambridge. She played a pivotal role in securing pre-seed, seed, and Series A investments from a stellar syndicate of investors. In 2018, she co-founded and successfully delivered the first life sciences startup accelerator in Cambridge, nurturing a portfolio of 20 early-stage ventures covering Biotech, TechBio, Tools, MedTech, and Digital Health that raised almost £70m. Her career began as a scientist at a leading biopharmaceutical company, contributing to the development of a diverse product portfolio for clinics. Karolina holds a PhD in protein folding (diabetes & neurosciences) from the University of Cambridge and conducted postdoctoral research in drug development at MedImmune/AstraZeneca. The majority of her research work focused on biologics associated with metabolic diseases.
Parkwalk Advisors is one of the UK’s leading growth fund managers, backing world-changing technologies emerging from UK universities and research institutions. Our unique asset class backs high-potential, hard science technology companies from a range of sectors, including life sciences, AI, big data, materials, medtech and much more.
ImmuONE
CEO
Scientist turned entrepreneur in biotech!
Previous winner of INNOVATE UK funding and sponsored programme ICURe 2019! In 2018, I travelled the world talking with the inhalation and allergy industries about standardising In Vitro technologies for safety assessments and toxicology outcomes. With support from INNOVATE UK, UH & Santander, I embarked on the journey from scientist to CEO of a biotech start-up!
For me, it’s about applying research to the outside world, taking science from the bench side and gauging the innovative potential for commercialisation. I dream big because ICURe SETsquared awarded me the opportunity to combine my love of science with my ridiculously good organisation and management skills.
Since June 2020, we have developed and launched multiple human-lung and immune in-vitro products of the lower airway. Our services offer standard testing and advanced assays to assist our clients with questions of uncertainty, ultimately helping them in their decisions to get products to market. We have also grown our team from 2 to 14 brilliant individuals (go and see for yourself!)
Connect with me over LinkedIn!
Specialities: toxicology, biotechnology and innovation
The R&D hub in Stevenage is home to more than 2,500 GSK people focused on discovering and developing new medicines.
The Stevenage Campus base is home to other major organisations including Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, the Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing Catapult, LifeArc and Cytiva alongside a growing cluster of start-up companies.
By car:
– 20-minute drive to Luton
By train:
-21 minutes from Kings Cross
-35 Minutes from Cambridge
