Symeres and Axxam Appoint Russell Thomas as Joint CSO to Unify Integrated Drug Discovery Platform
Key Insights
Symeres (search) and Axxam (search) have appointed Russell Thomas as Chief Scientific Officer to lead their joint integrated drug discovery platform spanning target assessment through IND-ready packages.
The appointment deepens the strategic collaboration between the Dutch CRDMO and Italian biology-driven discovery services provider in response to growing demand for end-to-end R&D partners.
Thomas brings extensive experience from leadership roles at GSK, Evotec, Siena Biotech (search), Proteros (search), and prior tenures at both Symeres (search) and Axxam (search).
Symeres (search), a Dutch contract research, development and manufacturing organization (CRDMO), and Axxam (search), an Italian provider of biology-driven discovery services, have appointed Russell Thomas as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) to lead the further development of their joint integrated discovery platform. The appointment strengthens the scientific leadership of both companies as they deepen their strategic collaboration to offer pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners a seamless continuum of early drug discovery and development services.
The integrated solutions offered by the two organizations span from target assessment, screening and testing through lead identification and optimization, all the way to development candidate nomination and the delivery of IND-ready packages. This combined offering reflects growing demand from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies for partners capable of supporting the entire drug discovery and development continuum through integrated services.
"Returning as Chief Scientific Officer feels very exciting as it connects two parts of a story," said Thomas. "Having spent important parts of my career at both Symeres (search) and Axxam (search), I'm excited to help bring together expert-led complementary science, strong transatlantic teams and a shared mindset to support partners and projects in a truly integrated way."
A Career Spanning the R&D Value Chain
Thomas returns to Symeres (search) after spending a year advising emerging biotechnology and biomaterials companies. He first joined Symeres in January 2020 as Head of Business Development before later serving as Chief Scientific Officer. During his tenure, he played a key role in developing strategic customer relationships and strengthening the company's scientific profile across the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors.
Prior to that, Thomas served as Director of Discovery Research and later Director of Strategic Alliances at Axxam (search), where he helped establish and manage the integrated medicinal chemistry relationship with Symeres (search). This experience gives him a deep understanding of both organizations and their scientific and cultural foundations. Earlier in his career, Thomas held scientific and leadership positions at GSK, Evotec, Siena Biotech (search) and Proteros (search).
Strategic Rationale and Leadership Vision
As CSO, Thomas will help shape and execute the scientific strategy of both organizations while coordinating collaboration between their scientific and commercial teams. His role includes supporting the development of integrated client solutions, connecting scientific capabilities, and identifying opportunities to further strengthen the combined discovery and development capabilities.
"Russell's appointment reflects our commitment to building value for customers that matches their drug discovery and development needs," said Henning Steinhagen, CEO of Symeres (search). "As customer programs become more complex, scientific leadership that can connect capabilities, people and platforms across organizations becomes increasingly important. Russell brings a rare combination of scientific expertise, industry experience and first-hand knowledge of both Symeres and Axxam (search), together with a strong understanding of how to translate early discovery projects into preclinical development and beyond."
Ciriaco Maraschiello, CEO of Axxam (search), added: "Russell's appointment is aligned to the vision of integrated discovery and development linking two organisations that know each other well. The common objective is to develop faster and better drugs for the pharmaceutical industry and ultimately improve patients' lives." Maraschiello further noted that Thomas's experience within both companies uniquely positions him to strengthen the scientific collaboration and accelerate the development of innovative medicines.