Programme Speakers
David Grainger
David Grainger is currently a British Heart Foundation Senior Fellow based in the Department of Medicine, Cambridge University, where he heads a team of scientists investigating the role of inflammation in a range of diseases, including coronary heart disease, with a particular focus on identifying new ways to intervene with drug treatments to reduce inflammation. In addition, since 2002 he has been the Director of the Translational Research Unit at Papworth Hospital NHS Trust, which aims to translate the best basic science research into tangible improvements in patient care in cardiology through epidemiological studies and clinical trials. During 15 years in academic research David has filed more than 120 patents applications, with more than 50 issued patents covering intellectual property as diverse as novel genetic markers for osteoporosis, new anti-inflammatory drug compounds, metabolic fingerprinting for the diagnosis of disease and drugs which mimic the function of apolipoprotein E. Several of these patents are now licensed to commercial partners, including the US biotechnology company NeoRx and the French pharmaceutical group Ipsen. Outside the University, David sits on the Scientific Advisory Board of a number of biotechnology companies, and is a Director of TCP Innovations Ltd (a consultancy and research services company), FingerPrint Diagnostics Ltd (who develop novel multivariate diagnostic tests for diseases such Alzheimer's Disease or atherosclerosis) and Funxional Therapeutics Ltd (which adopts a novel functional assay approach to pharmaceutical development). In these commercial roles, he has recently gained experience in-licensing technology to add to a decade of out-licensing! Other interests include cooking, fine wines, cars and skiing.
