Global representation for Oxfordshire drug discovery company's scientific advisory board

Published by

Nicky Godding

Oxfordshire-based drug discovery company e-therapeutics plc is expanding its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) with the appointment of Dr Bill Harte and Professor John Mattick.

The appointments follow the establishment of the SAB in May of 2020 with the initial appointment of Dr Paul Burke as Chair following the Company's expansion into RNA interference (RNAi) as a therapeutic modality to pursue drug discovery outcomes.

Dr Bill Harte is a pharmaceutical veteran and serial entrepreneur with more than 30 years in both research and executive positions. He currently serves as the Chief Translational Officer at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, based in Ohio, USA, advising and translating preclinical programs into patients. Previously, he held executive roles at Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Visum Therapeutics and E3X Therapeutics. Dr Harte's broad experience spans computational chemistry, structural biology and modelling, medicinal chemistry, product development and portfolio prioritisation as well as CEO experience. Bill has also done extensive work with top-tier VC firms.

John Mattick is Professor of RNA Biology at UNSW Sydney, and one of the world's foremost experts in the field. He was previously the Chief Executive of Genomics England, Executive Director of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Director of the Institute for Molecular Biology at the University of Queensland, and Director of the Australian Genome Research Facility. He has published more than 300 scientific articles.

His awards include the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Medal, the Australian Government Centenary Medal, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Bertner Award for Distinguished Contributions to Cancer Research, and the Human Genome Organisation Chen Medal for Distinguished Achievement in Human Genetics and Genomic Research.

Dr Paul Burke, Chair of Scientific Advisory Board, said: "I am delighted to welcome Bill and John to the e-therapeutics Scientific Advisory Board. We believe that their high calibre experience and guidance will be of significant value as the Company progresses its strategy to achieve its future commercial goals."

Ali Mortazavi, Executive Chairman, said: "We are honoured and excited to have convened such a distinguished Scientific Advisory Board. Paul, Bill and John all have considerable industry experience, and we look forward to their strategic advice and insight on transforming the drug discovery process as we continue to grow e-therapeutics whilst exploring new areas such as RNAi."

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.