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.

Regine Anderson

After completing a Master’s Degree in Advanced Biomedical Sciences at De Montfort University, Regine began working as a biobank tissue co-ordinator for Nottingham University Hospitals, managing donor consent and tissue preservation.

She later joined the University Hospitals of Leicester as part of a team enlisted to manage an Emergency Department ‘hot’ lab, performing urgent biochemistry and haematology tests. Regine later obtained state registration from the IBMS and worked as a Biomedical Scientist validating and authorising haematology test results, within a multidisciplinary Fast-Track laboratory.

After some time, Regine accepted a role as a Specialist Biomedical Scientist within the Point-of-Care Testing department and was heavily involved in validating new devices and other governance activities.

Regine left the Midlands to join the Biomarkers team at Medicine’s Discovery Catapult (MDC) in March 2022 where her main focus is sourcing human samples to support the various discovery projects. Regine also sits on MDC’s Internal Ethics Committee to assist with compliance to HTA regulations.

Regine’s path to research was untraditional, but an emphasis on quality control has been a common theme throughout her career. Regine now calls on that experience as she works to ensure that MDC and the science community they serve, have better access to the highest quality samples for research.

Matthew Freer

Matt is a Business Development Manager at Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC), where he supports biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in translating innovative science into effective drug discovery programmes.

With a PhD in Mucosal cell biology and experience spanning tissue engineering, immunology, neurobiology and translational research, he combines scientific expertise with a strong understanding of commercial strategy and collaborative partnerships.

Before joining Medicines Discovery Catapult, Matt held scientific, commercial and leadership roles across biotechnology, contract research and patient focused organisations, supporting the development and growth of innovative life science programmes.