N4 Pharma plc, the UK biotech developing Nuvec®, its proprietary gene delivery system for advanced cancer and disease therapies, has announced the formation of a new Senior Leadership Team comprising four leading expert consultants in drug development, commercial strategy, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The Senior Leadership Team will support the Board in delivering N4 Pharma's strategic and scientific objectives following the company's recent successful placing. The focus is to advance development of Nuvec® as a novel delivery platform and build out the commercial data room to strengthen discussions with potential commercial partners.
Leadership Team Appointments
Dr. Fiona McLaughlin joins as Head of Research and Development, bringing over 25 years of experience in research and translational drug development across pharmaceutical and biotech sectors. McLaughlin has led teams from early research through clinical development, starting her career at GSK before holding leadership positions including CSO of Avacta Therapeutics, VP New Opportunities at Algeta ASA (now Bayer), VP Translational Research at Antisoma plc, and Director of Pre-clinical Development at BTG plc (now part of Boston Scientific). She currently serves as a non-executive director of Hox Therapeutics and holds a PhD from Cambridge University's Haematology Department and BSc in Biochemistry from Glasgow University.
Mark Edbrooke, PhD assumes the role of Head of Strategy, bringing broad pharmaceutical research and development experience. During his 25 years at GlaxoSmithKline, he ran a transnational functional genomics department and established GSK's therapeutic nucleic acid unit. He subsequently joined AstraZeneca's Oncology Division for three years, working with Ionis and Moderna. Edbrooke currently maintains a portfolio of clients including UK and US-based investment companies, universities, and small biotechs, serving as Head of Translational Research at Argonaute RNA Ltd. and on the Senior Advisory Board for Deep Genomics.
Dr. Simon Bennett has been appointed Commercial Director, contributing over 28 years of bio-pharma industry experience. Over the past 15 years, Bennett has worked with more than 70 clients ranging from technology startups to Big Pharma, primarily supporting business development and licensing, technology scouting, and fundraising. He has been involved in over 80 commercial deals and mentors early-stage businesses and management teams in specialty pharma and biotech. Before entering industry in 1997, Bennett was a Wellcome Trust Research Fellow at the University of Oxford.
Dr. Margaret Courtney leads Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC), bringing over 25 years of experience transitioning active substances and drug products from research laboratories into clinical studies and commercialization. Courtney has worked in management positions across small biotech companies to large pharmaceutical organizations, developing specific expertise in drug delivery systems following her pharmacy degree and doctoral studies. She currently provides CMC strategic advice and manages contract organizations for various clients.
Platform Advantages and Development Focus
RNA therapeutics are positioned to impact treatment across a wide range of diseases, and Nuvec® offers several key advantages for RNA gene delivery. These include the ability to deliver multiple RNA therapies in a single particle, ease of manufacturing, protection of RNA payload to allow for oral delivery, no unwanted immune response, and excellent stability and storage characteristics.
N4 Pharma is building out its preclinical data set and working towards first-in-human clinical data to support significant licensing deals for its Nuvec® platform with gene therapy partners. The company's lead programme, N4 101, is an oral anti-inflammatory product for IBD which serves as a proof-of-concept programme showcasing all the benefits of the Nuvec® platform.
Strategic Vision
"The Senior Leadership Team that we have formed to help us swiftly deliver on our strategic and scientific goals is a world-class group of consultants with extensive experience in drug development, manufacturing and commercialisation," said Nigel Theobald, Chief Executive Officer of N4 Pharma. "These appointments bring essential expertise to advance the Nuvec® platform towards our goal of commercial partnerships as well as build a pipeline of novel, highly valuable RNA therapeutic concepts for N4 Pharma to develop in-house."
Theobald emphasized the significance of the appointments: "Each member of the Senior Leadership Team brings deep expertise and a proven track record in their respective fields. Their involvement with N4 Pharma on the development of Nuvec® is a strong endorsement of the progress to date and a clear demonstration of confidence in its future potential. The Board looks forward to their valuable guidance as we continue to unlock the full potential of Nuvec® as a novel delivery platform to enable advanced therapies for cancer and other diseases."
