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 and from Bournemouth University with a master’s in nutrition and behaviour.  A keen communicator, she enjoys expanding her knowledge base, drawing out the key points in complex scientific subjects and working collaboratively in teams.

Joanne Wilson

Joanne has more than 20 years of experience as a DMPK scientist and project manager gained at AstraZeneca.  In this role, she led cross-functional teams to drive the optimal and efficient development of novel drugs. Joanne has worked across all therapy areas with a special expertise in oncology.  Joanne brings a blend of scientific expertise and project management skills to optimise drug discovery and development processes.

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Stacey Owen

Stacey is an experienced customer facing professional programme manager with extensive experience in nurturing and establishing long-term relationships to ensure optimal delivery.  She is an excellent communicator with the experience needed to manage complex projects with rapidly changing and competing priorities.  A true customer advocate, Stacey brings calmness and clarity to provide the best service possible, eliciting and listening to feedback to improve outcomes.

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Dr Sarah Pass

Sarah is an experienced drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) consultant, having worked for almost 30 years in the pharmaceutical and CRO industries, providing a wide range of expertise to academia, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.  A collaborative project leader, Sarah has broad experience ranging from lead identification though to end of Phase II clinical development.  Sarah is passionate about making a difference to patients’ lives and delivering decision-making data to accelerate new drugs through the R&D pipeline.

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Dr Craig Thomas

PhD

Craig has been working as an external Associate with ApconiX since October 2022, shortly after his retirement from full-time employment at Eli Lilly and Company. He has been engaged with both the Acuity Target Safety Assessment (TSA) team led by Dr James Sidaway, as well as Dr Richard Knight’s  team of nonclinical safety experts.  He considers Target Safety Assessments essential for early stage drug discovery given the necessity for drug safety. The ApconiX TSA team has excellent bioinformatics expertise that allows efficient extraction of the data necessary to  project a potential safety profile and construct a data-based development plan. When working for clients with more advanced programs, Richard’s cross-disciplinary team of internal and external experts provides the necessary subject matter expertise that is required to increase the probability of successful drug development; irrespective of the issues that are encountered.  

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Henry Bushell

Henry has a keen interest in economics and decided to acquire some business experience, joining ApconiX straight from sixth form college.  Playing an active role within business development, Henry hopes to gain an understanding of how businesses become and remain successful before going on to study economics at university.  An active mind and a willingness to take on new projects, Henry is well suited to the very busy, very demanding workload of a growing company.

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William Humfrey

MSc

Will has been a member of the Acuity Target Safety Assessment team and Data Science sub-team since September 2022, working with Professor Ruth Roberts and Dr James Sidaway.  Will studied for an integrated master’s degree in biomedical science at the University of Sheffield where he gained understanding of human health, disease processes and developed both practical and written skills. Will plays a key role in ApconiX’s Target Safety Assessment production process by authoring reports, analysing and formatting bioinformatics data for inclusion into the reports, and also helping to develop science and capability that will further enhance the productivity and quality of the Target Safety Assessment process.

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Michelle Blissett

MSc

With almost 20 years devoted to preclinical toxicology, Michelle has developed an excellent ability to conduct extensive literature searches, interrogating, analysing and interpreting data and has contributed to regulatory and scientific reports and produced numerous literature reviews.  As a Senior Toxicologist, Michelle has experience of clinical chemistry, haematology, cytogenetics and conducting preclinical studies for clients globally.  A collaborative and articulate communicator, Michelle has an aptitude for conveying complex scientific data in an accurate and concise manner.

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Scott Hackford

MSc

Scott is a Project Toxicologist with over 14 years of nonclinical and toxicology experience. Scott spent over 12 years’ at a UK CRO where he was Senior Toxicologist, Study Director, and manager of a team of study directors.  As Senior Toxicologist, Scott advised clients on drug safety programs across multiple therapy areas and therapeutic modalities. This work included the design, conduct and reporting of nonclinical safety studies to support regulatory submissions.  Scott has experience with agrochemical and chemical industry clients and the relevant regulatory guidelines including REACH.  Collaborating with clients to obtain the best outcomes, Scott is easy to approach, always working to enable projects are completed in a timely manner.

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Dr Amy Shepherd

PhD

Amy holds a PhD and Masters in Immunology and Cardiovascular science from the University of Sheffield. An experienced Immunologist with 10 years’ experience in non-clinical and clinical safety programme design for both biologic and small molecule compounds, Amy has led cross functional drug development teams globally within a large CRO. She has a strong reputation for building client relationships and managing projects and combines a passion for pharmaceutical development and fostering collaborative relationships.

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