Speaker

Alistair Henry

EVP & CSO - UCB

Biography

Alistair Henry leads UCB’s research and early development organisation with the main goal of bringing innovation to patients and their families, helping them to live the lives they choose.

Alistair joined Celltech from King’s College London in 1998, and consequently UCB at the acquisition in 2004. Throughout that time Alistair has led various teams and projects but always with a view to delivering innovative medicines for patients. He has been intimately associated with the biologics platform and with the technologies that underpin both small and large molecule drug discovery. He has played a key role in the progression of medicines such as Evenity, Bimzelx, and Rystigo. He has collaborated widely and published extensively.

Since 2023 Alistair has led the UK Research operation for UCB Prior to that he was responsible for the global Discovery and head of all molecule platforms

Alistair graduated from King’s College London where he received a BSc in Immunology and his PhD in Biophysics.

Talk(s)

4:45 PM

Navigating the digital frontier of drug discovery - UCB’s ambition for a new age of value creation

In the rapidly evolving landscape of biopharma R&D, innovation remains paramount. As we face an unprecedented scale and complexity of healthcare and societal challenges, pharmaceutical R&D productivity has been stagnant at best over the past decade. Instead of heralding a new wave of productivity, the accelerated rate of technological innovation seems to have merely enabled the industry to keep pace and slow down additional productivity loss. Indeed, the proven impact from novel digital and technology solutions across the biopharma value chain seems to be tempered by the growing recognition of the intricate complexity of the pathobiology we are now able to uncover.

Hence, learning to capitalise on the full transformative potential of digital and technology innovation and its translation into future Patient Value, is fast becoming more than a competitive differentiator, but may soon constitute a license to play.
We find ourselves on the verge of a new biopharmaceutical R&D paradigm, based on the seamless integration of wet lab and in silico cycles and data-driven feedback loops. This future will also bring an increased intensity of collaboration and transversality – both within and beyond biopharma companies, including a broad and evolving ecosystem of potential technology partners.

New technology accelerates our capabilities, enhances precision, and optimizes efficiency, yet it also exposes previously unrecognized complexities, unveiling new avenues for scientific exploration. To fully realize this potential, we must remain open-minded, embracing these discoveries with a learning mindset that allows us to see opportunities where challenges once stood. This adaptability will be key to shaping the future of biopharma innovation and delivering transformative value to patients.