Infectious Diseases and Vaccines speakers
Tim Wells, CSO, Medicines for Malaria Venture
David McIntosh, Global Scientific Affairs Senior Expert, Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics
Ken Powell, Executive Chairman, Q-CHIP Ltd
David Knowles, Chairman, Procarta Biosystems
Barrie Wilkinson, Vice President R&D, Biotica Ltd
Heather Fairhead, CEO, Phico Therapeutics Ltd
Deborah O'Neil, CEO, NovaBiotics
David Williams, CEO, Discuva Limited
Miles Carroll, Deputy Director, Head of Research, Health Protection Agency
Graham Clarke, CEO, ImmBio
Ted Fjallman, Technology Develoment Coordinator, Prokarium Ltd
Campbell Bunce, R&D Director, Immune Targeting Systems
Fiona Marston, CEO, Absynth Biologics
Mike Whelan, Head of R&D, iQur Therapeutics
Gerard Gregg-Smith, Managing Director, GGS-Associates, Chairman, Clinova
Jeff Drew, CSO, Stabilitech
Neil Williams, CSO, KWS BioTest
Tom Saylor, CEO, Arecor
Steve Brocchini, CSO, Polytherics
Professor Sir Anthony Coates, St George's University of London
Tim Wells
CSO, Medicines for Malaria Venture
Dr Timothy Wells joined MMVas their Chief Scientific Officer in October 2007. He has responsibility for a portfolio of over 50 projects spanning from early stage discovery to products; two of which are already approved, and two others in late stages of registration. He has over 20 years experience in drug discovery and development, having previously been the head of Research for the Swiss Biotech company Serono. Prior to this he worked in Geneva for Glaxo at their centre for Molecular Biology, mainly working on host responses to infection and inflammation, and has almost 200 publications. He has a PhD in Chemistry from Imperial London with Professor Sir Alan Fersht, and a ScD in Biology from Cambridge for the work in cytokine biology. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
David McIntosh
Global Scientific Affairs Senior Expert, Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics
David McIntosh is an Australian paediatrician, vaccinologist and infectious disease specialist. Currently in Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics he is the Global Scientific Affairs Senior Expert. David previously worked for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, on the 7- and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, the intra-nasal cold-adapted influenza vaccine, the antibiotics tigecycline and piperacillin-tazobactam, and the anti-parasitic agent moxidectin. He originally trained as a medical doctor in Sydney, Australia, specialising in paediatric infectious diseases and public health. His early research was on early-onset Group B streptococcal infection at the King George V Hospital for Mothers and Babies in Sydney. His post-doctoral work was on gene therapy for hepatitis at Imperial College, London. David completed a four-year Higher Medical Training period in Pharmaceutical Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians and is on the Specialist Register of the UK as a Pharmaceutical Physician and Paediatrician. He is currently studying a Master’s degree in Medical Law and Ethics. David is an Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at Imperial College and an Honorary Professor at the Scientific Center for Children’s Health, Russian Academy of Medical Science, Moscow. On 13th June 2011 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List he was appointed as a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia.
Ken Powell
Executive Chairman, Q-CHIP Ltd
Ken Powell is Executive Chairman of Q-Chip a Cardiff based life science company developing novel delayed release formulations of drugs; and Chairman of Reviral, a London company developing anti-viral drugs. Prior to his current roles Ken was founder and CEO of Arrow Therapeutics Ltd (a specialised antiviral drug discovery company acquired by Astra-Zeneca PLC for $150 million in February 2007). Ken has more than 25 years experience of the pharmaceutical industry and the issues the UK industry is facing.
David Knowles
Chairman, Procarta Biosystems
David has worked for over 20 years in major pharmaceutical companies both in Europe and the US and has established an international reputation in anti-infectives R&D. For the past ten years David has acted as CSO/R&D Director for several companies in the biotech sector in the UK including RiboTargets plc, British Biotech plc, Piramed Ltd and CellCentric, as well as advising other biotechs and Private Equity Funds in the UK, US, Europe and Asia. Prior to this he was Director of Molecular Biology at SmithKline Beecham.
Barrie Wilkinson
Vice President R&D, Biotica Ltd
Barrie joined Biotica in January 2001 after 4 years working in the Bioprocess group at GSK (then GW). Prior to his appointment as VP of Research in 2009, he was Director of Natural Products Chemistry and responsible for establishing the companies capabilities in this area. Barrie’s experience spans the breadth of discovery and lead optimisation in natural products chemical biology, having trained in several leading labs in the field (Peter Leadlay, James Staunton, Heinz Floss, Richard Herbert).
Heather Fairhead
CEO, Phico Therapeutics Ltd
Having worked for several years in sales and marketing in various industries, Heather went on to gain a First Class Hons degree from Nottingham University in Biotechnology, and a PhD in Molecular Microbiology from Sheffield University. Following post-doctoral work at the University of Cambridge and as a researcher at the University of Connecticut, in late 2000 she started Phico Therapeutics with seed funding from a Cambridge VC. Heather has led the company from the concept for Phico’s antibacterial platform technology, through a successful First In Man I clinical trial with an S. aureus/MRSA product. Heather has raised more than £11 M to date, including 3 DTI R&D grants, £1 M from the Wellcome Trust and investment from 130+ individual shareholders. Heather’s interests include cycling, horse carriage driving, walking, drawing and painting, tai chi, photography and gardening.
Deborah O'Neil
CEO, NovaBiotics Ltd
Deborah founded NovaBiotics in August, 2004. An immunologist by training with over a decade's experience in the field of natural antimicrobials, Deborah studied at University College London and then worked in internationally acclaimed laboratories in San Diego and Ghent before moving to Aberdeen. It was here where, in order to fully develop the commercial potential of novel antimicrobial peptide therapies, NovaBiotics was formed. Deborah has since grown the business to a leading global biotechnology company with clinical-stage compounds and a robust and exciting pipeline of anti-infective peptide drug candidates.
David Williams
CEO, Discuva Limited
David is a successful entrepreneurial leader in the biopharmaceutical sector with 27-years experience in large Pharma and Biotech, including active involvement in all stages of research from target discovery and translational research through to Phase II clinical studies and commercial return. David co-founded the successful AIM-listed oncology drug discovery company Sareum and as part of the senior management steered Summit plc back to financial and scientific viability. Other major roles in UK/US senior management and research were performed at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Medivir, Acambis and Roche.
Miles Carroll
Deputy Director, Head of Research, Health Protection Agency
Miles Carroll joined the Health Protection Agency as Deputy Director, Head of Research at Porton Down in September 2008. Miles began his scientific career working in the commercial sector on veterinary vaccines before gaining his first degree in Medical Microbiology. He gained his PhD from the Medical Faculty at the University of Manchester which enabled him to obtain an International Fogarty Fellowship at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, USA. On his return to the UK in 1997, Miles Joined Oxford Biomedica as Vice President of Immunotherapy. In 2004, Miles joined MNL Pharma as Chief Scientific Officer before working with UK universities and government research institutes in 2006 to raise external funding to commercialise their technologies. In 2011, Miles was awarded the title of Honorary Professor in Vaccinology at the University of Southampton.
Graham Clarke
CEO, ImmBio
Graham joined the Board of ImmunoBiology as a non-executive director soon after its formation. He was then appointed its CEO at the beginning of 2006, as part of its series C funding round. Graham was previously Vice President of Marketing Operations in Strategic Product Management for SmithKline Beecham, then head of Executive Decision Support, GSK R&D (on GW and SB merger) and latterly led Strategic Development for GE Healthcare Biosciences (formerly Amersham plc). He was a Partner in the PA Consulting Groups’ Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology practice. He has a master’s degree in biophysics from King’s College London, an MBA and is also qualified as a chartered management accountant.
Ted Fjällman 
Technology Development Coordinator , Prokarium Ltd
Dr Ted Fjällman is the Technology Development Coordinator at Prokarium Ltd, a start-up company spun-out from the contract manufacturer Cobra Biologics. The underlying technology is a novel platform for oral vaccine delivery based on a live bacterial vector (Salmonella) combined with a selectable marker free plasmid stabilisation system. Ted hails from the recombinant DNA technology and immunology fields and most recently moved to the UK from having worked as strategy consultant in Stockholm. The Prokarium team is now actively seeking contacts to develop this new venture and if you are an investor or an organisation interested in licensing our technology, please feel free to establish contact via http://uk.linkedin.com/in/tedfjallman.
Campbell Bunce
R&D Director, Immune Targeting Systems
Campbell joined ITS as R&D Director in October 2009 with 15 years experience developing vaccine and pharmaceutical products in the biotechnology sector, from early feasibility and pre-clinical through clinical phases of development. His early experience at Cantab Pharmaceuticals evaluating new product candidate opportunities provided a solid foundation in the development of novel and innovative technologies including vaccines for the treatment of drug addiction. Campbell has successfully progressed key R&D programmes with Xenova, Celtic Pharma and Piramed Pharma supporting product partnering and company sale outcomes. Throughout his career he has developed an in depth knowledge of the drug development process across pre-clinical, clinical and manufacturing disciplines building extensive programme and team management experience. Campbell’s main interest is in the exploitation of the immune system in the improvement of human health.
Fiona Marston
CEO, Absynth Biologics
Fiona is an entrepreneurial Chief Executive who has successfully established and grown biotechnology businesses. She previously co-founded the anti-infectives company Novacta Biosystems and was Chief Executive until late 2007. In her early business career Fiona founded and managed Healthcare Ventures Limited, a European incubator company, for the Rothschild Bioscience Unit and J&J Development Corporation. In this role she helped found Metris Therapeutics Limited and Novarticulate BV. Fiona has led Absynth Biologics since 2008 to advance its S. aureus vaccine and its collaborative development of S.aureus therapeutic antibodies with Morphosys, which form the basis for development of Absynth’s pipeline and platform.
Mike Whelan
Head of R&D, iQur Therapeutics
Mike is a biochemist and immunologist. His post-doctoral study was at the Institute for Animal Health and the Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research. It was at the latter facility that his career long interest in vaccinology came to the fore. He spent seven years as Head of Research at Onyvax Ltd working on whole cell vaccines for prostate cancer. His group was involved in preclinical, Phase I and Phase II human trials. Latterly, Mike joined iQur Ltd as Head of R&D. His team have been actively developing the tandem core vaccine platform.
Gerard Gregg-Smith
Managing Director, GGS-Associates, Chairman, Clinova
Gerard Gregg-Smith, Managing Director of GGS Associates, and Chairman of Clinova Limited, worked for 10 years in the pharmaceutical industry, at Chugai Pharmaceuticals in Japan, and Glaxo in the UK, then 15 years in investment banking at Barings, Flemings, Rabobank and KPMG Corporate Finance, advising healthcare and life sciences companies, living and working in Asia, the US and Europe. He founded GGS Associates in 2006, focusing on senior executive search, corporate development, and investor introductions for life science companies and investors. Media interviews and articles include television (CNN), the Financial Times, and trade journals including Scrip and Pharma Japan.
Jeff Drew
CSO, Stabilitech
Dr Jeff Drew is the Chief Scientific Officer and founder of Stabilitech and the principal developer of the company’s proprietary technology. Jeff holds a degree in Microbiology and Virology from Manchester University, and a PhD in Molecular Virology from Reading University Institute of Animal Health at Pirbright, UK. Jeff has 20+ years experience in microbiological, cancer, gene therapy and genetic research. His research has been conducted within various research institutes and departments at the UK including the Exotic Virus Research Laboratories at the Institute of Animal Health, Universities of Oxford, London, the Marie Curie Research Institute and the Chester Beatty Laboratories at the Institute of Cancer Research. He is the co-founder and a non-executive director of Cells4Life, the leading UK umbilical cord blood stem cell storage company.
Neil Williams
CSO, KWS BioTest
Professor Neil Williams is Founder and CSO of KWS BioTest. His positions have included Professor of Immunology and Head of Department at the University of Bristol, Founder of Aegis Ltd and Chairman of the Trustees of the British Society for Immunology. KWS is a leading edge preclinical CRO, which works closely with clients to develop lead compounds as novel treatments for human disease. KWS provides efficacy models of inflammation, autoimmunity, infection, allergy and pain. Professor Williams expertise in drug discovery enable KWS to act as true partners for their many clients across Europe and the rest of the world.
Tom Saylor
CEO, Arecor
Tom Saylor is an experienced CEO with a track record of building and managing entrepreneurial organizations. His experience includes fundraising, strategy development, in- and out-licensing, and acquisitions in Asia, Europe and the United States. He is CEO of Arecor Limited, a British company focused upon enabling the next generation of therapeutic proteins and vaccines through advanced formulation technologies. Previously, he was CEO of Sirus Limited, a drug targeting and delivery company. Tom was Chairman and founder of Lotus Healthcare Corporation, an Asian-based fully integrated pharmaceutical company. Tom was CEO of Cell Systems Limited, a company focusing on medical applications of cryopreservation and algal biotechnology. Tom was Executive Vice President of a multi-billion dollar diversified industrial and financial group based in New York. He held a ministerial appointment and was a principal negotiator in the Tokyo Round of multilateral trade negotiations for the United States. Tom is Chairman of the SME Platform, a member of the board of EuropaBio and the Executive Committee of the British North American Committee. He holds an MBA from Harvard University, undertook doctoral studies in molecular biology and a degree in molecular biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Steve Brocchini
CSO, Polytherics
Steve Brocchini studied synthetic chemistry at Reed College (BA, 1984), the University of Michigan (PhD, 1989) and Emory University (postdoctoral 1990-1991). Industrial experience includes Raychem Corp. (metallurgy, 1985) and Xenova Limited (medicinal chemistry, 1991-1994). From 1995-1997 he was an adjunct faculty member in polymer chemistry at Rutgers University. He has been at the UCL School of Pharmacy since 1998. He co-founded PolyTherics.
Professor Sir Anthony Coates
Professor of Medical Microbiology at St George’s, University of London
Since 1981, my main research interest has been in tuberculosis. I lead research teams, am author of over 100 publications(including peer-reviewed publications and 13 books as editor), am recipient of numerous national and international grants from the European Commission, British MRC, charities and industry, and named inventor on many patents. I invented (with Dr Yanmin Hu) a new way of making antibiotics which target non-multiplying bacteria. This has been commercialised by a spinout company, called Helperby Therapeutics which I founded.