John Richards

John read Chemistry at St John’s College Oxford prior to completing a DPhil in Peptide Chemistry also at Oxford. Following his doctorate, John carried out post-doctoral research at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, working as a part of the team which developed the now almost universally utilised Fmoc-solid-phase synthesis methodology. Subsequent to further research as a staff scientist into neuro-transmitter peptides in the MRC Neurochemical Pharmacology Unit in Cambridge, John moved into industry, initially as a part of a start-up company formed by alumni of The Laboratory of Molecular Biology. John is currently Head of Pharmaceutical Development at Comanche Biopharma in Massachusetts, USA. Comanche is a preclinical biopharmaceutical company developing novel siRNA compounds for the treatment of preeclampsia. Previously, John was Senior Vice President at Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, which had purchased The Medicines Company, of which John had been a founding member in 1997 and led CMC drug development activities since the company’s inception.

John sits on the Audit, and Remuneration Committees.