Our Team

Pathios brings together a team of experienced scientific leaders and drug discovery professionals to deliver on the therapeutic promise of targeting the innate immune system in cancer. Pathios also benefits from being part of the M:M Bio (Molecule 2 Medicine) ecosystem which is focused on drug discovery company ideation, creation, incubation, and growth. M:M Bio provides organisations like Pathios with operational and R&D support to help them achieve scientific, clinical & commercial success. For more information see m2m.bio.

Leadership & Executive Team

Chief Executive Officer

Paul Higham
Chief Operating Officer

Shelley Cook PhD
Executive Chair & Co-Founder

Tom McCarthy PhD
VP, Drug Discovery

David Miller PhD
VP, Biology

Barbara Cipriani PhD
Head of Clinical Operations

Debbie Macaro
Director, Clinical Operations

Anthony J. Good, PhD
Chief Medical Officer

Sumeet Ambarkhane
Chief Executive Officer

Paul Higham

Paul is Chief Executive Officer of Pathios and brings extensive leadership experience from both large pharmaceutical and biotech companies. He has over 20 years’ of C-Suite biotech experience covering both public and private companies with the focus for the last 15 years being in the immuno-oncology space. During this time Paul has led three IO-focused companies (Immatics, Glycotope and ValoTx) as CEO, in each creating value by progressing through pre-clinical to the clinic and guiding late-stage clinical development programs. In his earlier career in large pharma, (Bayer and GSK) he gained wide ranging experience in marketing, commercialisation, commercial strategy, business development and finance. He holds an honours degree in Applied Biology.

Chief Operating Officer

Shelley Cook PhD

Shelley has built out and led Operations and championed a culture to support high-performing teams in a number of growing Biotechs and business units. She also has demonstrable Strategic, Licencing and Alliance Management experience at senior level. Prior to this, Shelley was a Life Science Equity Research Analyst. She graduated with a BA and MSc in Bioscience and DPhil in Emerging Tropical Viruses from University of Oxford, UK, and completed her post-doctoral studies as a Sir Henry Wellcome Fellow at the Natural History Museum, UK and Aix Marseille Université, France.

Executive Chair & Co-Founder

Tom McCarthy PhD

Tom is a Co-Founder and Executive Chairperson of Pathios Therapeutics and brings over 25 years of experience in drug discovery, development and commercialization to the team. Pathios Therapeutics was created and incubated within MoleculetoMedicine (MTM), a U.K.-based biotechnology hub that leverages its unique ecosystem to build enduring, commercially orientated drug discovery and development companies. Tom is Co-Founder and Chairperson of MTM and also Co-Founder and Executive Chairperson of two additional biotechnology companies that are part of the overall MTM hub; Grey Wolf Therapeutics and ThirtyFiveBio. His additional roles include Chair of Orbit Discovery and Venture Partner at Brandon Capital. Prior to his leadership positions within the MTM hub, he was President and CEO of Spinifex Pharmaceuticals, a private VC backed US/Australian biotech company developing first in class treatments for chronic pain, devoid of central nervous system side-effects. Spinifex Pharmaceuticals was purchased by Novartis in 2015 for approximately US$700 million. Previous positions include Vice President of Drug Development at Starpharma Holdings Limited (Australia). He holds BSc (Hons) and PhD degrees from Monash University, Australia and completed his postdoctoral training at The University of Oxford.

VP, Drug Discovery

David Miller PhD

David is the VP of Drug Discovery at Pathios and brings 25 years of experience to the company in terms of designing potent and novel molecules, DMPK, IP, project leadership and compound progression into clinical trials. Working across multiple therapeutic areas, David has previously held positions at Organon Laboratories in Scotland and at Amedis Pharmaceuticals, Paradigm Therapeutics and Takeda in Cambridge. Most recently David was a key member of the team at Inflazome which delivered two compounds into clinical trials and was recently acquired by Roche.

VP, Biology

Barbara Cipriani PhD

Barbara is Head of Biology at Pathios. She has a PhD in Immunology and brings over 17 years’ experience in drug discovery, gained first at MSD then at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. At MSD she worked on developing anti-cancer vaccines and immuno-oncology assets. She then joined Vertex Pharmaceuticals where she led immunology efforts in the areas of inflammation, autoimmunity and immuno-oncology. In this role she set-up complex immunological assays and developed biomarkers to advance drug candidates. More recently at Vertex Barbara served as project leader, managing programs related to rare CNS disorders involving inflammation and autoimmunity. She also led a team to establish in vitro disease models using human pluripotent stem cells and gene editing to support additional programs.

Head of Clinical Operations

Debbie Macaro

Debbie is Head of Clinical Operations at Pathios Therapeutics. She provides program oversight for the preparation and execution of the clinical development program. She has over 20 years experience in clinical research both in small biotech and large pharmaceutical companies. She has successfully operationalised Phase 1-3 clinical research studies in many regions including EU, UK, US and APAC. Debbie has a B.Sc(Hons) from Bradford University, UK.
Director, Clinical Operations

Anthony J. Good, PhD

Leveraging over 25 years of experience in Clinical Development, Anthony is responsible for leading Clinical Operations in Australia for Pathios Therapeutics. Renowned for his scientific acumen and strategic leadership, Anthony has guided global clinical development programs across a diverse range of therapeutic areas, including Immuno-oncology, Immunology, Cardiovascular, Central Nervous System, Infectious Diseases, Metabolic and Endocrine, Allergy and Respiratory, and Sexual Health.

Throughout his career, Dr. Good has held pivotal roles in both academic and industrial settings, contributing significantly to the advancement of pharmaceutical science. Prior to his current position, Anthony served as Snr VP Clinical Research, Imugene Ltd, where he demonstrated his proficiency in guiding early-stage drug development programs from inception to successful FDA IND approvals and through phase 1 and 2 development.

Dr. Good’s commitment to excellence is underscored by his track record in leading clinical teams and study staff to ensure the seamless implementation of clinical studies in alignment with development plans. His strategic leadership and interactions with opinion leaders and regulatory agencies have been instrumental in the successful execution of global clinical programs on time and within budget.

A passionate advocate for translating novel science into transformative medicines, Anthony’s contributions to the pharmaceutical industry have been significant and far-reaching. He holds a PhD in Neuroscience and BSc (Hons) in Psychology, both awarded by the University of New South Wales. Anthony’s dedication to advancing healthcare through innovative clinical development makes him a valued leader in the field.

Chief Medical Officer

Sumeet Ambarkhane

Dr. Sumeet Ambarkhane is a seasoned physician-scientist with over 20 years of experience in clinical medicine, drug development, and regulatory strategy. As Chief Medical Officer at Pathios, he brings a wealth of expertise in advancing novel therapeutics from early research through clinical development and approval, commercialization and pharmaceutical collaborations. His career spans key leadership roles in global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies including UCB, MorphoSys and Alligator Bioscience, where he has been instrumental in guiding the development of groundbreaking therapies across immuno-oncology, hematology, immunology, as well as neurology.

Dr. Ambarkhane’s experience extends across all phases of drug development, from first-in-human trials to late-stage clinical programs, with a strong focus on designing and executing clinical strategies that bring transformative therapies to patients in an accelerated manner. With a deep understanding of both scientific innovation and the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape, Dr. Ambarkhane is committed to translating cutting-edge research into real-world treatment options.

Dr. Ambarkhane holds a medical degree and doctorates in medicine and clinical pharmacology from Seth G.S. Medical College and King Edward Memorial Hospital, University of Mumbai, India.

Core Scientific & Project Management Team

Sr. Drug Discovery Advisor & Co-Founder

Alan Naylor PhD
Senior Scientist

Alastair Corbin DPhil
Project Manager

María José Oliva-Martín PhD
Project Manager

Sam Letcher
Project Manager

Tinotenda Rwodzi
Sr. Drug Discovery Advisor & Co-Founder

Alan Naylor PhD

Alan is Head of Drug Discovery and Co-founder at Pathios. Alan is a medicinal chemist with over 30 years experience in Research and Development within GlaxoSmithKline. He previously held the position of Vice President and Director of Medicinal Chemistry within the GSK Drug Discovery organization and has led strategic, matrix and line functions involving significant international responsibilities. He has an extensive track record of success, across a wide range of therapeutic areas, having played a major role in the discovery of over 30 development compounds, and is a co-inventor of Serevent, a major advance in the treatment of asthma. Alan also acts an independent consultant providing scientific and strategic advice and analysis to major pharma, biotechnology companies, academic groups, capital investment companies and funding bodies on a variety of issues within the drug discovery and healthcare sector.

Senior Scientist

Alastair Corbin DPhil

Alastair is a Senior Scientist at Pathios, and brings nearly 10 years of experience in biomedical research & drug discovery across inflammatory, cardiovascular, and neuropathic disease. At Pathios, Alastair provides expertise in mononuclear phagocyte immunology, flow cytometry, and in vivo models to support and direct R&D activities. Before joining Pathios, Alastair worked at Ipsen Bioinnovation where he advanced the neurotoxin portfolio by designing and conducting biological and biophysical assays to determine efficacy and binding properties of modified recombinant neurotoxins. Prior to Ipsen, Alastair spent 6 years researching innate immunology, investigating the role of IRF5 in directing intestinal inflammation and repurposing an existing small molecule for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Alastair holds a DPhil in Cellular and Molecular Medicine from University of Oxford, and a BSc(Hons) in Medical Biochemistry from University of Manchester.

Project Manager

María José Oliva-Martín PhD

Maria Jose is a Project Manager at Pathios and has over 10 years of experience in biomedical research in inflammation and immuno oncology. She is a certified agile project manager (PSK) and has extensive experience in establishing scientific collaborations, developing supplier relationships and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. At Pathios, she manages key supplier relationships to keep R&D studies and programs progressing in line with scientific aims, corporate goals and financial budgets. Prior to joining Pathios, Maria Jose was a Preclinical Senior Scientist at Immunocore Ltd. Maria Jose holds a PhD in Biomedicine and Molecular Biology from the University of Seville, an MPhil in Translational Medicine and Therapeutics from the University of Cambridge and a Bsc(Hons) in Pharmacy from the University of Seville.

Project Manager

Sam Letcher

Sam is currently Project Manager at Pathios supporting both the R&D and operations teams. He provides project management across various CROs, studies and partners. Sam is currently based in Sydney, Australia, working on the clinical operations of PTT-4256-01.

Prior to joining Pathios, Sam worked as a Conference Producer at Hanson Wade for 2 years where he lead the research, production and management of market-leading conferences in the cell immunotherapy space. Sam holds a MSci in Chemistry from University College London.

Project Manager

Tinotenda Rwodzi

In her role as Project Manager, Tino oversees the innovation, execution, and management of various company studies and programs. She drives progress for both the Operational and R&D teams at Pathios while fostering and developing relationships with (CROs) and collaborators worldwide. Tino graduated from the University of Westminster with a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science. During her studies, she focused on the computational analysis of viral nucleoproteins and participated in university-funded research projects centered on human genetics.

MTM Key Team Members & Advisors

Advisor

Stuart Hughes PhD
Co-Founder & MTM CEO

Kirsty McCarthy MBA
Advisor & Co-Founder

Peter Joyce PhD
Advisor

James Westcott PhD
Head of Corporate Governance & Business Operations Manager

Sam Harris
Director of Finance

Lisa Shoesmith
Head of People

Andrea Nisbet
Executive Assistant & Facilities Manager

Sean Carroll
Lead Bioinformatician

Danish Memon
Advisor

Stuart Hughes PhD

As of 1st of March, Stuart Hughes (previous CSO) has moved on to pursue a new opportunity. We wish him the best and will be continuing to work with Stuart in an advisory role.

Stuart has over 20 years experience in scientific leadership and drug discovery expertise. Stuart has worked across several therapeutic areas inlcuding CNS disorders, immunology and oncology and has deep expertise in guiding early stage drug discovery programs from inception toward clinical development. Stuart has gained wide-ranging experience from positions in both academic and industrial settings. Previous positions include Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer at Cardiff University, Principal Research Scientist at Eli Lilly and most recently, Senior Director at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He holds a a PhD in Neuroscience from Cardiff University, a BSc in Pure and Applied Mathematics and an MSc in Electronic Engineering.

Co-Founder & MTM CEO

Kirsty McCarthy MBA

Kirsty is Co-founder at Pathios and CEO of Molecule to Medicine (MTM). Kirsty has a track record in founding and running two companies based on intellectual property from Australia’s then government funded telecommunications research laboratory in the areas of voice recognition and the analysis of “big data”, the latter directly relevant to bioinformatics applications in life science companies. She is an MBA graduate from University of Melbourne following undergraduate studies at Monash University and The University of Queensland.

Advisor & Co-Founder

Peter Joyce PhD

Peter is an advisor to Pathios and co-founder. He is also co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Greywolf Therapeutics and has over 13 years of experience in biomedical research leading drug discovery projects in immuno-oncology, rare genetic diseases and neurodegeneration. In his previous role at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, he led drug discovery projects, had responsibility for leading a number of target identification teams that led to multiple novel drug discovery projects and was involved in delivering clinical drug candidates. He also pioneered the development of complex neurological assays suitable for assessing the functional impact of optimized compounds. Prior to Vertex, Peter was an MRC Research Fellow investigating the pathophysiology and underlying mechanisms of neurodegeneration and publishing multiple first and co-author publications. Peter holds a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics from the University of Bristol and a BSc in Biochemistry.

Advisor

James Westcott PhD

James is an adviser to Pathios and is also Chief Executive Officer of ThirtyFiveBio. James brings over 20 years of drug discovery industry experience working in therapeutic areas such as oncology, immuno-oncology and rare disease to enable target identification, validation and clinical candidate delivery. Previous positions include being part of the research leadership team at Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Oxford research centre, project leader/lead biologist on various discovery projects and head of the primary pharmacology, enzymology and high-throughput screening groups. James has worked extensively on small molecule modality projects and recently with PROTAC and anti-sense oligonucleotide approaches against a range of targets including enzymes, GPCRs and ion channels. James received his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Bristol and 1st class honours BSc in Chemistry from the University of Aston.

Head of Corporate Governance & Business Operations Manager

Sam Harris

Sam Harris is the Head of Corporate Governance & Business Operations Manager for MTM. She graduated from Aston University with a BSc with Honours degree in International Business and Modern Languages (French), which included a year at one of France’s top Business Schools – EDHEC. Since leaving University she has spent the last 20yrs of her career providing EA & operational support to C Suite Executives and their Leadership teams, ensuring the smooth running of their businesses incorporating all aspects of people, places and processes. Sam has worked in several industries including Consumer Packaging, Mobile software, Information Technology, and prior to joining MTM, 7 years within the advertising technology sector.

Director of Finance

Lisa Shoesmith

Lisa is Director of Finance at MTM. Having completed a BA (Hons) in Accountancy & Management Control, Lisa qualified as a Chartered Accountant ICAEW with Mazars in 2000. Since qualifying, Lisa has held various finance and operational roles within both the private and public sector with a focus on working with SMEs and she brings this experience with her to her role here.

Head of People

Andrea Nisbet

With over 25 years working as an HR specialist, Andrea has successfully delivered projects around organisation design, TUPE, large scale redundancies, performance design, culture and employee engagement, leadership and employee development. Previously, Andrea worked for Berendsen UK Ltd as HR Director for the Hospitality Business Line where she was responsible for the HR function for 3000 employees across UK, Ireland, Denmark and Sweden. Andrea is a Chartered Member of the CIPD, a Mental Health First Aider and a registered practitioner in DISC and Hogan psychometric testing.

Executive Assistant & Facilities Manager

Sean Carroll

Sean is an International Business BSc (Hons) graduate from Oxford Brookes University and is Executive Assistant at Pathios. Sean has over 10 years experience in hospitality and customer relations, as well as supporting C-Suite executives across both public and private sector organisations.

Lead Bioinformatician

Danish Memon

Danish s a lead bioinformatician in MTM where he provides insights from large datasets to understand the biology and therapeutic potential of drug targets in oncology space. He has several years of experience consulting with biotech companies for target identification, evaluation of valuable drug assets, disease indication selection and biomarker development for clinical trials. Prior to this, Danish completed his postdoctoral training in the University of Cambridge and the European Bioinformatics Institute where he worked on integration of multi-omics data to address key questions related to genomic regulation of signalling networks in cancer and characterization of the tumour-immune microenvironment in treatment-naive and treatment-resistant patient populations. Originally from India, Danish has a bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology and a master’s degree in Bioinformatics. He moved to the UK to pursue doctoral studies in computational oncology in the University of Manchester.