Enhanc3D Genomics appoints Chief Scientific Officer
His deep expertise in genomics technology development and commercialisation are considered key to achieving the next phase of Enhanc3D Genomics’ growth.
Dr Turner will be driving Enhanc3D Genomics’ scientific strategy, extending the GenLink3D™ technology into next-generation versions that require only minimal, or even single cell-level, inputs. He will also be building additional commercial and academic partnerships for the development of candidate therapeutic targets identified from the GenLink3D platform. His appointment follows that of Hazel Jones as Chief Operating Officer last November.
Dr Turner has over 20 years of senior leadership experience within the fields of genetics, molecular biology and sequencing research. He joins from Oxford Nanopore Technologies, where he held roles including Senior Vice-President, Vice-President and Senior Director of Applications.
During more than 13 years with Oxford Nanopore he established various strategic collaborations and led projects to demonstrate the range of applications of the company’s technology. Dr Turner was also previously Head of Sequencing Technology Development at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, following postdoctoral roles at Wellcome Sanger and at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Hazel Jones, Chief Operating Officer and interim Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Dan joins us at an exciting stage in the company’s development as we begin to steer towards commercialisation.
“His expertise and guidance, based on his vast experience in successfully leading multidisciplinary teams in genomics and technology development, will be pivotal to the delivery of our strategic growth initiatives.”
Dr Turner added: “Enhanc3D Genomics has an exceptional reputation in the field of 3D genomics and I’m delighted to take this opportunity to help drive the development of its technology further. There is extensive scope to expand the technology into other disease areas as the company continues to build its database of candidate therapeutic targets.”
Based at St John’s Innovation Park, Enhanc3D Genomics has established a genome-wide 3D-sequencing platform (GenLink3D) that can globally connect enhancer regions and GWAS (genome-wide association study) risk loci to their core target genes.
The GenLink3D platform pipeline is considered an elegant combination of a proprietary molecular assay with advanced algorithms and machine-learning capability, providing the first genome-wide, high-resolution, mapping of DNA interactions in 3D space.
The company is using this technology to mine the untapped resource of non-coding genome interactions to create an extensive database of candidate therapeutic targets for development with pharmaceutical partners.