Brief CV:Professor Peter Simpson is a widely recognised strategic leader of UK life science companies, with a track record of driving innovation, growth, and impact.
Through Peter Simpson Consulting Ltd he currently provides strategic advice and leadership support to a number of life science SMEs. He is Chair of Dia Beta Labs Ltd, a novel peptide SME active in metabolic disease, and of Ephyra, a sponge RNA technology company, supporting their first-time CEOs to validate their innovative assets and deliver investment.
Peter was founding Chief Scientific Officer for the UK’s drug discovery innovation organisation Medicines Discovery Catapult, developing its research capabilities, and ensuring £150M of government funding to support >150 SMEs. He holds an honorary chair in cancer sciences from University of Manchester. In the Covid pandemic, Peter led one of UK’s 3 national Covid testing centres, which grew to employ 800 staff and delivered ~24 million Covid diagnostic tests. Peter has eighteen years of experience in leading preclinical drug discovery within MSD and AstraZeneca.
Abstract: Modern experimental therapeutics are not limited to small molecules and antibodies. Immunomodulators, nucleic acids, complex medicines, and peptides, often combined with a wider range of drug delivery technologies, are on the rise. These modalities challenge us to expand our conventional drug discovery assay cascades to better address efficacy, biodistribution, toxicology and bioavailability. I will discuss some of the assays and technologies that facilitate more effective development of advanced therapeutic molecules.
