Cambridge BioTech Healx听has appointed听a former key figure at Dyson as VP of artificial intelligence.听
Andrew Watson has joined the senior leadership team of the听AI-powered, patient-inspired technology company accelerating the discovery and development of rare disease treatments at scale.听
He听will be tasked with scaling听贬别补濒虫鈥檚听AI team and strategy to develop best-in-class drug discovery tools and accelerate innovation in the field of tech-driven treatment development for rare diseases.听
At听technology giant Dyson he was the founding member of the听machine听learning听research department, leading the research and implementation of machine learning and artificial intelligence across a variety of global product categories.听听
Prior to Dyson, Andrew also oversaw various innovation projects at security software company Symantec, where he was responsible for听architecting and delivering the world鈥檚 largest repository of information security data.听听
He has also led technical teams at GCHQ and is currently undertaking a PhD in Pharmacy and Pharmacology at the University of Bath, with a focus on the pharmacokinetics of topically applied drugs.听听
/lung-cancer-ai-breakthrough-to-take-uk-healthtech-global/
Renowned for delivering novel solutions to 鈥榠mpossible鈥� problems, Andrew鈥檚 expertise will be a huge asset to听贬别补濒虫鈥檚听work in the rare disease space, where 95% of rare conditions remain without treatment. A core tool under his remit will be听Healnet,听贬别补濒虫鈥檚听AI-driven drug discovery platform.听听
Healnet听integrates data from multiple sources, including biomedical research and scientific literature, to form the world鈥檚 most detailed rare disease knowledge graph. This graph can then be analysed by multiple cutting-edge AI methods to rapidly identify and rank novel drug-disease relationships at scale.听听
As VP of AI, Andrew will be tasked with continuing the momentum of technological development and drug discovery set by the听Healx听team over the last year. Indeed,听Healx听recently announced that it had added its 13th project to its active discovery and development portfolio in April, and the team plans to launch its first clinical trial later this year for Fragile X syndrome.听听
鈥淲e are thrilled to welcome Andrew to the team,鈥� said Tim听Gulliams, CEO and co-founder of听Healx.听听
鈥淗e brings with him a rare set of skills that cut across technology, leadership and drug discovery, and we are very excited to have him on board to apply his expertise and build cutting-edge AI solutions.听听
鈥�I am certain that under Andrew鈥檚 technical guidance,听Healx听will continue to confidently move towards realising its mission of helping rare disease patients around the globe access critical life-improving treatments.鈥澨�听
/ai-tech-protecting-unborn-babies-acquired-in-42m-deal/
Watson said: 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to be joining听Healx听as it continues to scale. I鈥檝e always been fascinated by applying machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques to difficult problems and听Healx听is a great company for me to apply the skills I鈥檝e learned in previous roles to help make a difference to rare disease patients.听听
鈥�The scientists, researchers, and engineers at听Healx听have developed an unparalleled drug discovery platform in听Healnet, and I look forward to taking it even further as we continue to unlock the power of AI for rare diseases.听听
鈥�I鈥檓 confident that together we can accelerate the development of new treatments, and I can鈥檛 wait to get started.鈥�听
Watson鈥檚 arrival follows the appointment of ex-Monzo CTO Meri Williams last year.听