11:30 – 11:45   Dr Claudia Contini:  Bio-Inspired Motile Soft Matter Systems

11:45 – 12:00  Carmen Ruehl:  The Influence of Molecular Geometry of Metal Complexes on Stabilising G-quadruplex DNA

 12:00 – 13:00  Main Visiting Speaker: Dr. Andrew Thomas – Innovation: The translation of ideas into value

Biography

Andrew began his Roche career in Roche Basel, Switzerland in 1999 after his PhD in Chemistry in St. Andrews (Scotland) and Post Doctoral studies in Cambridge (England) with Professor Steven V Ley.  Dr Andrew Thomas is former Vice President, Principal Leader, Global Head Medicinal Chemistry of Roche (pRED)  Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, responsible for the stages from conception of new projects to end of Phase 2 clinical trials. His responsibilities included the medical areas of Neuroscience, Ophthalmology, Rare Diseases, Oncology, Infectious Diseases, Inflammation and Immunology at the Roche Innovation centres of Switzerland and China and also responsible for accessing strategic innovation for Roche pRED happening outside of the Roche group in academia and in the start up community: Andrew also initiated the strategic partnerships within the Roche group partners Genentech and Chugai.  Andrews medicinal chemistry teams have discovered Balovaptan, Basmisanil, Basimglurant, Bitopertin, Bitopertin, Decoglurant, Idasanutlin, Risdiplam, Sembragiline and 11 others in clinical development, with a pending drug name INN.

Andrew became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2007, won several prestigious awards, including the Leo Sternbach Medal for creativity and innovation in medicinal chemistry as well as an Inventors Recognition Gold Medal. Andrew is in the list of the top 10 most cited pharma industry scientists based on 50 publications, 3 books and 60 patents. And now he has been recognised with the 5th BMCS Lectureship.

In his spare time, Andrew is an endurance cyclist, trustee of the Laureus Foundation charity, former player and coach of Roche football team and Founder, Chairman of Roche International Football Toyrnement (bringing together 16 global Roche sites each year in a different international location).  Andrew is now a Managing Partner at Helvetica Capital, and has built a new team (with Credit Suisse) with a mandate to accelerate the growth phase of Swiss based start up and medium sized companies.  Since moving on from Roche, Andrew was transition CEO of three Bio-tech pharma companies, sits on the board of 3 companies, and founded a strategic consultancy company. Andrew will elude more on his role at the Swiss EF during his talk…..entitled Innovation: The translation of ideas into value.