Global personalised medicine company Almac focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of complex diagnostic and companion diagnostic tests. They have appointed a new VP UK Operations, Leeona Galligan.
In her new role, Galligan will be responsible for all UK based operations including commercial biomarker discovery, CLIA/FDA compliant analytical validation, downstream clinical testing, manufacturing and shipping of clinical specimen and release of controls and reagents for registrational clinical trials.
In addition, she will continue to serve as a member of the Almac Diagnostics’ Executive team helping to define and implement its global business strategy.
Paul Harkin, Managing Director & President, Almac Diagnostic, said:
“Leeona’s appointment to VP UK Operations is in recognition of the significant contribution she has made to our business over the past eight years.”
Leeona joined Almac Diagnostics in September 2009 as a Senior Scientist within its research and development department. In 2012, she was appointed Manager of the newly formed clinical testing laboratory. In 2014, she was subsequently promoted to Head of UK laboratory based Operations.
Leeona obtained a B.Sc (Hons) in Genetics and a M.Med.Sc. (Laboratory Science) from Queen’s University Belfast and received her PhD in molecular haematology from Trinity College Dublin in 2003.
Her research focused on the isolation and characterisation of a novel cellular receptor that is targeted in the treatment of sepsis. She subsequently completed a postdoctoral fellowship on the molecular mechanisms of drug resistance in colorectal cancer at the Department of Oncology at Queen’s University Belfast.
Following her Postdoctoral Fellowship, Galligan completed a four year training programme in specialist haemato-oncology laboratory services leading to her registration with the UK Health and Care Professions Council as a Clinical Scientist.
She has also been awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath) through examination in haemato-oncology and laboratory management.
