ELRIG appoints Drs Hitesh Sanganee and Marcus Schindler to Scientific Advisory Board

ELRIG, a not-for-profit, volunteer-led organisation dedicated to the global drug discovery community, has appointed Dr. Hitesh Sanganee and Dr. Marcus Schindler to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The appointments, made in Cambridge, UK, expand ELRIG’s scientific leadership to strengthen its delivery of impactful drug discovery initiatives, enhance collaboration across academia, biotech and pharma, and ensure its free-to-attend conferences and forums continue to meet the evolving needs of the life science community.

Strengthening ELRIG’s scientific leadership for drug discovery

ELRIG’s SAB plays a key strategic role in helping the organisation identify new opportunities to better serve the global life science and drug discovery community. Dr. Sanganee and Dr. Schindler join SAB Chair, Dr. Del Trezise, and fellow members Mel Leveridge, Saleha Patel, Professor Chas Bountra, Professor Cathy Tralau-Stewart and Dr. Steve Rees.

Together, the SAB will support ELRIG with horizon scanning to select the most impactful scientific themes, attract renowned speakers from academia, biotech and the pharmaceutical industry, and recommend future event locations. The Board will also help ensure that ELRIG’s scientific conferences and forums remain free to attend and community driven, while continuing to provide delegates, exhibitors and sponsors with valuable opportunities for collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Drug discovery expertise of Dr. Hitesh Sanganee

Dr. Hitesh Sanganee is a strategic drug discovery executive and a Venture Partner at Octopus Ventures, as well as an independent consultant supporting biotech and healthtech founders. With over two decades of R&D experience, he has delivered multiple drug candidates and new therapeutic modalities into clinical development.

Previously, Dr. Sanganee served as Executive Director and Global Head of Emerging Innovations at AstraZeneca, where he led open innovation, drug repositioning and external collaboration initiatives. Named among Asia Tech’s Top 100 Innovators, he is a recognised leader in science, technology and venture investing. He holds a DPhil and BA in Chemistry from the University of Oxford and an MBA from the University of Cambridge.

R&D leadership of Dr. Marcus Schindler

Dr. Marcus Schindler was previously Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President for Research and Early Development at Novo Nordisk, where he led a global team of over 2,600 scientists. In this role, he oversaw a portfolio of more than 100 drug discovery projects and over 60 strategic partnerships.

Over the last 30 years, Dr. Schindler has held increasingly senior roles in drug discovery across pharma and biotech, including positions at AstraZeneca, (OSI) Prosidion, Boehringer Ingelheim and GSK. He obtained a PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Cambridge and currently serves as a scientific and strategic advisor to AI and biotech companies, including Causaly and Cradle.bio.

ELRIG leadership welcomes new Scientific Advisory Board members

Dr. Del Trezise, Chair of ELRIG, said: “On behalf of ELRIG’s Scientific Advisory Board, I am delighted to welcome Dr. Marcus Schindler and Dr. Hitesh Sanganee as our newest members. Their combined depth of scientific expertise and industry experience is an outstanding addition to the Board — I have no doubt their insights and networks will help shape ELRIG’s continued mission to support and connect the life science research community. We look forward to working with them both and benefiting from their contributions in the months and years ahead.”

New SAB members on advancing collaborative drug discovery

Dr. Hitesh Sanganee, SAB Member, ELRIG, commented: “ELRIG is a truly open, community-driven organisation for life scientists, that brings together established leaders and early‑career researchers across disciplines, creating space for the conversations and collaborations that move drug discovery forward. Joining the Scientific Advisory Board is a great opportunity to help curate the cutting‑edge science and technology that will define the next decade of drug discovery. ELRIG’s conferences and networks give scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs a unique platform to explore new modalities, tools and data-driven approaches together, and I’m excited to support that journey.”

Dr. Marcus Schindler, SAB Member, ELRIG, added: “Having spent 30 years in drug discovery, I’ve seen first-hand how critical strong ecosystems between academia, biotech, and industry are to translating scientific ideas into novel therapeutics. ELRIG’s role in connecting these communities and championing open, collaborative science is exactly the kind of approach our field needs. I look forward to contributing my experience in scientific strategy, innovation-ecosystem building, and R&D leadership to help shape ELRIG’s future programmes and support the next generation of drug discovery scientists.”

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