Leadership Team

Director: Prof Jacqui Shaw 

 Professor of Translational Cancer Genetics

Professor Jacqui Shaw undertook a PhD in Molecular Genetics at Imperial College. After her completing her first post-doctoral post she came to Leicester in 1993 to a Lectureship in Molecular Pathology. She was appointed as Professor of Translational Cancer Genetics in 2013.

 Professor Shaw’s research is focused on circulating nucleic acids for early detection and monitoring of breast and lung cancers. In collaboration with Prof RC Coombes at Imperial College, she leads an integrated programme of clinical and translational research between the two universities funded by a Programme award from Cancer Research UK. She also works with Professor Charlie Swanton as part of the TRACERx major national trial analysing genetic changes in the tumours of non-small cell lung cancer patients from diagnosis and through      their treatment.

 Professor Shaw also leads the cfDNA advisory group for the 100,000 Genomes project led by Genomics England and sits on a number of advisory boards and editorial boards of international scientific journals.

https://www2.le.ac.uk/centres/cancer/people/dr-jacqui-shaw

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/our-research/researchers/professor-jacqui-shaw

https://www.genomicsengland.co.uk/

Commercial Director: Dr Michael Sullivan

In May 2018 Mike joined LPMI from Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency that supports the activities of innovators to stimulate future economic growth through the delivery of new commercial products and services. At Innovate UK, having secured £146m of government funding for the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) Medicines Manufacturing Challenge, Mike was appointed as the ISCF Interim Challenge Director, managing delivery and execution of the Medicines Manufacturing Challenge. In addition Mike managed delivery of the £35m Digital Health Technology Catalyst. Prior to this, as Head of Advanced Therapies at Innovate UK, he led a team delivering programmes that included advanced therapies, the Biomedical Catalyst, health themed Small Business Research Initiative funding, and support for Horizon 2020 funding. As the Innovation Lead responsible for Regenerative Medicine and Non Animal Technologies at Innovate UK Mike delivered over £45m of competitive funding to support companies active in these two areas.

During his time at Innovate UK Mike also had responsibility for oversight of grant funding of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and served as a member of the Medicines Manufacturing Industry Partnership leadership team and was a member of the ministerial chaired Advanced Therapies Manufacturing Taskforce.

Mike joined Innovate UK in 2012 after having built up 24 years industrial and senior management experience in the Pharmaceuticals sector working in Switzerland, the US, and the UK. Mike led drug discovery programmes in a number of disease areas and was involved in the identification and establishment of extensive portfolios of collaborations with the commercial biotechnology community and academia. From 2009 Mike was Director of AstraZeneca’s Advanced Science & Technology Laboratory.  Mike has a degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Glasgow and a PhD in Molecular Virology from the University of Leicester.

Email: ms1020@leicester.ac.uk

Twitter: @Innovate_Mike

LPMI Manager: Dr Ruth Barber

After graduating from the University of Wales (Bangor) with an Upper Second-Class Degree in Biology in 1994 Ruth moved to work as a researcher at the University of Leicester and graduated with a PhD in Genetics in 2002. She remained in the Department of genetics as a senior researcher in germline mutagenesis until 2011 when she joined the Leicester Drug Discovery and Diagnostics (LD3) group.

Ruth joined the Leicester Precision Medicine Institute in September 2017 and provides research and operational management for both the Precision Medicine Institute and LD3. As manager Ruth has been instrumental in the acquisition of significant translational research income from the MRC Confidence in Concept Award scheme (~£2 M) which has been used to support ~40 internal projects. Four of these projects have progressed in partnership with major pharmaceutical companies, SMES, translational funders and charities towards the development of novel therapeutics and diagnostic interventions for patient benefit.

Ruth also co-leads the translation and innovation theme within the University of Leicester’s Welcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund.

https://www2.le.ac.uk/colleges/medbiopsych/research/ld3

https://www2.le.ac.uk/staff/working/research-support/issf

Commercial Manager: Dr Carl Edwards

Carl Joined LPMI as Commercial Manager in January 2018 and is responsible for engaging with commercial partners and facilitating industry led research collaborations in precision medicine.  He is also providing IP and commercialisation advice to LPMI members, assisting in building a broad base of collaborations for LMPI.  Carl is the UK lead for the CODEX4SME European programme to assist SMEs in developing companion diagnostics, providing networking events and access to clinical experts as part of the package of support.  

Carl graduated in Microbiology from The University of Aberystwyth and moved on to obtain a PhD from The University of Leicester. His research included blood coagulation and renal transplant surgery, assisting in the management of clinical trials within the Department of Surgery.  He completed postdoctoral research at the University of Nottingham developing synthetic oxygen carriers for use as blood substitutes prior to moving on to commercial roles.

Carl is an experienced commercial development manager who has provided consultancy services to pharmaceutical, medical devices companies and venture capital funds.  He has worked with companies including Merck, AstraZeneca, 3M and Baxter delivering clinical development plans and investment support.  Carl was Director of NHS Innovations East Midlands, responsible for IP exploitation from all NHS Trusts in the region and has also delivered technology transfer at Imperial Innovations and Cranfield University.

Codex4SME

http://www.nweurope.eu/projects/project-search/codex4smes-companion-diagnostics-expedited-for-smes/

Business Development Manager: Dr Riddhi Shukla

Dr Riddhi Shukla recently joined University of Leicester as a Business Development Manager in the College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychology.

With her background in Pharmacy with a PhD in Neuropharmacology she is responsible for creating partnerships with a range of stakeholders to generate commercial income for the University with a particular focus on the Leicester Precision Medicine Institute. Riddhi has over 14 years experience of working in academia in business development, commercial analysis, technology commercialisation and developing spin outs. Riddhi has also engaged in private consultancy work in delivering; opportunity assessment work for other universities, European Regional Development Fund outputs and leading Higher Education STEM projects.

In addition Riddhi is a practising Pharmacist for the last 18 years and Member of General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).