MEET THE TEAM BEHIND CELENTYX
THE CELENTYX LEADERSHIP TEAM
Professor Nicholas BarnesPRINCIPAL FOUNDER, DIRECTOR & CEO
Nicholas is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Celentyx, where he has led the company for nearly two decades, shaping its scientific direction, commercial strategy, and long-term growth. Under his leadership, Celentyx has become a trusted partner in immunology-focused drug discovery, delivering translational research programmes for biotech and pharmaceutical clients worldwide.
Nicholas is a Professor at University of Birmingham and holds Honorary Professorships at several universities internationally. A Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society, he is also recognised as one of the world’s most highly cited researchers (Clarivate Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher). An internationally recognised pharmacologist, his expertise in neuropharmacology and neuroinflammation underpins Celentyx’s approach to bridging pharmacology and immunology in therapeutic development.
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Dr Catherine BradyCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Catherine is Chief Operating Officer of Celentyx and has been integral to the company since its founding, joining as its first employee. As a member of the leadership team, she leads Celentyx’s operational and commercial functions, including finance, legal, marketing, and business operations, and plays a central role in shaping and executing company strategy.
Catherine has been central to building the infrastructure, processes, and partnerships that underpin Celentyx’s delivery of high-quality translational research programmes to global clients. She brings a background in intellectual property management and holds a PhD in pharmacology funded by BASF Pharma. 
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Dr Omar QureshiCHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER
Omar is Chief Scientific Officer of Celentyx, where he plays a central role in shaping the company’s scientific vision, research strategy and leads programme delivery. He is responsible for advancing Celentyx’s immunology-focused research programmes, ensuring strong alignment between mechanistic science and translational drug discovery.
An expert in immune cell biology and immuno-modulation, his work focuses on T cell regulation, cytokine biology, and immune signalling across immuno-oncology and autoimmune disease. Prior to joining Celentyx, he was a Senior Scientist at UCB Pharma. He holds a PhD in immune cell biology and has an extensive publication record in immunology and cell biology.
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Professor John CurnowCHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
Professor John Curnow is Chief Development Officer at Celentyx, where he supports the company’s assay development strategy and helps translate scientific capability into client-focused offerings. Working closely with the CEO and CSO, he supports programme progression and helps ensure alignment between scientific excellence and commercial objectives.
John is a former Senior Lecturer in the MRC Centre for Immune Regulation at the University of Birmingham. He has a longstanding interest in immunological tolerance and autoimmunity. His research focuses on human T cells in health and disease, with particular interest in CD4+ T helper subsets, including Tregs, Th17 and Th22 cells. His expertise also includes advanced cellular analysis, including flow cytometry optimised to provide robust quantitative from clinical samples with low cell number. His combined technical and commercial perspective supports Celentyx’s ability to deliver high-quality, partner-focused immunology research. |
Professor Sam ButterworthPRINCIPAL SCIENTIST
Professor Sam Butterworth is a Principal Scientist at Celentyx and holds a Chair in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Manchester. He specialises in the discovery and development of novel anti-cancer therapies, with a strong focus on translating medicinal chemistry into clinically relevant outcomes.
Sam brings extensive industry and academic experience in oncology drug discovery. Prior to joining Celentyx, he worked in oncology research at AstraZeneca (Alderley Park, UK), where he was the lead inventor of osimertinib (Tagrisso), a widely used targeted therapy for cancer. His expertise strengthens Celentyx’s capabilities in oncology and translational drug discovery. |
Professor Alan Boyd, MBENON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Professor Alan Boyd MBE is a Non-Executive Director of Celentyx, bringing over 30 years of experience across clinical medicine, pharmaceutical R&D, and regulatory science. A medically qualified physician and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, he has held a range of senior leadership roles spanning academia, industry, and professional bodies.
Alan has extensive experience in drug development and pharmaceutical medicine, including serving as Head of Medical Research at Zeneca Pharmaceuticals. He has also played a significant role in shaping the field through leadership positions within the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, including as Chair of the Specialist Advisory Committee in Pharmaceutical Medicine. In addition to his industry and professional leadership roles, Alan holds academic appointments and contributes to the advancement of pharmaceutical medicine through teaching, advisory work, and policy development. |
Dr Kristian BrockPRINCIPAL BIOSTATISTICIANKristian is a Principal Biostatistician with extensive experience inputting statistical expertise in multiple pre-clinical and clinical projects including for the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit. He has a PhD in efficient methods for clinical trials with restricted sample size. Prior to training as a statistician, Kristian worked for nine years as a quantitative equity analyst for the fund manager Schroders
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THE CELENTYX SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD
Professor Lawrence YoungProfessor Lawrence Young is an internationally recognised expert in virology and cancer biology, with a particular focus on the role of viral infections, including Epstein–Barr virus and human papillomavirus, in tumour development.
His work spans tumour immunology, gene therapy, and immunotherapy, and has led to multiple clinical trials. He has authored over 250 research papers and is recognised as one of the world’s most highly cited researchers. Lawrence brings extensive experience across academia and industry, including involvement in the establishment of a biotechnology company that contributed to the development of Cobra Biologics, now part of Charles River Laboratories. He has held executive leadership positions in major UK universities, including serving as Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Birmingham and the University of Warwick, and continues to contribute to research and advisory activities internationally as Emeritus Professor. |
Dr Andrew PayneAndrew Payne is a translational pharmacologist with 30+ years of experience in drug discovery and development. He has led teams delivering small- and large-molecule clinical assets across oncology, immuno-oncology, and immuno-inflammatory diseases.
His work focuses on defining effective pharmacological interventions to support data-driven decisions, combining quantitative preclinical modelling with biomarker-led clinical translation. He has also advanced efficient drug discovery through innovative technologies and organisational design. Andrew earned his PhD from the University of Bristol and held roles in biotech (Prolifix, OGS) and UCB (15 years in oncology and immunology). He later served as VP Biology at Exscientia (now Recursion), where he built the biology function and supported the company’s growth. He is now an independent consultant biologist. |
Dr Ioannis KourtzelisIoannis is an Assistant Professor in Immunology and research group leader at Hull York Medical School and the York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York (since 2020).
He holds a BSc from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a PhD in innate immunity (Democritus University of Greece/University of Pennsylvania), focusing on thrombo-inflammation driven by complement–coagulation cross-talk. Following postdoctoral work at the University of Dresden on myeloid cell regulation and trained immunity, his research now centres on myeloid cell heterogeneity, particularly macrophage efferocytosis in health and disease. His work is internationally recognised (Isil Berat Award, 2021), with publications in Cell, Nature Immunology, and PNAS, and funding from the Rosetrees Trust, Royal Society, Academy of Medical Sciences, and UKRI BBSRC. |
