Chris Kirton, Axol Bioscience

"If you're a scientist and you can look at data; if you can look at a problem and spot the pattern to figure out what the probable solution is, then it's exactly the same thought process, just applied to Operations."

Chris Kirton's career started out like many others in biotech - a PhD in Immunology followed by a couple of post-docs that built on his research.

When he took his first steps into industry, Chris didn't expect to change direction, but after becoming Head of Operations for Envigo, the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Absolute Antibody, he stepped into the role of Chief Operating Officer at Axol Bioscience, a specialist stem cell company facilitating cutting edge research.

We spoke to Chris on Careers in Discovery about:

🚴‍♂️ Stem cells, and how far the technology has come

🚴‍♂️ The similarities between Immunology and Operations

🚴‍♂️ Knowing yourself and focusing on your strengths, then building a team to support you

🚴‍♂️ How cell and gene therapy are changing the pharmaceutical industry

Enjoy!