George Orphanides

George Orphanides is an accomplished scientist with extensive experience in drug discovery and development, particularly in oncology and rare diseases. Currently serving as the Interim Chief Scientific Officer at LifeArc since July 2025, Orphanides was previously a Drug Discovery and Development Consultant from October 2024 to June 2025. In the role of Chief Scientific Officer at invoX Pharma from March 2022 to October 2024, Orphanides oversaw R&D strategy and governance for oncology programs. Additionally, Orphanides has held leadership positions at AstraZeneca, including Head of External Science and Alliances and Global Head of Lung and Gastrointestinal Cancer Disease Areas. Orphanides is also a founder of the Alderley Park Oncology Development Programme Accelerator and has served as a Non-Executive Director at pHion Therapeutics. Academic qualifications include a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Leicester and post-doctoral fellowship training in gene regulation and epigenetics.