Dr Nermeen Varawalla
Non-executive Chair
Nermeen is a healthcare and life sciences business leader, who founded, built and exited a number of multinational start up and corporate businesses. She has deep expertise in clinical development, translational medicine and medical affairs having held executive positions in contract research organisations and biopharmaceutical companies.
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Experience & History
Nermeen has deep expertise in clinical development, translational medicine and medical affairs having held executive positions in contract research organisations and biopharmaceutical companies including PRA Health (now ICON plc) and BTG International plc, until its acquisition by Boston Scientific Corporation. Most recently she was Chief Medical Officer at Relief Therapeutics, a listed biopharmaceutical company focused on COVID 19 and rare genetic diseases. In addition, Dr Varawalla has served two terms as a Trustee Board Member for the Malaria Consortium where she was also a member of its Finance, Audit and Risk Committee. Dr Varawalla has trained in clinical medicine at the Universities of Oxford and Mumbai, holds a DPhil (PhD) in Molecular Medicine from Oxford’s
Institute of Molecular Medicine and an MBA from INSEAD.
CRISM Therapeutics
CRISM Therapeutics uses hot melt extrusion, injection moulding and 3D printing to improve the clinical performance of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), through solubility enhancement, local drug delivery and personalised medicines. In collaboration with the University of Birmingham CRISM has developed ChemoSeed® a platform implantable drug delivery technology that improves the clinical performance of APIs used in cancer treatment by delivering them directly to their required site of action. The Company's first product is for the treatment of high grade glioma (brain tumour). CRISM Therapeutics is also responsible for the commercialisation of ChemoSeed, an implantable device designed to be implanted at the surgical margin of a brain tumour, improving the delivery of chemotherapy to the tumour margin while reducing systemic toxicities. This approach will improve the efficacy of brain tumour treatment, while reducing the onerous side effects on patients.