Drug Discovery Solutions is delighted to announce the appointment of two scientists to the team in response to the rising demand for specialist expertise.
Joining Drug Discovery Solutions as Principal DMPK Scientists are Laie Abelló and Victoria Ford.
Laie joins the company from Charnwood Discovery, where she was Director of DMPK. Prior to this, Laie worked in specialist DMPK roles at Benevolent AI, Sygnature Discovery, XenoGesis, and Almac Group. Victoria also joins from Charnwood Discovery, where she was a Group Leader (DMPK), having previously worked at Sygnature Discovery, XenoGesis, and Evotec.
In their new roles at Drug Discovery Solutions, which is based at the Canal House in Loughborough, Laie and Victoria will support customer projects to understand the DMPK properties and challenges of their molecules to progress their most promising compounds.
Drug Discovery Solutions provides DMPK expertise to the pharmaceutical, biotech, CRO and academic sectors, as well as strategic due diligence support and advice to life sciences venture capital companies and investors, helping them on their journey to discovery, investment, and getting new drugs to market. The company was established in 2023 by entrepreneur and scientist Dr Richard Weaver, who founded Nottingham-based XenoGesis in 2011, leading its journey to becoming the UK’s largest independent DMPK provider of experimental data, advice and PK predictions, before its successful sale to Sygnature Discovery in 2020.
Drug Discovery Solutions has seen significant growth over the last two years, with companies across the world seeking its specialist expertise, as Richard explains: “DMPK is a highly specialist and influential area of drug discovery, with research teams often faced with multiple DMPK challenges in any given project. By accessing expert advice at an early stage, organisations can save time and money, and progress their projects more quickly, accelerating the discovery of compounds that have the potential to become drugs. Since the company’s inception, we are proud to have supported customers all over the globe – from the UK and Europe to the US and South Korea.”
“With the addition of Laie and Victoria to our team, we’re not only increasing our capacity to support more customer projects and meet growing demand but also expanding our mathematical DMPK capabilities and exploring new therapeutic areas.” Richard continues. “Laie and Victoria are highly respected in the industry and having worked closely with them both at XenoGesis for more than 5 years, I have seen their talent, project influence and expertise firsthand.”
Commenting on her appointment, Laie says: “I am really pleased to have the opportunity to work with Richard again in my new role at Drug Discovery Solutions. He was a great mentor when we worked together at XenoGesis and I learnt a lot from him, which paved the way to me setting up the DMPK department at Charnwood Discovery. I am looking forward to focusing fully on the science, which is where my passion lies.”
Victoria says: “I have worked with Laie since my time at XenoGesis – we work well together and are able to draw on our different experiences to help understand complex problems. Returning to a consultancy environment and supporting clients feels like a natural next step for me and an exciting opportunity.”
Richard adds: “Two years after establishing Drug Discovery Solutions, it is rewarding to see the team grow, allowing us to provide even greater value to our clients while truly enjoying the work we do. What makes us unique is the strength and breadth of knowledge of our team, and I look forward to collaborating with Laie and Victoria as we strive to make a positive impact on customer projects.”