Dr. Darrin M. Disley OBE - CEO

Dr. Darrin M. Disley OBE

Chief Executive Officer

Darrin is a renowned scientist, entrepreneur, angel investor and enterprise champion who has started, grown, or invested in over 40 start-up life science, technology and social enterprises, raising $600 million USD in business financing and closing $700 million USD in commercial deals. He was CEO of Horizon Discovery Group plc for 11 years, during which he led the Company from start-up through a $113 million USD IPO, and rapid scale-up powered by multiple acquisitions of US peer companies to become a global market leader in gene editing and gene modulation technologies. He was awarded a lifetime Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion in 2016 for his work in promoting enterprise across the UK and appointed OBE in 2018 for his services to business and enterprise in the healthcare sector.

Chasing the Holy Grail of Cell Therapy  Labiotech featuring Dr. Darrin M. Disley 

Joe Foster - COO

Joe Foster

Chief Operating Officer

Joe began his career at Horizon Discovery Group plc working within the corporate development team gaining experience in business planning, licensing, technology evaluation and M&A analysis, before becoming Dr. Jonathan Milner’s (Co-founder of Abcam plc) Portfolio Manager where he built and managed a complex portfolio of more than 40 early-stage life science companies. Joe holds a degree in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Bath and an MPhil in business management from the University of Cambridge.

Leading the Movement Towards Direct Cell Conversion – Technology Networks featuring Joe Foster. 

Dr. David Matthews - Senior Scientific Director

Dr. David Mathews

Senior Scientific Director

David has over 20 years’ drug discovery experience in a broad range of therapeutic areas and modalities, advancing them from concept through preclinical development. Formally a member of the Senior Leadership Team at LifeArc, and Head of Biologics Discovery, he led cross-disciplinary teams in immuno-oncology therapeutic development, as well as the development of LifeArc’s biotherapeutic platform, which has delivered eight candidates into clinical pipelines.

David completed his PhD in Immunology at University College London, UK, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge prior to joining the antibody engineering company AERES Biomedical.

Dr. Aida Moreno-Moral - Director, Cell Informatics

Dr. Aida Moreno-Moral

Director, Cell Informatics

Aida is a computational biologist specializing in developing novel therapeutic approaches to treat disease. Before joining Mogrify in 2019, she worked in target discovery for diverse therapeutic areas including chronic and autoimmune conditions at Duke-NUS, all the way through computational modeling, target discovery, ex vivo and in vivo experimental target validation. She also worked on cell therapies for heart and retinal disease which were licensed by Alder Therapeutics in 2023. Aida completed her PhD at Imperial College London on Cardiovascular System Genetics.

Alun Barnard - Director, Ophthalmology

Dr. Alun Barnard

Director, Ophthalmology

Alun joined us from Oxford Biomedica having spent three years working across cell and gene therapy program strategy as well as the design, initiation, and management of a range of preclinical studies. Alun brings extensive experience in the preclinical translation of advanced therapies for inherited retinal disease, including execution of both exploratory and proof-of-concept studies as well as delivery of gene therapy clinical trials for eye disease.

Alun completed his PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Manchester, UK, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell prior to joining the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford.

Dr. David Anderson - Director, Technology

Dr. David Anderson

Director, Technology

David has broad experience conducting and leading research in the areas of stem cell differentiation, gene editing and gene delivery technologies across a number of biotech companies. Following completion of his PhD in Stem Cell Biology at the University of Nottingham, David was awarded a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship to continue independent research at the MCRI, Melbourne. Prior to joining Mogrify, David also held research roles at GE Healthcare (now Cytiva), Horizon Discovery and Empyrean Therapeutics.

Helen Glen - Director, Financial Planning & Analysis

Helen Glen

Director, Financial Planning & Analysis

Helen is an experienced Finance & Business Operations leader within the life sciences and biotechnology sector. She has over 18 years’ experience across all areas of financial and operational management, with a specific track record of successful audits, R&D tax claims, and building high-performance financial infrastructure and reporting. Helen began her career at Abcam PLC during its growth phase through to IPO, undertaking both AAT & ACCA qualifications, managing teams, processes, and reporting across international subsidiaries. She then joined Axol BioScience’s leadership team – a company offering stem-cell-derived research models – to set up and lead their finance, HR, and business support functions. Helen also played a key financial role in obtaining a leading VCT investment for Axol Bioscience in 2017.

Mark Cavanagh - Chief of Staff / Director, Investor Relations

Mark Cavanagh

Chief of Staff / Director, Investor Relations

Mark has extensive experience in the creation and delivery of complex communications for the life science and technology sectors. Prior to joining Mogrify in 2019, he worked within the communications team at Horizon Discovery Group plc from scale-up through to IPO, gaining critical experience in the development of cross-channel corporate and marketing communications, investor relations (both private and public), brand development, and broader strategies for the provocation of commercial interest. Mark holds a dual role as Director of Communications and Investor Relations, and Chief of Staff to the Executive Leadership Team supporting various aspects of strategic planning and corporate governance.

Conor Johnston - General Counsel

Conor Johnston

General Counsel

Conor has more than 20 years’ experience practising law, mainly spent in-house supporting biopharma R&D. Conor began his career in private practice before moving to Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) in 2005. Conor’s key responsibilities in CAT (later, MedImmune) were advising on strategic business development-led deals and leading a team of lawyers in the US and UK. In his final role prior to Mogrify, Conor was Chief Counsel to AstraZeneca’s Neuroscience R&D unit where he had a wide remit, with a focus on transactions and patent prosecution. Conor holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law from the Queen’s University of Belfast and an MBA from the University of Cambridge.

Dr. Darrin M. Disley OBE - CEO
Joe Foster - COO
Dr. David Matthews - Senior Scientific Director
Dr. Aida Moreno-Moral - Director, Cell Informatics
Dr. Alun Barnard - Director, Ophthalmology
Dr. David Anderson - Director, Technology
Helen Glen - Director, Financial Planning & Analysis
Mark Cavanagh - Chief of Staff / Director, Investor Relations
Conor Johnston - General Counsel

Our

Leadership Team