With over twenty years of experience in the biotech industry, most recently as a senior executive of Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT), Dr Burns brings a wealth of experience and industry contacts to Cell Medica. In addition to chairing the Board, Dr Burns will assist Cell Medica in its commercialisation and production scale-up plans to support the clinical use of T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of human diseases.
Dr Burns’ experience in the biotechnology field includes nine years (1997 – 2006) as part of the Senior Management Team at CAT, initially as Senior Vice President of Preclinical Development. In this role he built and managed CAT’s capabilities to link their platform technology to clinical trials and established and chaired the company’s pipeline management committee. In 2004, he took on the role of Senior Vice President responsible for strategic alliances, and was involved in developing the relationship with AstraZeneca which acquired CAT in 2006 for $1.7 billion.
Previous to his career at CAT, Dr Burns was with British Biotech (now part of Vernalis) where he headed the Process Technology Division and played a significant role in developing its biotechnology-based products. Prior to this, he held scholarships at the Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India and at the California Institute of Technology. Dr Burns also acts as an advisor to companies, venture capitalists and governments in connection with biotech ventures and projects.
Gregg Sando, founder and CEO of Cell Medica, said “We are very fortunate to have someone with such a depth of experience and contacts joining Cell Medica at this critical time in the Company’s development. Nigel has the hands-on business experience to help guide Cell Medica through our commercialisation strategy for T cell immunotherapy.”
Nigel Burns commented on his appointment: “I have enjoyed participating in the development of the biotech industry over a period when biological molecules, particularly antibodies, moved from being a research concept to a mainstream medical treatment. I am convinced that cellular therapeutics represent the next important phase in the treatment of human disease and look forward to helping Cell Medica become a market leader in this field.”
Additional information can be found on the Company’s website: www.cellmedica.co.uk
