Professor Bance is the inaugural Professor of Otology and Skull Base Surgery at the University of Cambridge, appointed in 2017. Prior to that, he was Professor and Chair, Division of Otolaryngology at Dalhousie University in Canada. He trained in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in Toronto and UCLA, finishing his training in 1995. He was on Faculty at the University of Toronto in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery from 1996-2001, when he moved to Dalhousie University..

Professor Bance is a surgeon-scientist, and runs the SENSE lab as a surgeon-scientist in Cambridge, as well as clinical supervision of the Otology and Skull Base Fellows. Prof. Bance is the Chair of the British Cochlear Implant Group, and Past President of the Royal Society of Medicine Section of Otology.

He performed the first gene therapy for hearing loss outside of China in 2022, and is Chief Investigator for a hearing loss gene therapy trial, as well as running the Genetic Hearing Loss Clinic in Cambridge.

John is a Senior Director in AstraZeneca’s Oncology Cell Therapy Clinical Group, where he is the Clinical lead for two of AstraZeneca’s innovative CAR-T Therapy Solid Tumour programmes. John’s career in pharmaceutical drug development has spanned 3 decades and focused on the development of novel immune targeting agents and oncology.

At AstraZeneca and at KuDos previously, John has led oncology clinical development programmes with both immuno-oncology and small molecule agents. Previously, at GSK John worked in the immuno-inflammation therapy area, where he was a project leader for a novel T-cell targeted agent, developed for psoriasis and IBD, in addition to other clinical assets. John has held other clinical roles in small biotech and CROs both in oncology, vaccines, and inflammatory diseases.

John studied biochemistry at the University of Bath and subsequently gained a PhD in Immunology at the University of Cambridge. His research interests include immunology, T-cell therapy, biomarkers and immuno-oncology.

Kathryn Golden is an accomplished CMC executive with a track record of shepherding complex drug candidates from discovery stage to pivotal trials. Kathryn's expertise includes integrated process development, phase-appropriate quality and regulatory coordination, and management of contract manufacturing organisations.

She has been an early employee at six biotechnology start-ups, including Q32 Bio and Codiak BioSciences. Kathryn is particularly passionate about increasing access to transformative therapies, as evidenced in her current role as SVP, Technical Operations and Cell Manufacturing at bit.bio and her co-founding of Sunflower Therapeutics, a start-up utilising yeast manufacturing technologies to provide biologics at point-of-care to underserved populations.

She received her S.B. in Chemical Engineering and M. Eng. in Bioengineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds an M.B.A. from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.

Costanza Emanueli is currently the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Professor and Chair of Cardiovascular Science at the National Heart Lung Institute, Imperial College London. She studied in Italy up to PhD level and additionally trained in the US (USCF and Tufts University) before taking up a faculty position combined with a BHF senior research fellowship at the University of Bristol in 2005. She became Full Professor in Vascular Pathology and Regeneration in 2010 and a BHF Professor in 2015. Within Imperial College, she is co-Director of the recently awarded BHF Centre of Excellence.

Professor Emanueli has received significant funding from national and international agencies over the last 20 years and is a member of various domestic and international grant evaluation committees. She sits on the editorial board of several major scientific journals.

Professor Emanueli develops fundamental and translational research focusing on understanding and addressing the contributary causes of ischemia in the heart and lower limbs. Moreover, this includes investigation of new biomarkers to support the development of clinical studies and improve clinical practice. She has a special interest in noncoding RNAs, extracellular vesicles and the pericardium. The team combines the work on clinical samples, animal models and classic laboratory methods utilising cutting edge technologies, bioinformatics and animal models. She works collaboratively with surgeons, immunologists, electrophysiologists, data scientists and bioengineers.

Michael is a Partner specialising in life sciences investments. Before joining CIC he was a Principal in the Healthcare Practice Area at The Boston Consulting Group. Michael has experience in advising multinational businesses across North America, Europe, India, and Japan.

Prior to BCG, Michael was an Investment Analyst at Oxford Capital Partners. Michael was also co-founder of an early-stage biotechnology company focused on developing small molecule drugs that target protein-protein interactions implicated in disease.

Michael earned his DPhil in Zoology in the field of neurobiology from the University of Oxford. He manages CIC's investments in Bicycle Therapeutics (NASDAQ: BCYC), Congenica, Epitopea, Storm Therapeutics and Start Codon. He is also a co-founder of Innovate Cambridge, a locally driven initiative developing an ambitious and inclusive innovation strategy for Greater Cambridge, with the goal of ensuring it remains the leading innovation ecosystem in Europe.

Simon Waddington is Professor of Gene Therapy at University College London. Over the past two decades he has worked on treatments for muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, haemophilia and thalassemia; more recently he and his team have concentrated on therapies for several severe and often fatal genetic diseases which affect young children. He has co-authored more than one hundred and seventy publications and has been principal investigator or co-applicant on grant awards totalling more than fifteen million pounds.

With Professors Ahad Rahim, Manju Kurian and Paul Gissen he has founded a clinical-stage gene therapy company, Bloomsbury Genetic Therapies and is co-inventor of eight patents. He holds an honorary chair at the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa.

Jesús has an extensive career in the biopharmaceutical industry both in therapeutic development and CDMO / CRO organisations, with a particularly strong focus on the design and development of transformative cell & gene therapies.

After completing his PhD at the Autonomous University in Madrid, Jesús spent many years in academia as a scientist, including research positions at CBM-CSIC in Madrid and later at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, where he studied the molecular mechanisms of amyloidosis and other degenerative disorders. He then made his transition to the industry as an entrepreneur, having founded two drug discovery start-ups to develop disease-modifying treatments for metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders (Zyentia, Zapaloid).

Jesús has held senior and executive positions in several global organisations dedicated to the development and manufacture of biological therapies (Lonza, Rentschler Biopharma, Horizon Discovery-Revvity), and championed the adoption of novel technologies and development strategies with innovators and regulatory agencies. He has held executive and board member roles in biotherapeutic start-ups and acted as a mentor and coach for new entrepreneurs. Jesús is a jury member at the European Innovation Council’s start-up Accelerator Programme, dedicated to nurturing innovative businesses with the potential to generate a positive societal impact.

Above all, Jesús is a leukaemia survivor, having been diagnosed with ALL in 2022, and undergone diverse treatments for this condition. He actively supports various charities and is passionate about promoting patient equity and engagement in the design and development of effective treatments. He is keen to engage with bold minds to explore vehicles that help realise his vision: Ensuring patients have access to cell & gene therapies that bring about significant improvements in quality of life which are meaningful to patients and their families.

Lee Dunham is Director of Business Development at the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, leading its activities partnering with and supporting the next generation of new companies, helping them to bring their life changing therapies and technologies to the world.

Following a PhD and post-doctoral research in molecular and systems biology at the University of Manchester, Lee moved into the commercial side of life sciences. His focus was on identifying innovative research, guiding start-up formation and guiding start up formation and intellectual property exploitation. Consolidating his molecular biology interests and business development experience, his activities at the CGT Catapult have involved the formation of impactful public-private partnerships, securing substantial funding, and advising on commercial strategies.

Ricky Martin, Founder and CEO of Hyper Recruitment Solutions, launched his career in STEM in 2003 and founded HRS in 2012 following his victory on BBC One's The Apprentice. With a background as a biochemist and membership in the Royal Society of Chemistry, Ricky offers extensive expertise in the Life Sciences sector. His leadership has been instrumental in shaping HRS into a leading provider of impactful recruitment solutions that change lives.

In addition to his role at HRS, Ricky serves as a chair for the REC (Recruitment & Employment Confederation) Life Science Committee, demonstrating his commitment to advancing the recruitment industry.

Emily provides patent advice in a range of biological areas, including cancer biology, vaccines, induced pluripotent stem cells, regenerative medicine and molecular biology. She also has particular expertise in gene therapy, having devoted significant amounts of time to the development of IP strategies in this field. Emily is experienced in building and handling global patent portfolios for small to medium sized UK-based companies and she is also used to working closely with scientists to ensure an invention is properly captured during the drafting process. Emily is very knowledgeable in relation to freedom to operate (FTO) matters and has been heavily involved in developing strategies for FTO analysis and ongoing surveillance. She has also assisted in the preparations required for securing funding and for a company going through an IPO.

Bradley is an experienced venture capitalist and business development executive. He has invested across a broad range of life science and healthcare companies. These include therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, scientific instrumentation and digital health. He has also sourced, negotiated and transacted several partnerships between academia, biotechnology companies and pharmaceutical companies. These include contract research, research collaborations, licences and mergers & acquisitions.

Aside from the life sciences, he is a Visiting Business Fellow at InnovationRCA, the commercialisation arm of the Royal College of Art, the worlds most prestigious school of art and design. Here he coaches and mentors early stage design led ventures, helping them become investor ready. He also sits on the investment panel of their EIS investment fund.