Originally founded in 1996 and operating from laboratories near Cambridge, UK, Pharmagene Discovery Services is built upon the scientific knowledge, expertise and reputation of its legacy, and remains one of the earliest established companies to focus on human tissue-based research. Leveraging these skills and experience, it specialises in tailored assay design and development with a range of research services encompassing target expression, interrogation of spatial biology, functional cellular biology and bioassays, and biotherapeutic safety testing in human tissues and primary human cells. The facility operates to GLP and is licensed by the UK Human Tissue Authority.
Pharmagene has created and curates an in-house human tissue biorepository to support research for its clients, and in addition offers sample processing and biostorage services. With a wealth of knowledge of the human tissue research sector and having conducted hundreds of studies for life science researchers around the world over the past three decades, the business is uniquely placed to support its clients to develop safe and efficacious new therapies and associated biomarkers more rapidly and with greater confidence.
CEO - Tom Mander, PhD, MBA
Tom has gained over 30 years of experience in the drug discovery and translational research industries working within research tools (Amersham International PLC), biotech (Xenova PLC), big pharma (GSK) and in research service businesses (EVOTEC AG, Charles River, Tripos Discovery Research and Asterand PLC). Most recently, he was the CEO of the multi-award winning integrated drug discovery service business Domainex Ltd. and sat on their board from July 2017 before stepping down in September 2024. He helped grow the business to a profitable enterprise with over 100 employees and a global client base. In 2025, Tom was appointed an Operating Partner with the private equity firm ARCHIMED. Tom obtained his DPhil from the University of Oxford.
CSO - Amanda Woodrooffe, PhD
Amanda is an experienced leader of scientific operations, with 30 years’ experience in drug discovery, preclinical and clinical research in the biopharma (GSK companies, Pharmagene) and CRO industries (Pharmagene, Asterand Bioscience, BioIVT, Precision for Medicine). She has been responsible for the current UK laboratory services business for 15 years. Prior to this, she held various positions at the organisation, responsible for scientific strategy, business partnerships, pharmaceutical licensing, and supporting corporate development. Amanda received her PhD from the University of Cambridge.
CBO - Richard Willock, BSc
Richard worked for Asterand for 10 years as a Director of Business Development and was instrumental in delivering the continuous growth of the business across Europe during that time. In 2017 he moved to the Cambridge start-up DefiniGEN as CBO and over 6 years grew that business from the ground up, securing a geographically diverse set of high value Biopharma clients. Richard has over 25 years’ experience working in the Pharma and Biotech industry, starting his career as a research scientist at GSK. Subsequently, he held both technical and commercial positions at Packard Bioscience and PerkinElmer Inc. He has extensive experience in developing consultative collaborations across the industry through the provision of mutually beneficial scientific drug discovery solutions.
CFO - Barry Knight, BSc, FCA
Barry is a Chartered Accountant with more than thirty-five years of senior financial leadership experience in Life Sciences companies, serving as Finance Director, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Operating Officer for a medical device company, several biotechnology firms, two consulting practices, one of which was AIM listed, and a contract research organisation, as well as a consultant and interim financial manager for a venture capital start-up and a variety of businesses both within and outside the Life Sciences field. After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, Barry moved immediately into industry, holding several finance roles in the corporate HQ of a large multinational company listed on the London Stock Exchange, including four years as Group Chief Accountant, before deciding to make his career in the Life Sciences sector.