Optibrium strengthens global AI-based drug discovery software operations with three key appointments

Optibrium strengthens global AI-based drug discovery software operations with three key appointments

Optibrium, a leading developer of artificial intelligence (AI) software and solutions for drug discovery, today announced three key appointments: Michelle Harrison as head of strategic marketing, Chris Khoury as deputy director of business development and Imran Ghauri as business development manager.

The appointments bring extensive AI and life sciences expertise and will align global business development and marketing strategies to further develop and commercialize the company's computational drug discovery technologies.

Due to recent investments and continued commercial growth, Optibrium plans to double its headcount by the end of 2023, including hiring for management positions.

Michelle joins Optibrium as Head of Strategic Marketing and has 8 years of marketing experience. She delivers impactful strategies and effective marketing campaigns for drug discovery and digital health scale-ups to successfully target global pharmaceutical, biotech, academic and investor audiences.

Michelle was previously Senior Marketing Manager at Healx, where she gained extensive expertise in AI drug discovery and managed the messaging, brand and team.

Chris assumes the role of Associate Director of Business Development for KATAOKA-SS America, a laser technology manufacturer specializing in cell processing for areas such as regenerative medicine and drug discovery. His previous experience has focused on developing early-stage life sciences companies.

As a research scientist in protein and analytical biochemistry at The Fountain Group and in protocol development at PerkinElmer, Chris built a strong scientific foundation.

He holds a master's degree in biochemistry from California State University and a bachelor's degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from Dalhousie University.

Imran takes on the role of Business Development Manager for Sensyne Health, where he supported global sales of the company's AI-powered clinical platform, which provides life science and healthcare customers with real-world data insights across multiple therapeutic areas.

Imran has over 30 years of account management and business development experience and a track record of customer acquisition and retention across numerous market sectors.

These include major pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies and NHS primary and secondary care. He has a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Swansea University.

More than 170 organizations worldwide, including five of the world's top ten pharmaceutical companies, currently use Optibrium's computational drug discovery technologies in their research programs.

Cerella, Optibrium's proven AI platform, provides project teams with valuable insights from complex drug discovery data to maximize the success of preclinical research projects.

I am a true advocate of leveraging the latest advances in technology to improve the drug development process. I look forward to working with the team during such an exciting period of growth for Optibrium to expand the reach and impact of their cutting-edge AI capabilities and – ultimately – help bring effective treatments to people more quickly.

Michelle Harrison, Head of Strategic Marketing, Optibrium

As part of our continued expansion and commercial success, we are pleased to welcome Michelle, Chris and Imran to the Optibrium team. Her impressive background in scientific marketing strategy and business development will drive the next phase of our development and further strengthen the position of our market-leading in silico technologies and AI platforms.

Dr. Matthew Segall, CEO, Optibrium

Optibrium is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, and also has offices in Boston and San Francisco, USA.