BELLSHILL, SCOTLAND, 15 January 2015: LINK (www.linktech.co.uk), the innovative developer and manufacturer of nucleic acid reagents, has announced the incorporation of a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), and the first two appointments of Drs Brian Sproat and Thomas Rupp. LINK’s SAB will identify and prioritise the development of new nucleic acid reagents designed to help researchers synthesise novel oligonucleotide therapeutics and diagnostics. The SAB will also support the management team in identifying other markets where LINK’s chemistry expertise can be beneficial.
Brian Sproat (currently Managing Director, Chemconsilium GCV) has worked in the oligonucleotide market since its inception over 30 years ago. A graduate of the University of Oxford, Brian has worked at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (Cambridge), EMBL (Heidelberg), Innovir GmbH (Göttingen), and RNA-Tec, which became Integrated DNA Technologies BVBA (Leuven). At Chemconsilium he consults primarily for pharma and biotech companies on all aspects of oligonucleotide chemistry. He has published more than 100 scientific articles, has authored/co-authored 14 book chapters and is inventor/co-inventor on several patents.
Of his appointment, Brian said: “I have known several members of LINK for 30 years and I am now delighted to be invited to join their SAB, working with such an enthusiastic team with the aim to focus and strengthen the product portfolio to match existing and future market needs”.
Thomas Rupp (owner of Thomas Rupp Consulting) has worked in the oligonucleotide industry for almost 30 years, including spells at EMBL and Innovir GmbH with Brian Sproat. Having also worked at Noxxon AG (Berlin) on Spiegelmer synthesis, Amersham Biosciences (now GE Healthcare) as a Technical Application Specialist, and Girindus AG (now Nitto Denko Avecia) to support Business Development in Europe and Asia, Thomas has vast expertise in large scale oligonucleotide manufacturing.
Thomas commented: “It is an honour to be asked to join the SAB of such a progressive, respected company. I have known and admired LINK for a long time, and now look forward to contributing directly to their future success.” Dr Catherine McKeen, Head of Technology Commercialisation at LINK, added: “Lengthy and diverse experience in both the academic and commercial oligonucleotide sectors, including many successful projects with LINK, make Brian and Thomas valuable additions to our inaugural SAB. We are delighted to have appointed two such highly respected and experienced thought-leaders in the nucleic acid field, who will now directly help shape our future product development.” LINK anticipates appointing further scientific experts to the SAB in due course.
Editors’ Notes
About Brain Sproat
Brian Sproat obtained a D.Phil. in the field of bioorganic chemistry at the University of Oxford in 1978 and commenced his career in the oligonucleotide field in 1981 at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK. Following this he ran a research group at the EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany (1984-1994) where he developed many novel DNA and RNA analogues with broad applications in molecular biology and also managed the oligonucleotide synthesis core facility. Subsequently he became General Manager of Innovir GmbH, Göttingen, Germany (1994-1999), a company developing hammerhead ribozyme-based therapeutics and then became CSO of RNA-Tec, which became Integrated DNA Technologies, BVBA, Leuven, Belgium (October 2000-end 2009). In 2010 Brian became Managing Director of Chemconsilium GCV, Belgium, consulting primarily for pharma and biotech companies on all aspects of oligonucleotide chemistry including synthesis, purification, analysis, scale-up, bioconjugation, labelling & CMC with particular focus on antisense oligonucleotides, decoys, aptamers and siRNA. He has published more than 100 scientific articles in peer reviewed journals, has authored/co-authored 14 book chapters and is inventor/co-inventor on several patents.
About Thomas Rupp
Thomas Rupp is Consultant and Owner of Thomas Rupp Consulting. His experience with oligonucleotides dates back to 1985 when he started his career as Chemical Technician at the Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) in Heidelberg and designed and operated one of the first oligonucleotide synthesis and sequencing core facilities in Europe besides learning basic virology in the group of Nobel Laureate Prof. Harald zur Hausen. Between 1990 and 1993 he worked at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory Heidelberg (EMBL) in Brian Sproat’s research group, designing a DNA synthesiser and teaching at EMBO workshops on synthesis and sequencing. His background in virology then brought him to Loyola University, Chicago, IL, in 1994 as a member of Prof. Lutz Gissmann’s relocated DKFZ research group. As a core team member he set up molecular biology labs focused on virology and cancer research, and initiated a DNA synthesis lab for Human Papilloma Virus typing. In 1995 he returned to Germany and re-joined Brian Sproat at Innovir GmbH in Göttingen where he set up a ribozyme synthesis and characterization lab. In 1997 he moved to Berlin, Germany and joined Noxxon as one of the initial employees to set up and operate a Spiegelmer synthesis and analytical lab, as well as developing scalable manufacturing processes for complex oligonucleotides and initiating an automation lab for high-throughput Aptamer-selection. In 2002 he joined Amersham Biosciences (now GE Healthcare) as Technical Application Specialist for all oligonucleotide related products within Europe and Asia. In 2010 he joined Girindus AG to support Business Development in Europe and Asia, training the technical staff in state-of-the-art GMP manufacturing of oligonucleotides. After the acquisition of Girindus AG by Nitto Denko Avecia in 2013, Thomas became an independent consultant in the oligonucleotide therapeutics market, specialising in CMC, process design, process development, and process troubleshooting, as well as facility design for oligonucleotide manufacturing under GMP.
About LINK
LINK, an ISO9001:2008 certified manufacturer, is a leading kilo-scale supplier of speciality reagents for oligonucleotide synthesis and modification. The company’s main markets are university and commercial research departments, oligonucleotide synthesis companies, plus, increasingly, larger Contract Manufacturing Organisations (CMOs) in the biotech sector.
LINK has also forged successful links to academia working closely with many UK universities. In tandem with internal research and development, the Company has an excellent record in bringing in-licence products to market with various worldwide commercial partners. LINK is a trading name of Link Technologies Ltd, Scotland.
For further information see: www.linktech.co.uk.
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