How did your professional and academic background lead you to this role?
I’ve spent my career focusing on mammalian cell culture processes, either improving the culture process itself or optimising host cell lines and expression vectors, most notably in my 25 years at Lonza.
One theme has remained constant: how do we improve biomanufacturing processes to make the proteins people actually need in a cost- and time-efficient way? If you cannot manufacture sufficient quantities of high-quality material, even the most promising therapeutic remains just an idea.
I’ve been collaborating with David James, one of the founders of SynGenSys, since the early 2000s, on projects exploring how to better understand and improve recombinant protein expression in mammalian cells. Those early discussions around what controls expression and how to tune it helped shape the thinking that eventually led to the founding of SynGenSys.
I formally joined SynGenSys as Commercial Operations Director in 2024, before becoming joint CEO with David following a company reorganisation. The company’s mission aligns closely with the question that has driven my career: how can we improve expression systems to make biologics more accessible, faster to develop, and more cost-effective to deliver to patients?
SynGenSys has a strong focus on biopharmaceutical development. Could you give us a brief overview of the Company’s offering in this field?
At its core SynGenSys is about giving scientists confidence and peace of mind, assuring them that they will obtain the right amount of protein—essentially their drug—with the right quality attributes, when they need it.
Our approach is grounded in a deep understanding of transcriptional control in mammalian recombinant systems. By analysing highly expressed genes in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells we’ve deconstructed their promoter architecture to identify the smallest functional units that drive gene expression what I describe as the “quanta of transcription”, and used this insight to develop a library of synthetic promoters with defined, tuneable strengths.
We can precisely control transcriptional output by varying the composition and arrangement of CHO-specific transcription factor response elements. We also computationally match transgene and selectable marker promoters to minimise interference and support rapid outgrowth of high-producing cell lines. In practical terms, this increases the likelihood of identifying clones that combine robust growth with high specific productivity, in comparison to standard vector designs. By tuning transcriptional strength, we optimise polypeptide chain pairing and product quality at the source, rather than correcting imbalances downstream.
Ultimately, it’s about controlling gene expression in a predictable way so scientists can move forward with greater certainty and efficiency. Our technology is widely applicable to any organisation seeking to improve protein productivity in mammalian cells, including large biopharmaceutical companies, veterinary drug developers, drug discovery companies advancing candidates into the clinic, and service providers such as CDMOs and CROs with established expression platforms.
How are synthetic promoters addressing key challenges in biopharmaceutical development and production?
Biomanufacturing productivity gains over the past 25 years have largely come from technological advancements in process engineering. Core expression systems have often been considered “good enough” however, emerging therapies, particularly multi-subunit and highly complex proteins, demand more refined control. Correct stoichiometry between subunits is critical, and unbalanced expression increases impurities that must be removed to meet stringent regulatory standards. While regulators focus on the safety, efficacy and defined composition of the final product, and not the specific promoter used, upstream control directly influences downstream purity, cost of goods and manufacturing timelines.
The fundamental industry needs have not changed over the past 30+ years: efficacy, safety, speed, productivity, and cost. Our CHO.SET library primarily addresses the latter two. By increasing the productivity of each cell through enhanced transgene expression we can either deliver higher protein amounts from a given bioreactor volume, or achieve target output using a smaller bioreactor footprint.
What innovations or trends do you expect to see in biopharmaceutical development and production over the next few years, and how is SynGenSys meeting these rising demands?
Industry capacity presents a major challenge. With ageing populations and the accompanying rise of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, demand for therapeutic antibodies is set to increase dramatically. A single high-prevalence indication could require tens of tonnes of antibody per year—approaching the scale of total global production only a few years ago. Expanding manufacturing infrastructure alone is neither fast nor economically realistic.
This is where our technology continues to evolve. We are currently focused on developing synthetic genetic elements and expression systems compatible with continuous manufacturing, including promoters that can be activated at defined stages, without chemical inducers. These advances align with the industry’s broader shift toward continuous manufacturing and process intensification.
We are also seeing renewed interest in signal peptides. While promoters control transcription, signal peptides govern the intracellular routing of the resulting polypeptide, directing it through the secretory pathway for correct processing and secretion. For increasingly complex proteins, revisiting and optimising these elements provides further opportunity to improve yield and product quality.
Ultimately, synthetic promoters or signal peptides are not a standalone solution, but part of a broader, systems-level approach to biomanufacturing. By understanding and controlling gene expression at its most fundamental level, we help create more robust, efficient, and scalable production platforms.
