2024 BioCap Conference

Dr. Avi Spier has over 16 years of experience at Novartis, having joined the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF) as its Head of Business Development in 2004.  In 2012, Avi moved into the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research (NIBR) BD&L where he is Executive Director and Head of Search and Evaluation for the Cardiovascular, Metabolic, Microbiome and Discovery Chemistry Platform areas, as well as Head of BD&L for the United Kingdom region.
 
Avi was educated in Biological Sciences at Oxford University and received his Ph.D. in molecular neuroscience from Cambridge University at the MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology. Having trained as a postdoc at The Scripps Research Institute in California, in 2001, Avi co-founded La Jolla based Allon Therapeutics, Inc. There he led the peptide therapeutic neurodegenerative disease focused company as its President and CEO through two financing rounds and up to its entry onto the Toronto Stock Exchange in 2004. 
 

Steve Bates is the CEO of the UK Bioindustry Association, the UK’s Trade Association for innovative life science companies with over 550 members. Steve is the visible face of the vibrant UK life sciences industry to government and media. He serves on the UK Government’s Life Sciences Council and the UK Biosecurity Leadership Council. Steve was a founder member of the UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce in the Covid crisis, sitting on its steering Board alongside Kate Bingham. He is active member and former chair the International Council of Biotech Associations and has been a board member of EuropaBio since 2015.
 

Chris joined LifeArc as an Investment Principal at LifeArc Ventures in 2021. He is responsible for new investments and managing existing portfolio companies. 
Chris has held key business development roles in the investment and charity research industries, sourcing, assessing and converting life sciences opportunities. 
Previously, he was an Assoicate at the trans-Atlantic venture investment Advent Life Sciences, leading the diligence on a range of therepeutic and medical device opportunities, and supporting the growth of several portfolio companies. Chris worked for ten years in the Unversity technology transfer secros with UCL Business and Cancer Research Technology. He successfully supported and commercialised a number of oncology and gene and cell therapy opporunities, and in addition, he was involved in executing a number of strategic initiatives such as the CRUK Stratified Medicine Programme and Grand Challenge Awards.