Concept Life Sciences expands expertise with key appointments to Scientific Advisory Board and investments to strengthen integrated drug discovery capabilities

- Appointments come as the business invests a six-figure sum into advanced technology and systems -

/EIN News/ -- CHAPEL-EN-LE-FRITH, United Kingdom, April 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Concept Life Sciences (CLS), a leading integrated drug discovery, development, and manufacturing organisation backed by Limerston Capital, today announced key strategic appointments and advancements to further strengthen its services for the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors.

CLS is pleased to welcome Professor Luke O’Neill, and Dr. Shane Liddelow to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), while Dr. Ian Waddell, who joined the Board of Directors last year, continues to provide invaluable leadership.

The appointments to the SAB reinforce CLS’s position as a leading partner for innovative drug discovery solutions. Professor O’Neill and Dr. Liddelow bring a wealth of expertise across immunology and neuroscience, respectively, enhancing CLS’s ability to meet the evolving needs of the global life sciences industry.

CLS has made major advancements in automated solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) capabilities. Combined with in-house peptide experts, this enables it to accelerate client projects requiring challenging custom peptide synthesis.

In addition, CLS has made a significant investment, amounting to a five-figure sum in GBP, to enhance its capabilities in Automated ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, Excretion) systems and the purchase of a Supercritical Fluid Chromatography purification instrument. This strategic investment drives industry-leading assay turnaround times with no minimum volume requirement and strengthens CLS’s ability to provide high-quality, tailored services, particularly for complex drug discovery projects.

These investments further solidify CLS’s standing as a key partner to pharmaceutical and biotech companies, providing comprehensive drug discovery services from early-stage research through to clinical trials.

The news follows CLS’s acquisition of Charnwood Discovery which completed at the end of 2024 and further enhances the company’s integrated drug discovery offer. This underlines the business’s growth strategy, demonstrating its ambitions and further strengthening its ability to accelerate drug candidates to clinic with high success rates and across different modalities.

About the Scientific Advisory Board Members:

• Professor Luke O’Neill, FRS, is an immunologist and Chair of Biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin. With over 460 peer-reviewed publications, his research focuses on inflammation, innate immunity, and immunometabolism, providing deep expertise in areas critical to drug discovery. Professor O’Neill has received over 110,000 citations and has an h-index of 160, underscoring his significant contributions to the field.
  
  
• Dr. Shane Liddelow is an Associate Professor at NYU Langone Medical Center, specialising in neurodegenerative diseases. His research into the role of astrocytes in diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s offers valuable insight for neurodegenerative drug discovery. Dr. Liddelow has garnered over 30,000 citations and holds an h-index of 52, which reflects his important research in neurodegeneration.
  
  
• Dr. Ian Waddell, appointed to the CLS Board of Directors last year, has more than 27 years of experience across all stages of drug discovery. His expertise spans cardiovascular and oncology disease areas, and his leadership in the field has been instrumental in advancing drug development programs.
  

Ben Cliff, CEO of Concept Life Sciences, commented: “The addition of Luke, Shane, and Ian to our advisory and leadership teams is an exciting step in enhancing our scientific expertise and global service offering.

“As we strive to stay at the forefront of research and innovation, our continued investments in technology and talent, including our protein production capabilities and cutting-edge purification systems, reinforce our commitment to delivering high-quality, integrated services to the global biopharmaceutical community.”

Dr. Ian Waddell, added: “My role with the Scientific Advisory Board allows me to contribute from a strategic leadership perspective, ensuring that our scientific initiatives align with the company's broader goals. The expertise of Professor O'Neill and Dr. Liddelow, combined with continued investments in cutting-edge technologies, reinforces CLS’s commitment to advancing drug discovery and I look forward to collaborating with such a distinguished panel to drive impactful outcomes for clients and the wider industry.”

About Concept Life Sciences

Founded in 1999, Concept Life Sciences is a leading contract research organisation (CRO), primarily serving the pharmaceutical and life science research and development market. Offering world-class and technologically advanced, fully integrated drug discovery and development services for all drug modalities including small molecules, biologics, cell & gene therapies and beyond with clients in the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology space ranging from blue chip to virtual biotech.

CLS has an impressive quantitative track record, with an average of just 32 months to advance a drug from concept to clinic, well ahead of the industry average of 60 months. The company has successfully helped accelerate five drugs to market, 28 candidates to the clinic, and 44 candidates to the pre-clinical stage. This remarkable success underscores CLS's ability to deliver high-quality, fast-tracked results and reinforce the value it provides to its customers. With a stringent focus on quality, CLS offers a broad and deep expertise, from drug discovery through early-stage development to multi-kilogram API manufacturing for phase 1 clinical trials. The company has around 230 employees and operates out of four state-of-the-art UK facilities.

www.conceptlifesciences.com

About Limerston Capital

Founded in 2015 by James Paget, João Rosa and Martim Avillez, London based Limerston Capital pursues control investments in UK mid-market companies and seeks to create value through the firm’s buy-and-build and operationally focused model. The firm targets businesses with EBITDA of between £5 million and £15 million that have a solid value proposition, but have potential for operational improvements, have mispriced underlying returns on capital and provide opportunities for strategic repositioning via consolidation.

www.limerstoncap.com

Contacts
Concept Life Sciences
Ben Cliff
Email: cls-info@conceptlifesciences.com
Scius Communications
Katja Stout
+44 778 943 5990
katja@sciuscommunications.com 
Daniel Gooch
+44 7747 875479
daniel@sciuscommunications.com