Previously at MeiraGTx, GSK and Novartis, Dr. Leighton will help Chemify scale the company’s operational capacity to meet demand for the design and synthesis of complex small molecules.
GLASGOW, Scotland–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#Chemify—Chemify, a deep tech chemical science company combining chemistry, robotics and AI at scale to digitally design, discover and make new molecules, announced today that Dr. Alastair Leighton has joined as Chief Operating Officer (COO). With almost three decades in the biopharma industry working at leading global pharmaceutical companies, Dr. Leighton brings a wealth of experience in manufacturing, supply chain operations and commercial strategy.
“I’m excited to welcome Alastair to Chemify to help us with building and scaling our ability to make complex molecules on demand at scale for our partners using Chemputation,” said Dr. Lee Cronin, CEO of Chemify. “His expertise with large biopharmaceutical organizations will help us continue to meet the strong demand for consistent, reproducible small molecule development.”
Prior to joining Chemify, Dr. Leighton was senior vice president of manufacturing and supply at MeiraGTx, where he was responsible for establishing end-to-end manufacturing and supply chain capabilities for the commercial-stage gene therapies. He also held several roles during his tenure at GlaxoSmithKline, including vice president and site director. Additionally, Dr. Leighton was senior director of supply chain operation and programs at Crucell, which is part of Johnson & Johnson. Prior to Crucell, he held several roles at Novartis, including segment head, new primary operations and new primary operations start-up leader for their vaccines manufacturing facility. Dr. Leighton holds a BSc in Physics from the University of Sheffield and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Manchester.
“Chemify is uniquely positioned to disrupt the industry through its AI, digital chemistry and robotics platform that will not only optimize and expedite the discovery of novel molecules, but accelerate the availability of life-saving treatments for patients,” said Dr. Leighton, COO of Chemify. “I’m excited to work with Lee and the team to scale Chemify’s operational capabilities and meet the unmet customer demand for the design and synthesis of complex small molecules and innovative new drugs.”
About Chemify
Chemify is a deep tech chemical science company reimagining the research, discovery and synthesis of novel molecules for medicines and advanced materials by revolutionizing the field of chemistry through digitalization. Chemify enables digital chemistry by turning code into molecules through the process of Chemputation, which combines robotics and artificial intelligence for the design and synthesis of superior molecules much faster than current methods. Based in Glasgow, Scotland, Chemify was founded by CEO Professor Lee Cronin and spun out from the Digital Chemistry Laboratory at the University of Glasgow to digitalize chemistry on a global scale for the benefit of all humanity. Learn more at Chemify.io and follow them on X/Twitter.
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