
As Head of Bioscience for Cardiovascular in CVRM I am responsible for our heart failure and cardiovascular disease early project pipeline through to the candidate drug investment decision, where we decide which candidate drugs to take forward into further early clinical development. I support the preclinical bioscience aspects, e.g. mechanism of action and pharmacology/efficacy of drugs in development projects, from target identification to phase III. I encourage and support cross-disciplinary decision-making, as well as strategic external collaborations.
With over 20 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry, I have extensive expertise in bioscience, covering target identification and preclinical development, all the way through to late-clinical and marketed products in both cardiovascular and renal medicine. I have experience across many modalities and drug development projects, from small molecules, peptides, antibodies and proteins, to antisense oligonucleotides and messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA).
I completed my PhD in Clinical Chemistry at Linköping University, Sweden, focused on the real-time analysis of processes related to blood clotting and fibrinolysis using novel optical and rheological sensing techniques to diagnose haemostatic disorders.
My interests and scientific experiences encompass diverse areas including cardiovascular disease, anaemia and kidney disease, wound healing and tissue regeneration, plus thrombosis and haemostasis. I have worked on biosensor technologies, including surface plasmon resonance, quartz crystal microbalance and free oscillation rheometry. I have also supported patents, including the use of FII and fibrinogen for treatment of haemostatic disorders, formulation and use of mRNA based therapeutics in heart failure and healing of diabetic foot ulcers.
Our aspiration in the cardiovascular space is to regenerate damaged tissues and eventually cure heart diseases, as well as finding ways to prevent these illnesses. The key areas in heart failure that I am focused on strengthening within AstraZeneca are dilated cardiomyopathies and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), as well as researching the phospholamban and SERCA proteins – that has been linked to cardiomyopathy and heart failure.
At AstraZeneca, we are focused on expanding our scientific understanding of disease drivers to deliver game changing treatments that will prevent illness and help the body heal from conditions that currently cause too many lives to be lost.

2019 CEO Award

PHB Award 2014

Key Achievements
2020 – present
2019 – 2020
2018 - 2019
Scientific publications
Veeva ID: Z4-53355
Date of preparation: April 2023