Justin Bryans trained as a chemist at the universities of York and Oxford, the latter being as a post-doc under Professor Sir Jack Baldwin. Since then, he has gained over 30 years of experience in drug discovery at several biotechnology and pharma companies including Parke-Davis and Pfizer. He most recently spent 16 years at LifeArc, a UK-based charity and non-profit organization, where he led a team of 120 scientists covering chemistry, biology, antibodies, and diagnostics. He has led integrated drug discovery teams developing small molecule and antibody-based treatments for a wide range of conditions resulting in the discovery of over 30 assets, and in the process, Justin has been cited as an inventor on over 50 patents. Whilst at LifeArc, of particular note, was the discovery of Keytruda, which is projected to be the leading immuno-oncology agent for the treatment of melanoma and lung cancer. Justin holds an honorary professorship at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and he teaches various aspects of drug discovery at QMUL, University College London, and the Wellcome Trust. He also sits on a range of advisory committees and panels in the UK and Sweden.
Justin joined Charles River in April 2022 as Chief Scientific Officer (Early Discovery) where he works closely with the leadership and Science Directors to explore opportunities with existing and prospective clients and evaluate new areas of science and new approaches to strengthen the Charles River offering. He has a particular interest in the interface of small molecule and biologics and the use of big data, informatics, and AI to speed up the drug discovery process, reduce clinical attrition, and deliver quality drugs to patients. Justin and the Science Director team help others in Charles River by providing a wide range of expertise and knowledge to help deliver transformative new therapies.
