Aptamer Group
Aptamer Group plc, the developer of novel Optimer binders to enable innovation in the life sciences industry, has announced three new members to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).
Dr Paloma Giangrande, Dr Louis Allot, and Dr Adam Hargreaves join Aptamer’s SAB with established members Professor Paul Townsend and Dr Shozo Fujita. The company says the team will provide scientific expertise, an extensive contact network, and valuable market insights to Aptamer.
The newly formed SAB will primarily be focused on addressing the commercialisation of the Group’s internal Optimer development programmes for targeted therapeutic delivery vehicles with diverse payloads, such as siRNA therapies and radiopharmaceuticals. Aptamer says the collaborative potential for advancing Optimer binders across many different application areas are also strengthened by the addition of industry experts to Aptamer’s SAB, who will review and advise on product strategies, scientific approaches, and evidence generation for data to enable clinical advancement.
The SAB is chaired by Dr David Bunka, Aptamer’s Chief Scientific Officer and deputy chaired by Dr Arron Tolley, Aptamer’s Chief Executive Officer. The SAB now comprises the following highly qualified industry experts:
- Dr Paloma Giangrande, former CTO at Eleven Therapeutics and Editor-in-Chief at Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids
- Dr Louis Allot, Radiochemistry Consultant at Radiopharmium
- Dr Adam Hargreaves, Managing Director of Pathcelerate and Aptamer Chair
- Professor Paul Townsend, Deputy Principal of Research and Innovation at the University of Stirling
- Dr Shozo Fujita, Former Chief Technology Officer at Apta-Bio
Dr Paloma Giangrande is an internationally recognised expert in the development and translation of nucleic acid therapeutics and aptamer-based delivery. She pioneered the use of RNA aptamers for targeted siRNA delivery beyond the liver, significantly expanding the therapeutic potential of RNA interference. Paloma has held key leadership roles in renowned biotechnology companies, including Moderna, Wave Life Sciences, and Eleven Therapeutics. Her strategic leadership at prestigious institutions underscores her commitment to advancing innovative RNA-based treatments.
Dr Louis Allot is an expert in the clinical development of radiopharmaceuticals. He has extensive experience in developing novel radiopharmaceutical technologies from small molecules, to proteins, aptamers and antibodies. He has previously held positions at Imperial College London, the University of Hull, and the Molecular Imaging Research Centre (MIRC), a state-of-the-art GMP radiopharmaceutical production facility. Louis holds an honorary position as Lecturer in Radiochemistry at King’s College London and, through Radiopharmium continues to be actively involved in translational research concerning the targeted delivery of radiopharmaceuticals.
Dr Adam Hargreaves is the founder of PathCelerate Limited. Spanning a 20-year career, he has previously worked for AstraZeneca and has expertise in preclinical and translational small molecule, biologic, and RNA-based pharmaceuticals. Adam is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists and is a board-certified Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathology. Adam joined Aptamer Group as a Non-Executive Director in 2023 and moved to Non-Executive Chair in 2024.
Dr Arron Tolley, Chief Executive Officer of Aptamer Group said: “As Aptamer furthers our strategic programmes across targeted therapies, diagnostics and fast-moving consumer goods, the landscape for each of these specialised fields is rapidly evolving. The new appointments to our Scientific Advisory Board bring additional focus to our strategy and will give valuable insights to support the advancement of our high-value assets and programmes towards the clinic. These appointments underscore our dedication to capitalise on current assets and the strength of our platform to maximise shareholder value. The enlarged SAB aims to deepen our understanding of clinical processes and clinical applications of our technology whilst ensuring we keep abreast of any new important developments that could offer significant value for Aptamer in the future.”
Dr Paloma Giangrande, Scientific Advisory Board member,commented: “I am thrilled to join the Scientific Advisory Board of Aptamer Group. I am eager to contribute to the advancement of their innovative platforms and collaborate with such a forward-thinking team to drive groundbreaking progress in the field of nucleic acid therapeutics and delivery.”
Dr Louis Allot, Scientific Advisory Board member said: “Aptamer Group has a great targeting technology which is prime for developing next-generation diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. I am excited to join the Scientific Advisory Board to help them explore this further."
Dr Adam Hargreaves, Non-Executive Chair of Aptamer Group added: “I am delighted to welcome Dr Paloma Giangrande and Dr Louis Allot to the Group’s SAB, and excited to join them in accelerating the discovery and development of our aptamers to commercial inflection points. We are very fortunate, along with Professor Paul Townsend and Dr Shozo Fujita, to now have a world-leading scientific directive to fortify the great progress the Group has already made in building and refreshing the customer base. Together with Dr Arron Tolley and Dr David Bunka, we aim to expand further on our pipeline opportunities, deliver quality products to our customers, and build on the growing potential of the Group for our shareholders.”
