Our Scientific Advisory Panel

Chair of our Scientific Advisory Panel, Val is Chair in Molecular Oncology at the University of Aberdeen, having relocated in 2018 after many years at the University of Leeds. She is one of the founders of the Breast Cancer Now Tissue Bank which collects and makes breast cancer tissue samples available for researcher across the UK and beyond. She uses these in her own work to develop better in vitro models of breast cancer to understand breast cancer biology. She co-directs the Aberdeen Cancer Centre, bringing together a team of scientists and clinicians working collaboratively to deliver patient-centred research, which aims to translate new laboratory findings into the clinic with the goal of directly improving patient outcomes.

“I am delighted to join Animal Free Research UK’s Scientific Advisory Panel. Having worked with human tissues for most of my career there is no better model for studying human disease and I look forward to encouraging early career researchers to adopt these in their research.”

Lorna holds a personal Chair in Molecular Genetics at the University of Exeter College of Medicine and Health, and founder and CSO for SENISCA, a spin out company based on her research. She has interests in the regulation of gene expression and how this impacts human diseases such as type 2 diabetes and other age-related disorders.

“I am delighted to work with Animal Free Research UK to ensure that we fund cutting edge research of direct relevance to human diseases, which can be more readily translated to the clinic.”

Ros is the CEO and founder of Keratify since December 2018, aiming to advance pre-clinical human skin testing. Keratify won an Innovate UK Smart grant to transform in vitro skin testing methods for the skincare and pharmaceutical industry. Keratify’s ‘OneVivo’ technology is now being adopted by some of the largest pharmaceutical, medical aesthetic and cosmetic companies in the world. Their technology is currently being considered to replace animal testing that is still required for longer-term skin testing.

“Now is a unique, transformative time in preclinical testing for drug development. The science and drive for improved human-relevant models never been so strong, especially since the recent implementation of the FDA Modernisation act 2.0. I am honoured to support Animal Free Research UK to find new approaches to advance human medicine. Animal Free Research UK supports exceptional science for the benefit of society.”

Dania is an accomplished Assistant Professor in Biomedical and Health Services at the Department of Biology, Maynooth University. She is also a Principal Investigator at the Kathleen Lonsdale Institute for Human Health Research, where her work focuses on advancing respiratory research while promoting alternatives to animal testing. Additionally, Dr. Movia serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Discipline of Radiation Therapy at Trinity College Dublin, strengthening her influence within Ireland's academic and research landscape.
“It is about time we stop curing cancer in animals, and we start finding how to do it in humans. Animal Free Research UK is a charity that supports shaping a world where human-relevant basic research is possible. Being a member of its Scientific Advisory Panel means that now I will be able to facilitate young scientists that would like to pursue animal free research in their career.”

Mike has over 30 years of research experience in developing human models of disease. During his PhD he created the first method to successfully isolate and grow human hair follicles in the laboratory – now widely known as the ‘Philpott model’. He continues to champion human models of disease as Professor of Cutaneous Biology and Head of the Animal Free Research UK Animal Replacement Centre at Queen Mary University of London.

“As someone who is strongly committed to developing animal free models of human disease, I strongly support the goals of Animal Free Research UK and am delighted to be working with them as Chair of their Scientific Advisory Panel.”

Dharaminder is the Lead Engineer for Consumables at CN-Bio, where he oversees research projects and acts as a critical link between product development and assay development teams. His diverse expertise in biology and engineering equips him with a unique ability to solve problems and drive innovation.
“Scientific advance is propelling the preclinical toolbox in drug development towards change. I am pleased to support Animal Free Research UK in the push for the adoption of New Approach Methods for drug development. Having worked at CN Bio, in the development of MPS/Organ-on-chip technology for preclinical testing, I will lean on my experiences to provide value as a member of the Scientific Advisory Panel.”

John is a tumour immunologist who has morphed into someone who spends most of his time developing lab-on-a-chip technology for personalised medicine against solid tumours. His interdisciplinary Biomicrofluidics group in Hull, comprising clinicians, chemists and engineers, has been pioneering the development and adoption of bespoke microfluidic devices for almost 20 years. The group designs and fabricate devices from a range of materials depending on the desired end-use, with a move to using 3D printed devices in biocompatible polymers as this facilitates faster scale-up. The group has extensive experience of maintaining different tumour types, these include: glioblastoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, thyroid, renal and colorectal tissue.

Professor Barnes is a translational pharmacologist and has been a member of the University of Birmingham Medical School Faculty since 1990. He is also a founder member of the Neurotrauma Research Group within the NIHR Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, one of the largest referral hospitals in Europe. His research spans from human cellular and molecular pharmacological mechanisms to assessing drug efficacy in clinical trial and has generated an extensive list of over 150 research papers. Professor Barnes is Chairman of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology Nomenclature Committee for Serotonin Receptors, a Councilor of the International Society for Serotonin Research and a Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society. He is also Editor-in-Chief for the international journal Frontiers in Neuropharmacology.

In addition to his academic-related positions, Professor Barnes is the Principal Founder, CEO and Director of Celentyx Ltd; an originally venture capital financed human research and development pharmaceutical company focusing on treatments for diseases involving the immune system including immuno-oncology approaches to treat cancer.