Advisors

Scientific Founder

CellCentric has built its discovery platform and Principal Investigator network from an original relationship with one of the key leaders in epigenetics, Prof Azim Surani at the University of Cambridge.

Azim is Marshall-Walton Professor of Physiology and Reproduction at the Gurdon Institute of Cancer and Developmental Biology and a Fellow of the Royal Society.  Professor Surani obtained his PhD in Mammalian Development at the University of Cambridge in 1975 under Professor R G Edwards, the pioneer of test tube babies.  His past work includes the discovery of the phenomenon of genomic imprinting in mice.  His recent work has focused on the specification and properties of the mouse germ cell lineage, including epigenetic reprogramming of the genome.  His studies contributed to the advancement of cancer research, stem cells and regenerative medicine.  In 2007 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth honoured Professor Surani with a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for services to Biology.  In the same year he was awarded the 36th Annual Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award for 2007 for Distinguished Work in Basic Medical Science.

Drug Discovery and Development Advisors

CellCentric has an extensive network of advisors separate from its epigenetic discovery network. These experienced drug discovery and developers are used to help prioritize which target programmes to pursue and by what approaches. They include:

Prof. Hilary Calvert
Clinical Director of the Northern Institute for Cancer Research and Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. He was responsible for the introduction of carboplatin into clinical practice and its subsequent clinical development in ovarian cancer. He also led the group developing folate-based inhibitors of thymidylate synthase, leading eventually to the licensing of Tomudex™ (ratitrexed) with Astrazeneca. Since 1989 he has worked in the University of Newcastle upon Tyne implementing a program of drug development aimed at using the molecular pathology of human cancers to define targets, developing drugs aimed at those targets and performing preclinical and clinical studies. He also runs a major clinical trials program with up to eight Phase I studies of anticancer drugs open at any given time in addition to Phase II and III studies.

Prof. Roger Griffin
Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Director of Drug Development at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne’s Northern Institute for Cancer Research. His main focuses of research are medicinal chemistry and drug development, with particular reference to the design, synthesis and evaluation of anti-tumour agents directed at novel chemotherapeutic targets. A member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain since 1982, he is also a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Chemical Society, the British Association for Cancer Research, the American Association for Cancer Research and the Society for Medicines Research. He currently sits on the Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals and Standards Expert Advisory Group of the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) and the Cancer Research UK Development Committee.