Concept Life Sciences Welcomes Chris Yarnold as Director Of Medicinal Chemistry

We are pleased to welcome Chris Yarnold as our new Director of Medicinal Chemistry. In this role, Chris will oversee scientific operations and project management within our organization.

He brings over 20 years of experience in integrated drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, and project leadership, with expertise honed at Dalriada Drug Discovery and Evotec (UK) Ltd.

Most recently, Chris served as Director of Discovery Chemistry at Dalriada, where he led numerous drug discovery projects across a range of therapeutic areas and contributed to business development initiatives. Prior to that, he held the role of Group Leader, Discovery Chemistry, at Evotec.

Chris has extensive project leadership experience in major disease areas, including Cardiovascular, CNS, Oncology, and Metabolic diseases. Additionally, he has managed projects targeting anti-infectives, iron overload diseases, and anti-thrombotic therapies. His expertise spans hit finding, Hit-to-Lead, and Lead Optimization phases, where he contributed to the identification of three clinical candidates. Chris has successfully targeted enzymes, GPCRs, and transporters with small molecules and has a strong track record of team leadership, fostering the development of chemists to reach their full potential.

Chris holds a BSc (Joint Hons) in Chemistry and Biology and a Ph.D. from King’s College London. He also completed postdoctoral research with Professor Walter Szarek at Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada, and with Professor Chris McGuigan at the Welsh School of Pharmacy, Cardiff.

Dr Thomas Pesnot, Director of Drug Discovery Services, shared:

“We are delighted to welcome Chris to the team. His addition is a strategic step in strengthening our medicinal chemistry capabilities, and his leadership will be instrumental in driving innovative projects and advancing high-quality drug candidates.”

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