PETER TRILL

Peter is a co-founder of the UK registered Charity, Cure CLCN4. He is a father of three awesome children, the youngest of whom is affected by CLCN4. He is a company founder and board member working in the biotechnology sector. He is also a seed investor and mentor to founders of early stage healthcare and technology companies.

GINA TAN

Gina is a co-founder of Cure CLCN4, a medical clinician and mother to two girls, the younger being affected by CLCN4. She studied medicine at King’s College London and trained in hospitals in London and Bath, subspecialising in Rheumatology. She undertook clinical research training at Queen Mary University London.

ALAN WISE

Alan is a Trustee at Cure CLCN4. He is an experienced and successful biotech entrepreneur with in-depth knowledge of drug discovery. He is currently CEO of Duke Street Bio. Previous roles include CEO of the successful biotech, IOmet Pharma which was acquired by MSD in 2016 and senior drug discovery roles in large Pharma (GlaxoSmithKline). Alan obtained his degree and PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Leeds and conducted post-doctoral research at Glasgow University. He then spent 12 years at GSK and was involved in various areas of pre-clinical drug discovery prior to moving into the Biotech sector. In his spare time Alan enjoys running, hillwalking and cycling with his family.

ALEXIS KARIM

Alexis is a Trustee at Cure CLCN4. He is also a corporate lawyer at global law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner and he specialises in private equity transactions in the healthcare sector. He holds a strong interest in science and medicine and often seeks to combine this with his role as a lawyer. Alexis has acted on a number of healthcare transactions, including acting for start-up and early stage companies that operate in sub-sectors that include med-tech and pharmaceuticals. Alexis has a master’s degree in law from Jesus College, Cambridge. Alexis is passionate about sports including running, tennis and boxing, but his love for participating in sport has slowly been overtaken by his love for watching his children play sport!

LARRY LOUISON

Larry is a Trustee at Cure CLCN4 and a partner at TC Group, based in the London office. He is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants with over 20 years experience in general practice. Being very passionate about the goals of CureCLCN4, Larry is committed to using his skills and experience to build a strong financial infrastructure within the company.

PAUL MCGUINNESS

Paul began his career as a technology consultant at Apple at the launch of the original iPhone and App Store. He has founded and been involved in various tech start-ups and is passionate about the power of technology to improve the way we interact, work and live. Paul aims to bring his experience with technology platforms to grow awareness about CLCN4 and make a long term positive impact for families who have a loved one with
the condition.

REBECA RIDINGS FIGUEROA

Rebeca is the Research Program Manager at Cure CLCN4. Her role is to help advance the goals of Cure CLCN4. She works with the Board of Trustees to develop, shape and implement Cure CLCN4’s research strategy, policy and governance. Rebeca successfully completed a PhD in Genetics at the University of Cambridge. Her project focused on the cell biology and genetics of mouse pancreatic organoids. She also holds a Master by Research and a BSc in Molecular Cell Biology from the University of York. In her free time, Rebeca enjoys reading, watching movies and exercising.

EMMA PALMER

Dr Palmer (PhD, MBBS, FRACP, BA (Hons I) Oxon), is a clinician scientist at Sydney Children’s Hospital Network & University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.  
She has extensive experience at the interface of clinical and research genetics leading multidisciplinary teams and establishing international collaborations to discover new genetic conditions.  She has led 5 international projects delineating novel genetic conditions (ZSWIM6, ATN1, ARV1, KCNT2, RLIM duplication). She works closely with rare genetic disease advocacy and consumer reference groups and aims to translate genomic discoveries to improved education and management for patients and families. She was the first author on a publication describing the impact of CLCN4 gene changes in 52 individuals, moderates the CLCN4 gene pages on the Human Disease Gene Webseries along with Professor Vera Kalscheuer and is leading the clinical aspects of an international study to better understand the genetic and clinical spectrum of CLCN4 related condition.

VERA KALSCHEUER  

Dr. Vera Kalscheuer (PhD) is a scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, Germany. She obtained her degree and PhD in Biochemistry from the Free University in Berlin, Germany. She conducted postdoctoral research at the Human Genetics Department in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Vera’s work focuses on the identification of novel genes linked to neurodevelopmental disabilities, and on the molecular and functional characterization of selected genes and proteins in order to better understand the underlying molecular and pathomechanisms. With her research, she has discovered and contributed to the identification of numerous genes linked to various forms of neurodevelopmental disabilities, including CLCN4, thereby establishing a molecular diagnosis for patients and their families. In order to better understand CLCN4-related disorders, together with Dr. Emma Palmer and other collaborators, she conducted a large study on the genetic, clinical and functional impact of newly identified CLCN4 variants. Vera and Emma are currently studying an even larger group of patients with CLCN4-related gene defects.

GARY WILSON  

Dr. Gary Wilson has over 14 years of experience in scientific research funding and in developing programmes and grant strategy. He currently is Head of Science Portfolio at the Gatsby Charitable Foundation where his role involves developing, implementing and monitoring research funding and strategic activities in both Gatsby’s neuroscience and plant science portfolios. Prior to joining Gatsby, Gary was a Portfolio Advisor within the Neuroscience and Mental Health funding section of the Wellcome Trust. He holds an BA/MA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and a PhD in neuropharmacology from University College London.