Ken Powell Named as Executive Chairman of Q Chip.
Q Chip, a developer of microencapsulation, has announced the appointment of Ken Powell as executive chairman.
With a career spanning more than three decades as a senior researcher and manager in the pharmaceutical sector Ken Powell is widely acknowledged by the industry as one of its pioneers.
His previous positions include CEO of Arrow Therapeutics, head of antiviral research and head of biology at the Wellcome Foundation, and professor of virology and cell biology at the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research at University College, London.
Ken Powell has an enviable record in founding and building life science start-ups.
During his period of employment with the Wolfson Institute he helped establish Inpharmatica, now part of Galapagos, and Ark Therapeutics which listed on the London Stock Exchange's main market in March 2004.
Powell currently serves as the head of Arrow Therapeutics, which he founded in 1998 and was acquired by Astra-Zeneca for $150 million in February 2007.
Commenting on his appointment Ken Powell said: "I have accepted the role of executive chairman of Q Chip for the simple reason I am excited by its prospects.
"It has undertaken some very exciting research, which provides the foundations for a strong pipeline of applications and products.
"The product opportunities presented by Q Chip's technology will offer cost effective solutions to some of the most pressing issues in the biotech industry.
"I am particularly delighted to have the opportunity to assist Q Chip in the development of its MicroPlant drug delivery technology and expanding the commercial reach of its unique ReaX range of easy to use, beaded molecular reagents".
"Ken Powell is associated with some of the United Kingdom's most dynamic biotech companies.
"The fact he has chosen to take on an executive chairmanship role and his ability to attract investment for a series of commercially successful pharmaceutical research based entities provides an enormous endorsement of the strategy Q Chip has been pursuing," said Mark Barry, chief executive officer of Q Chip.
"This key appointment maintains the momentum that has built up over the last three years".
In summer 2007 Q Chip successfully completed a funding round, which saw it raise in excess of £2 million from existing and new shareholders.
This investment is being used to accelerate ReaX and MicroPlant product development and commercialisation.
