About us

Strong industrial and scientific leadership

Founded in 2014, Edinburgh Molecular Imaging is a clinical phase biotechnology company focused on enabling image guided interventional medicine. The company’s molecular targetting technology has the potential to tackle disease in real-time to allow interventional procedures including surgery and therapy, providing more accurate treatment while sparing healthy tissue.

The focus of EM Imaging is the discovery and development of small molecules and peptides that, when conjugated with fluorescent dyes or radionuclides, target and specifically bind with cancerous cells and other diseased tissues. This provides the clinician with a clearer view of the extent of disease and thus a decision-making tool to benefit the patient.

The EM Imaging team has decades of documented success in imaging agent amd therapeutics discovery and development, with expertise spanning from medicinal chemistry, radiochemistry, biochemistry and cell biology, along with direct clinical expertise. The team also has significant expertise in the clinical development, approval and reimbursement of molecular imaging and therapeutic agents. EM Imaging plans to become a leader in offering targeted fluorescent optical imaging and therapy agents as a cost effective and accessible imaging modality.

Management Team

Alex Gibson

CEO

Dr Gibson has 25 years of healthcare industry experience in the development of radiopharmaceuticals for industry leaders such as Amersham and GE Healthcare.

Dr Gibson started his career as a research scientist at Amersham and after holding several senior R&D leadership roles in GE Healthcare became Head of Research Alliances. After leaving GE Healthcare he has held Business Development related roles in radiopharmaceutical and diagnostic companies including VP of Business Development and Strategic Alliances at EM Imaging.

Dr Gibson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Southampton.

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Julian Lord

CFO

Julian has over 18 years’ experience in the life sciences industry. His is also Chief Financial Officer at Caldan Therapeutics Ltd and a biotechnology start-up company in stealth mode.

He was previously Group Financial Controller at Mereo BioPharma Group, working on establishing and growing the finance function and successful listings on AIM and NASDAQ.

Mr Lord holds a BA (Hons) from Durham University and is a qualified management accountant (ACMA, CGMA)

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Christophe Portal

CSO

Dr Portal has 15 years of industrial experience in the research and development of peptide and peptide like molecules for imaging and therapy.

Dr Portal started his career working for a biotechnology company developing optical imaging agents for oncology imaging. He subsequently worked for the University of Edinburgh as Chemistry Group Leader and then joined a spinoff of the University dealing with novel drug discovery screening techniques.

Dr Portal holds a Master of Science degree in Biooorganic Chemistry from Marseilles University and a PhD in Chemical Biology from the University of Edinburgh.

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Rob James

Chairman

Robert has worked in the commercial exploitation of intellectual property for more than 20 years. He first worked at Cancer Research Campaign Technology (now Cancer Research Technology, the commercialisation and development arm of Cancer Research UK) for seven years before moving to the early stage venture capital company, Prelude Ventures.

He was a founding Partner of DFJ Esprit before leaving in 2010 to create Sixth Element Capital. Robert has been involved in many early stage technologies and businesses which in aggregate have raised over £200m in financing and has been involved in raising four VC funds. He played a central role in licensing Temodal to Schering Plough and the PARP inhibitor Rucaparib to Agouron (now Clovis). Robert has a PhD in Biochemistry and a degree in Genetics.

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Elizabeth Roper

Director

Dr. Roper has more than 15 years experience in the Life Science and Healthcare industry, primarily in venture capital fund management and industry Dr. Roper was involved in many key company strategic decisions and successfully established a number of major company-building alliances. She is a former executive with the Life Science venture capital team at the Investments Division of The Wellcome Trust. In this role, Dr. Roper provided direct early-stage equity financing to private companies in the Life Sciences industry in the US and Europe. Her investments included Fovea Pharmaceuticals, Nabriva Therapeutics and Sirtris Pharmaceuticals.

She is also a former member of the Life Science team at Atlas Ventures, London. Dr. Roper holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Biochemistry (1st class) from the University College Cork, and a Ph.D. from the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.