Dr Ahmed El Rayis

Ahmed is a strategic business development leader with more than 12 years of experience translating scientific innovation into impactful collaborations. At Medicines Discovery Catapult, he is responsible for driving commercial across London, Northern England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Southern Europe, with a focus on oncology, CNS, and immunology.

Ahmed specialises in building multi-stakeholder collaborations that accelerate therapeutic discovery and development, working with biotech and medtech companies, global pharma, academic spinouts, and charities. He guides partners through project scoping, funding routes, and strategic positioning to ensure high-value, translational outcomes.

Louise Healy

Louise joined Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) in November 2025 as part of the Business Development Team, where she works with biotech companies, pharmaceutical organisations and academic researchers to identify collaboration opportunities and accelerate innovative drug discovery programmes. In her role, Louise helps partners access MDC’s expertise, technologies, and capabilities, bridging scientific insight with strategic opportunities to support the development of new medicines.

Louise has a strong scientific background in drug discovery spanning immunology, inflammation, fibrosis, and translational science. She holds a PhD in Immunology and has experience across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and contract research organisations, giving her a broad understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in advancing therapies from discovery through to development.

Prior to joining MDC, Louise held a range of scientific and strategic roles within the life sciences sector. Her experience spans both laboratory-based drug discovery research and scientific intelligence, providing her with a unique perspective on the scientific, commercial, and strategic drivers of successful innovation. This combination of expertise enables her to effectively support organisations seeking to translate cutting-edge science into meaningful patient impact.

Dr Benedetta Arno

Benedetta leads the design, planning, and execution of imaging-driven preclinical programs, delivering high-quality data packages to support biotech and pharmaceutical collaborators.

With deep expertise in molecular and optical imaging techniques, including PET, SPECT, CT, and IVIS, she manages a team of scientists dedicated to investigating the biodistribution, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of radiopharmaceuticals and other therapeutic modalities.

Holding an MSc in Biomedical Science and a PhD in Molecular Medicine, as well as extensive experience across in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo studies, she drives innovation through multiple stages of drug discovery and works closely with MDC partners to continuously develop and expand new scientific capabilities.