Technology Transfer Strategy Panel

The Technology Transfer Strategy Panel (TTSP) advises the Wellcome Trust on strategy in relation to technology transfer.

The full TTSP meets two to three times per year with ad hoc virtual meetings outside of these times.

Members

Dr Andrew Wood
Director, idfac Ltd
Strategy Panel role: Chair

Dr Ted Bianco
Director, Technology Transfer, Wellcome Trust
Strategy Panel role: Staff member

Dr Allan Baxter
Chairman of Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst
Strategy Panel role: Independent member

Dr David Brown
Independent Consultant
Strategy Panel role: Independent member

Dr William Burns
Strategy Panel role: Independent member

Professor Kay Davies
Dr Lee's Professor of Anatomy at the University of Oxford and Director of the MRC Functional Genetics Unit
Strategy Panel role: Governor member

Dr Richard Seabrook
Head of Business Development, Technology Transfer, Wellcome Trust
Strategy Panel role: Staff member

Dr Daniel Nelki
Head of Legal and Operations, Technology Transfer, Wellcome Trust
Strategy Panel role: Secretary

Biographies of the independent members

Dr Andrew Wood is an independent consultant working within the pharma and biotech sectors.He is medically qualified and has a major pharma background in clinical development, strategic alliance and business development. Andrew qualified in medicine at the University of Oxford, and spent ten years in academic medicine, holding academic and clinical posts at Oxford in clinical pharmacology and psychiatry. His research interests were in the area of molecular genetics and molecular psychopharmacology of bipolar illness. Dr Wood joined Eli Lilly & Co. in 1991, and has been involved in many aspects of drug development, with particular emphasis on neuroscience compounds. He has led both clinical and preclinical research activities in Europe and Asia. From 2003 to 2010 he was Executive Director for Global External R&D Europe at Lilly. In this role he was responsible for evaluation and creation of a wide range of alliance and business development partnerships across all therapeutic areas and at all stages of pre-registration development.He has evaluated and worked with many biotech and academic partners across Europe. Andrew retired from Eli Lilly in February 2010.His current consultancy work includes membership of small company boards and scientific advisory groups.He is also currently a Venture Partner at London-based venture capital partnership Advent Ventures.

Dr Allan Baxter is Chairman of Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst. During his 30 year career in pharma, he served as global head of the Centres of Excellence for Drug Discovery and latterly as global head of Medicines Development at GlaxoSmithKline. He is Chief Strategy Officer for Ascletis Pharmaceuticals (Hangzhou) Ltd and is a non-executive director of Vernalis plc, Human Genome Sciences Inc and Autifony Therapeutics Ltd and represents GSK on the board of Convergence Pharmaceuticals. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry and honorary DSc from Glasgow University and an honorary DSc from the University of Strathclyde, where he graduated in Chemistry.

David Brown has over thirty years' experience in the pharmaceutical / biotechnology industry, both in research and in senior executive roles.He served with four of the top ten pharmaceutical companies: Zeneca, Pfizer, GlaxoWellcome, and Hoffman La-Roche; and also as President and Chief Executive of Cellzome AG.Whilst at Pfizer, he was named co-inventor on the patent for Viagra and led the team that developed the drug through to proof of clinical efficacy in human clinical trials. He also had a pivotal role in the discovery of Relpax, a treatment for migraine.While at Roche in Switzerland, he was a Director of the company and had responsibility for over 2000 staff focused on drug discovery at all six of Roche’s research sites in the USA, Europe and Asia.He served on Clinical Development and Business Development senior committees.Since 2005, Dr Brown has pursued a portfolio of roles dedicated to bringing new medical treatments to both the developed and developing world. He has been heavily involved with OneWorld Health, where his work, and that of the organisation, is dedicated to bringing medicines to the poorest of the world. In particular he has been involved with development of a global strategy to reduce child deaths from diarrheal diseases and other gastrointestinal disorders. In the developed world, his work focuses mostly on finding breakthrough treatments for bone disorders and associated pain, and also on neuropathic pain and acute and chronic nociceptive pain. He is an Honorary Fellow in Human Clinical Pain at Manchester University. Dr Brown has extensive experience of leadership at both Chief Executive and Board level and currently serves on the boards of Crescendo Biologics, Amura Ltd (Chair) and Indigix Ltd (Chair) and is Chair of Babraham Biotechnologies Ltd. He is also Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of Heptares Ltd and co-founder and Chairman of a charity (FMVSO) supporting a school and orphanage for destitute children in India.

William M Burns has a long and distinguished career in the global pharmaceuticals industry, having worked for many years for Roche; most recently as Chief Executive Officer of their Pharmaceuticals Division and as a member of the Roche Group Corporate Executive Committee.He has extensive experience of international pharmaceuticals and of mergers and acquisitions.Among his many achievements during his time with Roche, he had significant involvement in the acquisition and privatisation of Genentech, he led the integration of Boehringer Mannheim Therapeutics and he played a lead role in the negotiations resulting in Roche becoming a majority owner of Chugai in Japan.He retired from Roche in January 2010, but was recently appointed to be a member of the board of Roche Holdings, and continues to sit on the boards of Chugai Pharmaceutical and Genentech Inc.Dr Burns also served for Beecham Pharmaceuticals from 1969.He spent the next 17 years with Beecham in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility, based in the UK and Japan.He has been a non-executive Director of Shire plc since March 2010.Dr Burns is the Chairman of the Health Innovation Challenge Fund Joint Funding Committee.