London, United Kingdom - September 6, 2016, London, United Kingdom - Silence Therapeutics Plc, a biotechnology company, names Dmitry Samarsky as chief scientific officer, effective September 14, 2016.
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Dr. Samarsky brings outstanding and highly relevant expertise in RNA therapeutics with a strong track
record in the discovery and development of RNA therapeutics.
During his career he has authored numerous articles in high impact scientific journals, book chapters and patents and presented, chaired and advised on the subject at more than 100 international scientific conferences.
Widely recognised as an expert in the oligonucleotide field, he joins the Company from OliX Pharmaceuticals where he held the position as Senior VP of Technology and Global Business Development.
Previously, as Senior VP of Technology and International Business Development at RiboBio (China), he played a pivotal role in placing the company amongst the international players in the oligonucleotide field between 2011 and 2015.
Prior to that, Dr. Samarsky served as Vice President of Technology Development of RXi Pharmaceuticals
from 2007 to 2011, co-inventing and developing the company’s key self-delivering RNAi technology.
He was previously Director of Technology Development at Dharmacon, while leading an RNAi application
laboratory and field application scientists.
Dr. Samarsky’s academic career includes postdoctoral work as H. Arthur Smith Fellow for Cancer Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, graduate research at the Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow) and a BSc in Biochemistry from the National University of Lviv (Ukraine).
The company also appointed Andy Richards as non-executive director and member of the board on September 5, 2016.
Dr. Richards is a specialist entrepreneur and investor in the biotechnology sector.
He is currently Chairman of several UK biotechnology companies, including of AIM listed medical imaging and digital health provider, IXICO plc, Abcodia Ltd, Congenica Ltd and Babraham Bioscience Technologies Ltd.
He is also a director of Cancer Research Technology Ltd (commercialisation arm of CRUK), since 2003, IESO
Digital Health Ltd and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Dr. Richards is an adviser to Cambridge Innovation Capital and the UCL Technology Fund as well as being a founding member of the Cambridge Angels.
He has a track record in founding and scaling up life-science companies including Vectura plc, Arakis and Chiroscience Group plc, the latter of which he served with as an executive director until its merger with Celltech in 1999.
Previously, he held positions at ICI (now AstraZeneca) and PA Technology.
He is a graduate of Cambridge University and received a CBE in 2015 for services to life-science investment. ■