GlycoSyn. Brilliant minds working for you

Anushka is responsible for working with pharma and biotech companies, particularly in North America, to understand how GlycoSyn’s capabilities can support their research programs.

With a PhD and research background, Anushka knows the ins and outs of scientific research but says working in business development means he has no shortage of exciting challenges to tackle: “I love the interdisciplinary nature of the work, and I think we are really spoiled for talent at GlycoSyn. I get to interact with world-class scientists and  pull from the expertise of the wider Ferrier Research Institute and Callaghan Innovation groups to do everything from GMP development projects, to discovery chemistry, enzymology and synthetic biology, to natural product isolation.”

He is also excited to be working in such a key area for scientific research: “Carbohydrates  are implicated in every major disease process, including cancers, autoimmune disease, rare disease, and bacterial and viral infectivity. We’re looking to address complex problems in complex systems, and so we attract multidisciplinary researchers with diverse backgrounds.”

Before joining Glycosyn, Anushka worked at GlycoNet, a Canada-wide network of researchers and trainees, government laboratories, and industry partners, where he says he gained much of his training and research experience. He  obtained his PhD. from the University of Alberta in 2015 under Professor Todd L. Lowary with a focus on glycobiology and carbohydrate chemistry. He had the opportunity to gain an appreciation for broad, and multidisciplinary research approaches, and the value of networking and collaboration both in – and outside – the lab to see projects through to success.

In his spare time–and especially when traveling–Anushka enjoys discovering unique record shops and hitting the pavement or trails for long runs. Though he is no longer in the lab bench these days, he enjoys applying his chemistry and microbiology lab skills towards brewing beer.

Christian Morales is GlycoSyn’s GSF Team Leader. In his role, Christian is responsible for leading and managing the manufacturing staff to ensure the plant operates smoothly and meets the required outputs for a variety of projects and customers. With over 22 years of experience in manufacturing and quality assurance across various industries including Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, Supplement and Animal Health, Christian brings a wealth of knowledge to the GlycoSyn team. He joined the company nearly two years ago and has since played a vital role in ensuring operational success.

Christian holds an Industrial Engineer degree and a postgraduate diploma in manufacturing management. Prior to joining GlycoSyn, Christian served as Quality Manager for Chitogel, a New Zealand startup company where he helped with the development of their quality management system. He also worked as the Packaging Manager for Vitaco, a well-known supplement manufacturer in New Zealand, and held several positions at Eli Lilly. Additionally, Christian has worked as an auditor for the MPI Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) group.

In his free time, Christian enjoys practicing Iaido, a Japanese sword handling martial art, as well as sculpting and gaming. His diverse range of interests and expertise in manufacturing and quality assurance make him a valuable asset to the GlycoSyn team.

As one of GlycoSyn’s Principal Process Development Chemists, Dr Derek Watt says every day is different: “We have a wide variety of projects, resulting in many challenges. The result is that the work is continuously engaging.

“Working in process development, you’re taking ideas and turning them into physical manifestations that are of use to our clients, and have the potential to extend the greater good­­—it makes the work not only engaging but worthwhile.”

Dr Watt studied Chemistry at the University of Otago, where he received his PhD in 1995. He says he was drawn to Carbohydrate Chemistry in particular for the way it brings together chemistry and biology.

“Carbohydrates are ubiquitous in biology, and chemistry is a powerful tool for their syntheses and manipulation. In this way, both biology and chemistry can be explored with carbohydrate chemistry.”

Helen Quinn is our Quality Assurance Manager responsible for all things Quality. She has over 20 years’ experience in the pharma/biopharma industries and joined GlycoSyn in 2022. Helen is skilled in documentation, change control, deviation management, quality risk management, batch release and audit management.

Helen holds a BSc in Industrial  Biochemistry from the University of Limerick (Ireland) and a Post graduate Diploma in Business from Dublin Business School (Ireland). Before joining GlycoSyn, Helen worked for Multinational Pharma/Biopharma Companies in Irel;and and New Zealand in both Human and Animal Health sectors holding varied roles across Manufacturing, Validation and QA.

After hours, Helen spends a lot of time driving her kids to various sports and drama activities,  catching up with friends & family and spending time with her animals while enjoying the outdoors.

Dr Paul Benjes is our General Manager and provides leadership through his wealth of scientific and managerial knowledge. He has 20 years of experience as a synthetic organic chemist and originally joined us in 2005 as Process Development Manager. A year later, he became Operations Manager, with responsibility for both chemistry development and GMP manufacturing. In 2008, Paul combined his skill sets into his current leadership role as General Manager, guiding the overall operation of GlycoSyn, our strategic direction, productivity, and profitability.

Paul holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Otago and carried out post-doctoral research at the University of Bristol in England. Before joining GlycoSyn, Paul was a research scientist in the internationally recognised Carbohydrate Chemistry Team at Industrial Research Limited (IRL), helping with contract synthesis and process development for a wide variety of potential drug substances.

“The GlycoSyn business itself is one of my passions. Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than positive feedback after we’ve delivered on time, in specification, and on budget.”

After hours, Paul can be found on the golf course, running, or studying the wonders of the night sky.

Dr Phillip Rendle holds senior science positions with both GlycoSyn­–as Director, Custom Synthesis–and the Ferrier Research Institute, as Deputy Director.

His history with GlycoSyn started in 2001 when he had a significant role in the large process development/GMP manufacture campaign that saw the organisation increase their capability and equipment—a significant step towards becoming the world-leading organisation they are today.

He is also a founding member of the Ferrier/GlycoSyn joint venture management committee and has served as the committee chair.

In addition to his leadership roles, Phillip is an accomplished scientist with a strong research focus on dendrimers for pharmaceutical use, oligosaccharide synthesis, and diagnostics for mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) diseases. He was drawn to these areas of research for the opportunity to help people live better quality lives.

“Being a chemist, I get to work with great people and do interesting, complex and applied science.

“A highlight of being part of GlycoSyn, with its commercial and contract research focus, is also being able to go on the drug development journey with the client.

“You’re working with some of the world’s best, sorting out their chemistry needs, and on projects with multiple complexities. Being able to successfully deliver projects to the our clients is a very fulfilling part of the work.”

Dr Richard Furneaux is one of New Zealand’s most respected scientists.

His world-renowned team has grown to include 33 research scientists whose achievements include 225 publications, 32 reviews and 13 published patent series. He has been involved with GlycoSyn since its inception, serving as Director Discovery Chemistry.

Richard, who holds a PhD in Chemistry from Victoria University of Wellington, is a fellow of both the Royal Society of New Zealand and the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry. In 2006 he was awarded the Hector Medal from the Royal Society for his outstanding contribution to the advancement of carbohydrate chemistry and for achieving world-wide recognition of chemistry and pharmacology in New Zealand.

Nicknamed ‘Disco Inferno’, Richard likes Indie music and can often be found relaxing in a bar where quality live music is playing.

Russell heads the analytical quality control laboratory which uses state-of-the-art equipment to analyse all manufacturing stages and monitor product stability for at least two years after manufacture.

Russell holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Keele University in the United Kingdom. He has more than seven years experience working in cGMP/GLP analytical laboratories in the drug substance and drug product fields including a period as a senior scientist for drug development company Aptuit in the UK.

Russell cites Central Otago Pinot Noir wines and mountain tramping as two of the best things about having moved to New Zealand although his football allegiances remain with his home-town team, Crawley Town in the UK.

Dr Steven Toms’s research interests are wide-ranging–spanning carbohydrates, dendrimers, peptides, natural products and organometallics–reflecting his interest in exploring new areas of organic chemistry.

It was this interest that has led him to his role at GlycoSyn, where his breadth of expertise is often called upon on for commercial projects ranging from route design and development to the synthesis of an API.

“I enjoy the diversity of the organic chemistry we are involved in at GlycoSyn,” he says. “Although our speciality tends to be projects requiring carbohydrates, a wide range of other targets such as dendrimers, heterocycles, lipids, polymers and nucleotides are commonly requested. What I enjoy most about the work is solving chemistry problems for clients that are passionate about their projects.”

Steven started his research career investigating new methodology for the phosphorylation of alcohols and working toward the total synthesis of macrocycles during his PhD study at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in the UK.

After graduating, he moved to Arizona for a two-year post-doc position with Professor George Pettit (Director, Cancer Research Institute), where he synthesized pro-drugs for prostate cancer. This was followed by another two-year post-doc position, this time with Professor Stephen Davies at the University of Oxford. Steven researched new methodologies for the addition of chiral lithium amides to a variety of acceptors.

After moving to New Zealand, Steven spent several years at the Ferrier Research Institute, a Joint Venture Partner of GlycoSyn, where he carried out commercial and research-based carbohydrate and dendrimer projects. He then joined the GlycoSyn team in 2014.

Dr Tony Davidson is the Business Development Manager for GlycoSyn with responsibilities for our commercial activities and client relationships.

Tony has worked in both non-GMP and cGMP environments to safely produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). His experience also covers the use of kilo-lab equipment, including chromatography, to produce bulk quantities of APIs. In addition, he is familiar with a wide range of analytical techniques.

Tony, who has 15 years experience as a practising researcher, completed his PhD in Chemistry at the University of Otago and is a member of both the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry and the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers.

Gardening takes up some of Tony’s spare time, but he can also be found tinkering with computers and eating lots of tasty carbohydrates.