Speakers

Sarah Lynagh, Ph.D.
Biopta Ltd.
Presentation: Bridging the Gap: The Use of Human Tissue in the Drug Development Process

Sarah Lynagh, Ph.D., is head of research and development at Biopta. She joined Biopta in December 2008 and is responsible for the development and validation of new human tissue assays. Having worked for academia, clinical research organizations (CRO), and the pharmaceutical industry in laboratory and management roles, Dr. Lynagh has a sound understanding of the drug development process from target identification through to proof of concept clinical studies in man, with a recent focus on alternative methods of assessing drug safety and efficacy.

Dr. Lynagh graduated from the University of Glasgow with a Bachelor of Science (honors) in pharmacology and an industry-sponsored doctorate in neuropharmacology focusing on the preclinical development of anti-convulsants. Following her doctorate, Dr. Lynagh was a postdoctoral research fellow at Cancer Research UK, specializing in the development of novel treatments for colon and ovarian cancers.

In 2003, she left academia and began her industry career as a study director within the pharmacology department of a leading CRO based in Edinburgh, Scotland. This position resulted in Dr. Lynagh joining a team of four staff members who were selected to establish an Asian-based spin-out preclinical CRO in 2005 specializing in translational models of preclinical safety and efficacy. After three years in Asia, She returned to the United Kingdom to take up a position within a top U.K.-based pharmaceutical company heading up the preclinical drug development team, prior to joining Biopta.