Epilepsy Society

Board Trustee

LifeArc

Accountable for setting LifeArc’s portfolio strategy in line with charitable objectives and delivering the portfolio through effective project leadership and management. Develop and lead the Translational Challenges as a core element of strategy; these programmes accelerate healthcare innovation by transforming promising life science ideas into life-changing medical breakthroughs for patients. They consider the entire patient pathway – from diagnosis through to treatment and lifestyle support in complex areas of healthcare need. LifeArc provides translational insight, spanning our core offerings of science, funding and advice and connect these collective strengths and resources with the expertise, capabilities and funding of other life sciences partners to catalyse the translation of innovation.

Chief Project and Portfolio Officer

Accountable for LifeArc’s Translational Challenges to accelerate healthcare innovation by transforming promising life science ideas into life-changing medical breakthroughs for patients.

Head of Translational Challenges

Accountable for ensuring effective governance, processes, systems and resource are applied across the entire company including our scientific research programmes, IT improvements, strategic and infrastructure, together with those utilising LifeArc’s offerings of advice and funds.
Developing and implementing strategy, translating LifeArc’s strategic ambitions into well-crafted and achievable operational plans, managing the portfolios, ensuring focus on the highest-level company priorities. Leading major change initiatives to support integration of emerging technologies and adapting operating model design for delivery and agility.

Head of Corporate and Portfolio Project Management

Accountable for building and maintaining productive collaborative relationships with major research partners. Managing the Tech Transfer of antibody technology platforms into LifeArc (transgenic mice, B cell sorting and screening, and in silico bioinformatics for candidate selection) ensuring all facilities, equipment and resources in place to optimise use for therapeutic discovery.

Consultant, Alliance Manager

KQ Labs

Accelerator programme run by the Francis Crick Institute, supporting innovative early-stage data-driven health start-ups to validate their ideas and put their exciting companies on the path to receive further investment.

Governance Board Member

PIPMG

The aim of PIPMG is to support development of the Project Management profession in the global pharmaceutical, biotech and associated industries by:
1. Encouraging recognition of the key role of project management in the industry
2. Enabling learning and sharing of best practices in portfolio, programme and project management
3. Providing Training, Coaching and Continual Professional Development
4. Providing a forum for communication and information exchange between members
5. Introduction, participation in and support of initiatives intended to improve the practice of project management internationally

Executive Committee Member

BTG plc

Global Head of Immuno-Oncology 
Accountable for the strategic direction and commercial success of our Immuno-Oncology platform, managing collaborative partnerships with global pharmaceutical companies, leading research institutions and societies. 
Lead a broad portfolio of pre-clinical and clinical research projects investigating the ability of our interventional oncology therapies (selective internal radiation, ablation solutions, embolics) to drive immune responses, both alone and in combination with immunotherapeutics (check point inhibitors, next generation immunotherapies).

VP Immuno-Oncology

Head of Global Project Management organisation  
Managed R&D governance process, annual portfolio review, and business analytics to track and improve performance, prioritising budget and resource on a risk-balanced pipeline of R&D projects that maximise business value.

VP Project Management

Head of Global Project Management organisation 
Line management of a global team (US, EU, APAC), set project management vision and strategy, ensuring effective project management resource, processes and systems applied across the business, with high standards for delivery.

Group Manager of Project Management

Clinical lead of multiple out-sourced clinical trials with small molecules, peptides, biologics and medical devices (spanning Phase I, II, III and IV).

Clinical Development Executive

Merck

Directed exploratory neuroscience research project teams, selecting multiple candidates for clinical development using pre-clinical models.

Research Manager

Directed learning and memory disorder program, heading GABA α5 inverse agonist pre-clinical research project for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.

Project Director

Headed an exploratory research team of technical personnel running electrophysiological assays for Neuroscience disorders (CHO cell lines, Xenopus oocytes, mouse brain slices) for structure-activity relationship assessment of novel small molecules and drug candidate prioritisation.

Team Leader

Conducted exploratory research, characterising the pharmacology of tachykinin receptors in the brain (nucleus tractus solitarius, dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, amygdala, entorhinal cortex).

Senior Research Biologist

Karen Skinner is Chief Project & Portfolio Officer at the medical research organisation, LifeArc with accountability for their portfolio of Translational Challenges. These ambitious programmes focus primarily on Rare Disease (including ultra-rare diseases, MND and rare dementias, rare respiratory conditions and childhood cancer), and Global Health. In addition to her role at LifeArc, Karen is a Board Trustee of the Epilepsy Society and member of PIPMG Executive team. 

She has over 30 years of experience within the life sciences industry, having held numerous leadership roles in blue chip big pharma, specialty pharma, biotech and nonprofit organisations. 
She is passionate about biomedical science and technology, applying that knowledge to create innovative products that make a real difference for patients. She believes that collaboration is the key to accelerate the progress of scientific discoveries to create medical breakthroughs that transform the lives of those living with disease. 

Life Sciences | Director | Transformational Leader | Portfolio Management | Keynote Speaker

Karen Skinner

Chronic Respiratory Infection Translational Challenge Portfolio Manager

LifeArc’s mission is to unlock the potential of advancing early scientific discoveries to the point where they can be developed into the next generation of diagnostics, treatments and cures. We are committing to invest up to £1.3 billion by 2030 to transform promising life science ideas into life-changing medical breakthroughs for patients, faster. Making life science life changing. To help achieve this ambitious goal we are launching translational challenges (TC) where we will be mobilising collaborations, working with others to connect and unlock the potential of scientific innovations to solve complex healthcare problems. One of these challenges is in the area of chronic respiratory infection (CRI).
 
As the programme manager for the CRI TC, I am working closely alongside the challenge leader, Katy Kettleborough, to help invest up to £100 million by 2030 to transform healthcare for people living with bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis by developing new diagnostics, treatments and other technologies in partnership with others. Our goal is to enable people living with these conditions to live longer with improved quality of life by ending the vicious cycle of infection, inflammation and permanent lung damage.  #LifeArc2030 #Bronchiectasis #CysticFibrosis #Lunginfection #LifeScience.

My role involves ensuring the programme has a clear framework and strategy to support delivery of our key workstreams; early detection, right diagnosis and better treatments. I am responsible for monitoring and evaluating the outputs, ensuring the team are on track to meet milestones, reporting on risks and issues to delivery and ensuring we are focused on hearing from patients with chronic respiratory infections. Other responsibilities include resource mapping, budget control, summarising on new opportunities and ensuring senior management and the board of trustees are fully aware on activities. I am also involved in shaping the strategy for the future delivery in this exciting area.

Principal Project Manager

As a Senior Project Manager my role is primarily involved in the management, strategic implementation and successful completion of the diagnostic portfolio of projects, with responsibilities also extending to our broader strategic priorities across translational science and funding.
Ensures application of effective project management governance, processes and systems across Diagnostics, demonstrating best practice for successful delivery and to ensure work is compliant with all relevant internal policies and ISO 13485 regulations.
Acts as a key business partner to the Head of Diagnostics, Head of Assay Development, Principal Project Manager in Translational Science, the Head of Corporate & Portfolio Project Management and the Executive Director of Translational Science. 

LifeArc is an independent life science medical research charity committed to improving positive patient outcomes by driving medical innovation through our own research and work with a range of partners from academic, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and charity organisations. 


Our goal is to move promising medical research forward into viable and accessible patient treatments through collaboration with scientists in diagnostics, therapies, enhancing and protecting innovation and advancing translational research.

Senior Project Manager

Quotient

Having moved into a role of Project Manager on the Serological Disease Screening project I now manage the team that are developing the next generation disease screening product for Quotient.

Building on my experience as a Senior Scientist at Quotient I am now using this technical knowledge and expertise to lead and strategically plan the next phase of the Disease Screening microarray product that Quotient are aiming to launch. I work closely with colleagues in Edinburgh and Switzerland to plan and execute key studies to drive this project forward within the required timelines. I also collaborate and communicate with external partners who are key suppliers or stakeholders in this project. This exciting new role is allowing me to utilise my excellent communication, planning and negotiating skills with enthusiasm and tenacity to meet the required deadlines
Led the team to CE Mark submission in July 2019 which was successfully approved in February 2020.

Project Manager

•Quotient is a major bio-manufacturing organisation, supplying vital products to hospitals, blood services and healthcare companies. The product range includes in vitro diagnostics for immunohaematology, immunology and haematology. Many products incorporate polyclonal antisera or monoclonal antibodies.
•	Innovated, developed and successfully implemented assays used to characterize antibodies purified from cell culture material. Adapt technical protocols independently according to experimental needs.
•	Proficient in technologies useful in antibody determination including SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, ELISA etc.
•	Provide written and oral presentations of results to members of the group, project teams and senior management. Provide decision-enabling data supporting the advancement of projects.
•	Acts as a project lead providing scientific leadership, ensuring that projects are conducted according to the agreed timelines and the required quality and have the tenacity to drive projects through the different stages to successful completion.
•	Generated new processes for streamlining workflow and for analysis and storage of data generated across multiple teams.
•	Ensures adherence to quality standards as well as proper documentation of experimental results.
•	Provide support to other development scientists, with training and mentoring of junior staff.

Senior Development Scientist

Centre for Molecular Medicine, MRC, IGMM

Working in the Medical Genetics section under the umbrella of Psychiatric Genetics in Professor David Porteous's group we are studying the DISC1 gene (Disrupted In SChizophrenia 1) and determining the genetic and biochemical pathways surrounding this genetic risk factor.

Developed experience in procedures for cell biology and protein biochemistry which include:

1.	Generation of protein probes using GST-tagged expression constructs
2.	Probing of protein arrays to detect protein-protein interactions
3.	Transformation of cells with subsequent plasmid DNA purification
4.	Transfection of cells for overexpression of DNA constructs
5.	Cell culture
6.	Immunoprecipitation
7.	SDS gel electrophoresis and western blotting

Research Assistant

Expertise in protein binding, blood-plasma partitioning assays, in-vitro drug metabolism and in vitro to in-vivo extrapolation (IVIVE). 
Leading development, validation and implementation of protein binding assays which increased throughput 5 fold.
Managed the culture and use of Caco-2 cells for the measurement of drug permability and efflux.
Trained and mentored staff on instruments, databases and protocols.
Supervised and coached a pharmacology university student in gaining a first class project for their degree
Took the initiative to strengthen own bioanalytical knowledge, following merger of DMPK & Bioanalysis sections, to deliver  high quality input into optimisation of DMPK assay protocols and data treatment including learning new techniques in LC-MS/MS analysis for in-vitro DMPK assays.

DMPK & Bioanalytical Scientist

Quintiles, Edinburgh

Working on a variety of discovery and development contract projects allowed me to gain a wide skills and knowledge set in in-vitro DMPK

DMPK Scientist

Now with over 20 years of experience within the scientific development of new medicines and medical diagnostics (including the fields of drug discovery, pharmacokinetics, assay development, immunology and latterly within Project Management) I am now using this experience and skills to drive projects and portfolios to successful completion.

As the Portfolio Manager for the Chronic Respiratory Infection Translational Challenge I support LifeArc to achieve its ambition for 2030 to ensure the programmes and projects under the CRI TC portfolio are on track to accelerate scientific innovation for people living with bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis. 

We’re partnering with patients, academics, charities, healthcare professionals and industry to fast-track scientific discoveries into new clinical solutions to transform how chronic infections are detected, treated and managed. 

We’ll invest up to £100m by 2030 in collaborative projects with our goal being to enable people with bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis to live longer with improved quality of life by ending the vicious cycle of infection, exacerbation, and permanent lung damage.

I am constantly driving for increased efficiency and improvement. I have excellent communication skills across many geographical boundaries with superb creative problem solving skills and am committed to meeting my goals through ownership and accountability.

taplio

The Battle

Karen Skinner

Chris Claxton

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