People
Executive Team
Prof Monique Simmonds OBE
CO-FOUNDER
Deputy Director of Science at Kew Gardens, 30 years' experience of research into different aspects of plant and fungal chemistry with an emphasis on the economic value of natural products
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Prof Clare Bryant FBPhS
CO-FOUNDER
Professor of Innate Immunity at University of Cambridge. A Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. Expertise in inflammation, infection and
anti-inflammatory pharmacology.
Experience at Genentech, GSK
Lee Harle
CO-FOUNDER
More than 25 years (18 in APAC) building businesses & joint-ventures in consumer goods, technology and
life-science industries. Experienced commercial, CMO, M&A, strategy and global business leader.
Adam Kelliher
CO-FOUNDER
More than 20 years in Life Sciences, taking companies from inception to high value. Founded, built and sold Equazen Ltd (to Galenica) and Equateq Ltd (to BASF). CEO of NASDAQ-listed Avita Medical plc (regenerative medicine). PE/VC advisor.
Advisory Board
Prof Luke O’Neill
Professor of biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin Pioneering discoveries in immunity and immuno-metabolism
Co-founded Inflazome (acq by Roche)
& Sitryx
Prof Duncan Maskell
Vice-Chancellor University of Melbourne, former Pro-Vice Chancellor University of Cambridge and Professor Farm Animal Health, Food Science and Food Safety, University of Cambridge.
Partners
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Founded 264 years ago, the Royal Gardens, Kew is an internationally recognised botanical research and education institution, employing 1,100 staff. Kew holds the world’s largest plant and fungi extract libraries, and has significant in-house expertise and capabilities to progress scientific discovery in the botanical world. Its stated purpose is to help stop biodiversity loss and develop nature-based solutions to some of humanity’s biggest global challenges.
Kew is a shareholder in Polypharmakos.
Cambridge University
Founded in 1209, Cambridge University is one of the world’s top centres for advanced science and technology, employing over 12,000 people. This ecosystem of world class scientists and academics has led to the development of many successful companies, resulting in Cambridge being the top commercial bioscience hub in Europe. Polypharmakos is connected to the Departments of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine which have the cutting edge expertise for scientific discovery and identifying novel therapeutic candidates.
Cambridge Enterprise is a shareholder in Polypharmakos.
CABI
The Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International is a global not-for-profit organization with 49 member countries who all work to improve people’s lives by applying scientific expertise to solve problems in agriculture and the environment. CABI’s fungal collection holds some 30,000 living microbes, representing 6000 species. The collection, founded in 1947, has grown over the last 75 years to become one of the most important repositories with respect to agriculture and the environment, from unique environments around the world. CABI has developed novel cryopreservation technology, to ensure the organisms are optimally maintained.
Images courtesy of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
