Preclinical support for start-ups, from initial planning to final reporting.

Plan and run the study

• CRO search and selection

  A clear requirements list, a shortlist of providers suited to your model and technique, a brief sent out on your behalf, and a side-by-side comparison of proposals, timelines and costs. This includes vendor due diligence, drafting the statement of work and agreeing the budget and timeline.

• In-vivo study design

  Objectives, model and species, group sizes, dosing, timepoints, endpoints and statistics, written up as a protocol a CRO can quote against and a reviewer can follow.

• Study preparation, execution review and CRO oversight

  Support before and during the study: protocol review, preparation for kick-off, review of how the study is executed against the plan, in-life and data review, Study Director support, and a critical read of the final report, so the study delivers what the brief asked for.

• In-vivo and ex-vivo analysis

  Planning in-vivo analysis, including biodistribution for nanoparticle delivery systems and other modalities where knowing where the drug goes decides the next step. I also advise on ex-vivo approaches for tissues collected from your studies, covering protein and nucleic acid analysis: what to collect, how to handle and store it and which methods answer your question. Methods I have worked with include qPCR and ddPCR, RNA and protein analysis, and immunohistochemistry.

• Data interpretation and decision support

  Review of CRO reports and study data, with a clear view of what the results do and do not show, how they answer your original question and what they mean for the next step. The decision stays with you, and I prepare the evidence behind it.

Assess, report and build capability

• Gap analysis and risk mitigation

  A structured review of your preclinical plan or data package against where the programme needs to be next. It lists what is missing, what is weak and what carries the most risk, with practical options to reduce each one.

• Investor and partner readiness for preclinical data

  Getting your preclinical data ready for investors and partners. I set up structure and templates for protocols, study reports and summary data packages, so results look the same from one study to the next. I also review investor, partner and board decks, checking that the data supports each claim, flagging weak points before due diligence does and making sure the preclinical results are clear to a non-specialist audience.

• Setting up a preclinical function

  Advice on how to structure a preclinical team, manage several programmes at once and build working relationships with vendors, drawn from having done it from scratch. This covers workflows, data and sample management, reporting standards and governance.

• Short

  One-off review

  Send me a protocol, report or deck and I return written feedback, followed by a call to go through it.

• Fixed scope

  Defined project

  A project with an agreed scope and end date, such as CRO selection, study planning or a gap analysis.

• Open-ended

  Ongoing support

  Regular input across oversight, data review and decisions, for as long as the programme needs it.

About me

I'm a late discovery/pre-clinical scientist with 14 years in biomedical research and drug development, from academic labs to leading a pre-clinical function. I have worked across academia and biotech in the UK and Sweden. I have designed in-vivo studies, selected and managed CROs, acted as Study Director, handled samples and performed nucleic acid analysis and immunohistochemistry. I have established ways of working and templates, trained junior scientists and set up a pre-clinical function from scratch. I now offer that experience to small teams on a flexible basis.

1. 2024 – 2026

   Built and led a preclinical function

   Pre-Clinical Team Leader

   At ViaNautis Bio, built the preclinical function from the ground up, oversaw up to four programmes and platforms, selected and managed CROs and acted as in-vivo Study Director. Generated the critical data needed for business decision making and presented it to executives.

2. 2019 – 2023

   Generated data for programme decisions

   Research Scientist → Senior Translational Scientist

   At Evox Therapeutics, worked on CNS targeting and biodistribution, led a collaborative programme with the University of Oxford and CROs, and produced the qPCR and ddPCR data behind decisions.

3. 2012 – 2019

   Regenerative medicine and renal research

   Research Technician → Research Associate → Wenner-Gren Postdoctoral Researcher

   Research at the Bristol School of Regenerative Medicine, the Bristol Renal unit and Uppsala University.

   • 2012 – 2013
     Research Technician, University of Bristol. Validated microRNA targets in human samples and secured a UK Diabetes research grant of over £165,000.
   • 2013 – 2017
     Research Associate, Bristol Renal. Developed primary podocyte isolation and primary single cell suspension preparation for FACS analysis, and managed murine colonies of up to 90 mice.
   • 2017 – 2019
     Wenner-Gren Postdoctoral Researcher, Uppsala University. Established immunohistochemistry protocols, trained and managed students, and was invited to speak at a European physiology meeting.

Experience at

ViaNautis Bio · Evox Therapeutics · Uppsala University · Bristol Renal Unit · School of Regenerative Medicine

Education

PhD, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and the School of Regenerative Medicine, Bristol · MSc Biological Sciences

Editorial

Review Editor, Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine · Editorial board member for three journals in cardiology, nephrology and urology