Cytomos makes trio of C-suite appointments to support growth
Cytomos, an Edinburgh-based life science company that has developed a proprietary new approach to analysing cells, has made three C-suite appointments as it gears up for the next stage of growth.
David Rigterink joins the scale-up as CEO and is appointed to the Board, Dr Lindsay Fraser joins as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and Gordon Sharp has been promoted to interim Chief Technology Officer (CTO), as part of a new-look Executive team.
Prior to joining Cytomos, David Rigterink led business development for biopharma start-up Single Use Support, which attracted substantial investment from Danaher Life Sciences Group in 2020. Having first entered the bioprocess industry in 2008, David’s core expertise lies in Sales, Marketing and Services to the biopharmaceutical GLP & GMP markets. David spent more than a decade in leadership positions with Sartorius Stedim Biotech, a leading partner to the biotech industry, including assignments in Japan, North Europe, Ireland and the UK.
Dr Lindsay Fraser joins the Executive team as CSO to direct the company’s ambitious scientific programme. As the former Head of Technical Services at Symbiosis Pharmaceutical Service, Lindsay has extensive knowledge in the field of regenerative medicine and cellular therapy, having previously held roles at the SNBTS, Milteny Biotech, and Roslin CT. Lindsay will build a portfolio of strategic partnerships with biologics industry thought leaders to win trial and adoption of the company’s innovative process analytical technology.
Gordon Sharp has been promoted to interim CTO to lead the company’s complex instrument design programme and strengthen its IP portfolio in collaborations with industrial and academic partners. Having joined Cytomos as Principal Design Engineer in 2016, Gordon brings more than 30 years’ experience in the microelectronic and instrumentation industries.
The appointments come on the back of a successful £1.6M funding round to progress the development and qualification of its novel cell analysis platform, Cytomos Dielectric Spectroscopy (CDS). The round was led by existing investor Archangels with participation from Scottish Enterprise and Old College Capital.
The newly appointed Executive team will help to drive forward the company during its next stage growth which includes development of the CDS platform, the conceptual design of in-line GMP chip sensors, relocation to a larger integrated HQ with office and laboratory space and the attraction of investment partners en route to Series A fundraising.
Dr Alan Raymond, Chairman at Cytomos, said: “The appointments of David, Lindsay and Gordon add considerable experience and expertise to our first-class team of biopharma professionals. With our new Executive team and funding in place, Cytomos is well positioned to accelerate its pace of growth and advance the development of our novel process analytical technology platform.”
David Rigterink, CEO at Cytomos, said: “The opportunity to lead such a talented team at such a critical stage in the company’s development is a huge privilege. Through the development of our CDS technology platform, Cytomos has a powerful tool which will help the scientific community to bring novel therapies to market faster and radically reduce costs by making game-changing decisions earlier. I’m excited about what the future holds for Cytomos as we embark on our next phase of growth.”
Cytomos has developed CDS to address the unmet needs of the biopharma industry, providing a low-cost, portable and scalable alternative. Scientists are under increasing pressure to bring novel therapies to market faster and cheaper. However, securing access to the right information at the right time is a major challenge, frequently resulting in crucial information being compromised at critical stages. CDS enables scientists to connect the dots, providing real-time access to unbiased data points in a label-free and fully scalable format, delivering results faster, simplifying the logistics of testing and reducing costs.
Cytomos has made significant progress over the last year in developing its technology platform and has successfully tested its prototype devices in the field, enabling understanding of performance criteria and areas of development focus required to meet user needs, secured the key patent for CDS in the US, appointed an experienced Board and Scientific Advisory Board, and secured early-stage funding.
