Magnitude Biosciences, a spin-out from Durham University and the leading contract lab services provider in using the nematode worm C. elegans to accelerate drug discovery and other research in the areas of the gut microbiome, ageing, and neurodegeneration, today announced the addition of two members to its growing team: Mira Nair, and Holly Winskell. These additions bolster the company’s commercial expansion, as they take on new clients in the biotechnology, health product and agri-manufacturing industries.

Mira, Head of Marketing, brings extensive experience in helping innovative technology companies in the life science and healthcare markets. At Magnitude Biosciences, she will lead projects to raise awareness of the utility of C. elegans to de-risk the infamously long and costly drug discovery process.

Magnitude Biosciences’ automated Healthspan experiments enable acute and chronic drug effect testing much faster than mouse or other mammalian in-vivo models, getting clear and reproducible data in a matter of weeks, not months, which allows biotechs to reach their next milestone faster and with confidence. This approach is especially relevant in a world reshaped by COVID-19, where scientists are under increasing pressure to accelerate their research and the development of novel therapies to tackle ageing-related diseases and chronic conditions which make humans more vulnerable to coronaviruses.