Dr Michael Westby

CEO, Centauri Therapeutics

Mike is a senior Exec with over 20 years R&D Pharma and Biotech Industry experience, including at Roche and Pfizer. He led the Anti-Infectives Research Group at Pfizer’s Sandwich R&D site and played a key role in progressing novel compounds through clinical trials, including maraviroc (Selzentry) a first-in-class HIV entry inhibitor. Mike’s team also supported Pfizer’s preclinical vaccine programs, comprising DNA-based vaccines for RSV and HSV.  As founder and CEO of three start up Biotechs, Mike has successfully raised >£15m in dilutive and non-dilutive funds. Mike currently heads Centauri Therapeutics Limited, a privately-owned UK Biotech with a novel immunotherapeutic platform (“Alphamers”) for infectious diseases.  Mike is also a Director of Avvinity Therapeutics that is developing Alphamers as immunooncology agents. Prior to this Mike was the co-founder and CEO of Agalimmune Ltd, a preclinical stage biotech that developed a novel immunotherapeutic (AGI-134) for treating solid tumours.  Agalimmune was successfully sold to BiolineRx in 2017 and AGI-134 is now in early clinical development. Mike trained in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Durham, obtained his PhD at Warwick University and studied immunology and microbiology as a post-doctoral research fellow at St George’s Hospital Medical School, London.