Touchlight, a leader in synthetic DNA technology, has appointed Will Downie as a key adviser to support its mission of advancing genetic medicines.

Johnny Ohlson, Founder of Touchlight, said, “Will has significant experience in the pharma services sector, and he will provide valuable insights and connectivity to our team in establishing Touchlight’s synthetic DNA platforms and their key role in the advancement of genetic medicines.”

Experience

Downie brings a wealth of expertise from over 30 years in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Most recently, he served as CEO of Argenta, a combined CRO/CDMO in the animal health market. Before that, Downie was Chief Executive Officer of Vectura Group plc, an FTSE-250 inhalation drug development and device company, which successfully led to a £1 billion strategic acquisition.

From 2009 to 2019, Downie held the role of Chief Commercial Officer at Catalent Inc., one of the largest CDMOs in the pharma services industry. Earlier in his career, he held key leadership roles with GE Healthcare, Sanofi, and Merck, gaining broad experience across global healthcare markets.

Downie commented: “I am delighted to be working with the Executive Team at Toughlight. The company’s pioneering technology is unique within the CDMO space and has the potential to transform the provision of genetic pharmaceutical products for patients.”

Touchlight’s enzymatic synthetic DNA technology offers a solution for the scalable and rapid production of genetic material, which is critical for next-generation therapies and vaccines. Downie will support the acceleration of Touchlight’s impact in the evolving field of genetic medicine.

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Earlier this month, Touchlight’s facility in Hampton, UK, received GMP certification.