Aina Mogas Barcons

PhD

Aina is a neuroscientist with a biology background, specialising in neurodegenerative diseases.  Graduating from the Universitat Aut`onoma de Barcelona (Spain) with a  BSc in Biology and a MSc in Neuroscience, Aina went on to research spinal cord models for her Ph.D. in Neural Tissue Engineering at the Keele University (UK).  Fluent in both Spanish and Catalan, Aina is passionate about science communication and looks forward to making a contribution to the world of scientific communication, globally.

Heather Brown

Heather graduated from the University of York with a BSc in Biology.  She enjoys data analysis and the representation of results and her final project dissertation was a review of in silico data and how it predicted laboratory findings.  Working on immunotoxicology capability development with Dr Sean Hammond, Heather is a conscientious and enthusiastic scientist, with a systematic approach to scientific issues.

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Leah Worthington

Leah graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Biological Sciences.  Her interests are in ecology, genetics and disease.  Within the Target Safety Assessment team, she will be working on bioinformatics for TSAs, as well as gaining an overview of the whole process.  Leah’s broad biological knowledge and adaptability brings valuable capability and flexibility to the team

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Abigail Walker

MSc

Abigail Walker is a scientific writer with experience in toxicology, neuroscience, neurobiology and nutrition, having graduated from the University of Glasgow with a BSc and MSc in Neuroscience.  A keen communicator, she enjoys expanding her knowledge base, drawing out the key points in complex scientific subjects and working collaboratively in teams.

Helen Garside

PhD

Helen has over 10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry focused on predictive and mechanistic toxicology.  She has expertise in early project toxicology gained through roles in discovery safety and safety pharmacology, supporting projects across multiple therapy areas. Helen has a passion for collaborative working and applying the latest technology to toxicology.

Sean Hammond

PhD

Sean holds a PhD in immuno-pharmacology from the University of Liverpool, focused on developing experimental and conceptual means to address T-cell mediated hypersensitivity reactions. He has long-standing links with drug safety research at Liverpool where he received the Syngenta prize for Pharmacology at degree level and where he maintains an academic profile. He has several publications focused on the immuno-toxicological aspects of small molecular weight compounds and immune-checkpoint inhibitors. Sean particularly values working with inter-disciplinary experts to drive rational, data-led decision making in drug development projects.

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Angela Stokes

MSc CSci CChem FRSC FTOPRA

Angela has a strong scientific background in chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology and over 30 years of regulatory affairs experience in medicinal product and medical device development.   She has extensive experience of ICH, FDA and Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) guidelines for a wide range of pharmaceutical products, and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards for medical devices, in vitro diagnostics and quality systems. She has been influential in regulatory affairs training and mentoring and is a Fellow of The Organisation for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs (TOPRA) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Angela was the winner of the 2015 TOPRA Award for Contribution and 2020 TOPRA Award for Inspiration.  Angela’s knowledge, breadth of experience in regulatory affairs, toxicology and pharmacology abilities and strategic approach aligns with and supports the toxicology group in ApconiX.

Karen Featherstone

PhD

Karen is a Medical Writer with extensive experience in communicating health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) through a range of market access materials. Having worked within a global contract research organisation, she has a track record of delivering high quality, evidence-based materials to clients from across the pharmaceutical industry (from the top ten global pharmaceutical companies to small biotechnology companies) and across multiple disease areas, including infectious diseases and inflammatory disorders, cancer and rare genetic disorders. Karen has a comprehensive understanding of the core needs and challenges in gaining drug reimbursement and enjoys using her broad scientific knowledge to provide solutions to these challenges.

James Sidaway

PhD

James is an experienced and innovative toxicologist having worked for over 20 years in the pharmaceutical industry with AstraZeneca and as an independent consultant. As a molecular-investigative toxicologist he helped resolve safety issues for a wide range of drug discovery and development projects across the major therapy areas. He has also developed advanced in vitro models for organ toxicity screening, pioneered the application of novel technology and informatics platforms and has a strong track record of delivering Target Safety Assessments.  James (also known as Sid)  has a real interest in solving mechanisms of drug toxicity and is energised by working collaboratively in industry, academic and commercial settings.

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