Community Connects: Regulatory and Access meets BioSolutions

Livja Deban

Chief Scientific Officer, Prokarium

Livija brings a deep understanding of the potential of engineering biology through her long-standing involvement with EBAC and her role as CSO of Prokarium, where she and her team are harnessing engineering biology to develop a new class of cancer therapies.

Louise Knowles

Deputy Director, Innovation Accelerator and Regulatory Science, MHRA

Louise has over 17 years of experience working in Scientific roles across the Civil Service, and joined the MHRA in October 2023. The Innovation Accelerator and Regulatory Science team provides innovators enhanced access to MHRA scientific expertise and regulatory guidance, bringing together the work of the Innovation Office, Horizon Scanning functions as well as leading on the delivery of the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP) and the Innovative Devices Access Pathway (IDAP).  She was previously the Head of Research Capacity and Growth at DHSC and part of the leadership team for the National Institute for Health and Care Research, providing the strategic leadership and oversight of the NIHR Translational Research Infrastructure and NIHR Clinical Research Network as well as leading work to deliver on the ambitions set out in the UK Vision for Clinical Research Delivery. Prior to her role in DHSC she was a Foresight Researcher at the Government Office for Science and led a number of Research Programmes for the Food Standards Agency.

Josh Stevens

Senior Researcher, The National Centre for Social Research

Josh is a mixed methods Senior Researcher in the Centre for Evaluation. His work extends from Theory of Change and Contribution Analysis, to Randomised Control Trials and Quasi-Experimental Design. He has experience in in-depth interviewing, workshop facilitation and survey design and analysis, as well as statistics and econometrics. Josh works across the different policy areas of NatCen and has a particular interest in international development, poverty and deprivation, economic development and social policy.

Previously Josh worked for an economic development consultancy company for 18 months where he evaluated public policy using mixed method approaches. He largely worked on policy within innovation, health, education and skills, and spatial development. He holds a postgraduate degree in Economic Development from the University of Glasgow where his thesis examined whether the magnitude of indigenous Australian male incarceration had a significant effect on the indigenous female employment and educational attainment.

Jay Stone

Associate Director of External Relations and Foresight, Nuffield Council on Bioethics

Dr Jay Stone has headed up the External Relations and Foresight directorate at the Nuffield Council on Bioethics (NCOB) since 2023. Since being in post, she has overseen the launch and socialisation of the organisation’s Making Ethics Matter strategy and the targeted evolution of its anticipatory capabilities. Prior to joining NCOB, Jay completed a PhD in cell biology before embarking on a career in strategic engagement and communications. She has more than a decade of experience, having worked at Public Health England, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and NICE.

Maddie Cass

Policy and Public Affairs Manager, BIA

What does your role at BIA involve?
I work on supporting the BIA's expansion into the deep biotech space. Deep biotech is the use of biotechnology to address some of the world's most pressing challenges, particularly the climate crisis. As a part of this I support the Engineering Biology Advisory Committee.

Previous experience & achievements
After studying genetics at Glasgow University, I gained international experience by living and working in Taiwan during the pandemic. In my previous job I provided policy advice on the education sector to head teachers and school governors.

If you could invite any scientist or entrepreneur to dinner, who would it be and why?
I would invite the remarkable cytogeneticist, Barbra McClintock to dinner. Her pioneering work in genetics and her ability to challenge existing paradigms in the field have always been a source of inspiration.

Rosie Lindup

Senior Policy and Public Affairs Manager, BIA

What does your role at BIA involve?
Rosie leads the BIA’s policy work on regulation and access for innovative medicines. This involves providing the secretariat for the BIA’s Regulatory Affairs Advisory Committee (RAAC), as well as overseeing the Cell and Gene Therapy Advisory Committee (CGTAC) and Rare Disease Industry Group (RDIG). 
 

Previous experience
Previously, Rosie worked as a Senior Research Consultant at a Westminster-based public affairs agency, where she supported clients from a range of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, technology and financial services. Prior to that, Rosie worked as a Management Consultant at KPMG, where she assisted on financial and regulatory projects with large corporate clients. She has a BA in Human, Social and Political Sciences from the University of Cambridge.