ApconiX Welcomes Stephen Lynch
ApconiX is delighted to welcome Dr Stephen Lynch joining the Safety Science Group as an Immunology and Gastro-intestinal toxicology senior scientist and will be working with Dr Sean Hammond, Immunotoxicology Lead.
Academic Career
Stephen studied Pharmacology for his undergraduate degree, before completing a Master’s in Translational Medicine, both at the University of Liverpool. He then pursued his PhD at the Centre for Drug Safety Science in Liverpool, using liver and gastrointestinal organoids to model adverse event reactions. His research work in collaboration with GSK involved isolating human gastro-intestinal and liver cells and the generation of create organoid models to study compounds that had failed clinical trials.. The goal was to construct mechanistic adverse outcome pathways by identifying molecular initiating events, key signalling cascades, and cellular perturbations driving compound failure, and to assess how well these models predicted observed patient outcomes. Stephen’s research started with using mouse models before transitioning to human samples. His work using stem cell models to study toxicology demonstrated that certain chemotherapeutic agents induce a non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-like phenotype via disruption of hepatic lipid homeostasis, providing both mechanistic insight and a predictive model that mirrors patient outcomes. This outcome allows for patient derived organoids to potentially predict adverse events prior to treatment, contributing to a personalised medicine approach.
After completing his PhD, Stephen joined Medicine Discovery Catapult at Alderley Park as a lab scientist, working mainly with 2D stem-cell models. He then moved to Biograd in Liverpool, a company focusing on women’s health and stem-cell research. His expertise spans liver-on-a-chip models and 3D cardiac spheroids.
Working at ApconiX
Stephen met Sean during his undergraduate degree, both studying pharmacology, and always kept in touch with Sean, the two meeting up when Stephen was working on site at MDC. When the position opened, Stephen applied immediately, commenting “The position at ApconiX was particularly attractive to me due to my strong passion for toxicology, drug discovery, and translational science within a consultancy environment. The opportunity to work within a CRO setting appealed to me as it offers exposure to a diverse range of projects, allowing me to apply scientific expertise to real-world safety challenges across multiple therapeutic areas. I was especially drawn to ApconiX’s reputation for delivering high-quality, mechanistic toxicology insights and its collaborative approach to supporting drug development from early discovery through to clinical stages. This role provides me with an opportunity to further develop my skills in immunotoxicology while contributing to impactful, client-driven research.”
In his new position, Stephen will be working with Sean in immunology as well as contributing to gastro-intestinal toxicology projects.
Sean commented: “It is great to have Stephen on board. Stephen has a robust, collaborative approach to scientific challenges and I look forward to seeing him translate the fundamental knowledge he has into an applied setting of drug discovery”
Interests Outside of Work
Outside the lab, Stephen enjoys rugby and golf. He used to play rugby at university and joined his local team after graduation.
