James McDonagh

PhD

James McDonagh completed his PhD in Computational Chemistry and Chemical Informatics at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Following this, James joined the University of Manchester for a postdoctoral contract where he developed a novel chemistry algorithm to elucidate the nature of correlated electron interactions. James then moved to industry and worked at several companies over the years, gaining invaluable skills and knowledge in machine learning and AI methodologies. An experienced and skilled AI Scientist, James will further develop ApconiX’s capabilities and client offering and provide mentorship and training to our other Data science team members.

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Calum MacGregor

BSc

Calum MacGregor is a Senior Safety Scientist supporting ApconiX’s Target Safety Assessment and Weight-of-evidence provisions. He has over seven years of experience in early discovery safety and project toxicology in various toxicology CROs and Biotechs. Calum has worked across a range of different portfolios from MTD and DRF studies to IND-enabling packages and beyond in rodents and large animals. He is an active and sociable person who will empower our customers with actionable insights.

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Zara Farooq

PhD

Zara Farooq is joining the Safety Science Team and will help on an internal project with our in-house safety pharmacology and neurobiology teams. Zara brings valuable skills in computation chemistry and pharmacological modelling from her PhD in biochemistry at Queen Mary University of London. She has experience in drug design and chemistry and will strongly improve our in-house expertise. Zara is a keen scientist, she is looking forward to further develop and leverage her skills in the Safety Science group.

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Ken Page

MSc

Ken has worked in the pharmaceutical industry, both in large companies (Astra Zeneca and Rhône Poulenc [now Sanofi]), small biotech (RedX), and CROs for many decades. During this time, Ken has either managed or been part of many teams including bioanalysis, P450 inhibition, in vitro permeability, metabolic stability, ADME, in vivo pharmacokinetics & PK modelling, helping identify new drugs effective in several disease areas including Oncology, Cardiovascular, Asthma & Inflammation and Anti-bacterial agents. Ken has a keen interest in human PK prediction and using it as early as possible to identify potential drug candidates. Ken has a BSc in Biochemistry and an MSc degree in Biopharmacy.

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Olga King

PhD

Dr Olga King is joining the Project Toxicology Team at ApconiX and will be designing and reviewing nonclinical toxicology studies among other responsibilities. Olga has a PhD in Veterinary Toxicology & Pharmacology from Ulyanovsk Agricultural University in Russia. Olga has previously worked as a Study Director at Sequani and LabCorp. She is a curious scientist who is looking forward to using her veterinary background and diverse study director experience in her new role.

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Josh Wright

Josh Wright is joining ApconiX as an industrial placement placement student and will be working as a Business Development Assistant with the Marketing and Business Development Team. Josh is studying for his Bachelor’s degree in Business, Management and Economics at Nottingham Trent University. He is the point of contact for clients interested in ApconiX’s Ion Channel Laboratory services. Josh has proven to be very versatile and became a valuable member of the team.

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Jessica Ferguson

Jessica Ferguson is joining the Safety Science Team and will help improving and streamlining the TSA framework to ensure efficiency in operations. Jess brings valuable technical talent with an MSc in Biology from the University of Manchester where, as well as industry experience from her previous position at Pebble Biotechnology Laboratories, a pre-clinical CRO specialising in ex vivo research. , Jess is a thoughtful and collaborative team member, bringing both enthusiasm and a proactive mindset to every challenge.

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Lindsey Talecki

MSc

Lindsey Talecki has over 17 years of experience at GSK in safety pharmacology, non-clinical and investigative safety and has written Target Safety Reviews throughout her career. Working with cardiovascular and central nervous system related ion channel non-clinical safety, Lindsey is looking forward to sharing her knowledge with the laboratory team. Living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she is supporting business development as our presence grows in the US. Lindsey’s enthusiasm and extensive experience is an invaluable addition to the business overall.

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Sophia Tomlinson

Sophia joined ApconiX in 2024 and works in Business Development alongside Dr Laurence Bishop. After completing her master’s in pharmacology from the University of Liverpool, Sophia continues to bring her passion for science and communication into our Business Development team. She initially joined ApconiX as a laboratory placement student working with Dr Kimberly Rockley in CNS liability and has continued to be a part of the ApconiX team ever since.

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Dr Louisa Zolkiewski

PhD

Dr Louisa Zolkiewski is part of the Ion Channel Laboratory at ApconiX, optimising and validating in vitro MEA assays to detect alternative liabilities in addition to seizure. Louisa used in silico, in vitro and in vivo models during her PhD in mammalian genetics from the University of Oxford. She also has experience in writing plans and reports for clients thanks to her previous position as GLP Principal Investigator at Gentronix. Louisa is a driven scientist, passionate about developing new methodologies that could improve preclinical screening strategies.

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