Global Management Team

Justin is a medical doctor, immunologist and pharmacologist (Stellenbosch University) and a co-founder of Synexa.

His primary focus is to understand our clients’ objectives in new drug development by designing biomarker strategies to bring real insight to the challenges of clinical development. Justin has a very deep understanding of the role that biomarkers and pharmacogenetics play in understanding the performance of a candidate drug.

He is particularly passionate about improving the drug development process by bringing innovative approaches to early phase research, including new ideas in translational medicine, bioinformatics and artificial intelligence.

Andreia is a cellular immunologist with extensive experience in advanced immunological techniques, such as multiparameter flow cytometry. She completed her PhD and post-doctoral research in Clinical Science and Immunology at the University of Cape Town and brings with her a unique perspective on biomarker discovery with her background in infectious diseases and clinical immunology.

Ville Väisänen is an experienced scientist specialised in ligand-binding and cell-based immunoassays. He currently serves as Head of Immunoassays at the Synexa Life Sciences Turku site and supervises the development and validation of assays to support pre-clinical and clinical trials. This includes regulated PK, ADA, and nAb assessments, as well as Context-of-Use assays for PD and TK. He is familiar with large-molecule assessment platforms, including MSD, DELFIA, ELISA, Biacore, and Gyros.

Ville started working with immunoassays three decades ago at the University of Turku and holds a PhD in Biotechnology. He worked with IVD and newborn screening at Perkin Elmer Life and Analytical Sciences before joining Syrinx Bioanalytics in 2010 (Synexa acquired Syrinx in 2022).

Ville is passionate about mentoring his scientific team and harmonising procedures within and across sites. He gets excited about partnering with sponsor scientific teams, solving any problems or hurdles and delivering quality data within agreed timelines.

Basile Khara is a highly ambitious principal scientist with over ten years’ worth of experience, holds a PhD in biochemistry from The University of Manchester, primarily focusing on areas such as developing high-quality quantitative LC-MS bio-analytical methods in support of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic endpoints.

He began his role through quantification and characterisation of small and large molecules under a regulatory environment, testing using LC-MS. He later advanced his career as an associate principal scientist at a leading preclinical drug discovery company, gaining further experience in the development of quantitative bio-analytical assays using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry instruments. With his vast array of experiences across the field, he focuses on new chemical entities such as proteins, conjugated peptides and oligonucleotides. He plays a vital role as a principal scientist within a cohesive team of scientists, developing and validating quantitative LC-MS assays, to meet rigorous regulatory guidelines in GLP and GCP-accredited environments.

With over a decade of experience in the pharmaceutical sciences, Dr. Michael Wong is a Chartered Chemist of the Royal Society of Chemistry and holds a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry with Pharmacology in drug safety science from the University of Liverpool.

He began his career as a medicinal chemist in early drug discovery, focusing on antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs). His passion for translational science led him into preclinical DMPK bioanalysis and metabolite identification (MetID) within a CRO environment, where he gained extensive experience developing and validating quantitative bioanalytical assays across small molecules, large molecules, and emerging modalities.

Over time, he progressed from building and mentoring a small team of two scientists to leading a group of ten, fostering technical excellence and innovation. Currently, as a Principal Scientist, he specialises in the development and validation of robust quantitative LC–MS assays for new chemical entities – including proteins, conjugated peptides, and oligonucleotides – ensuring compliance with stringent GLP and GCP regulatory standards.

Passionate about science and problem-solving, Michael thrives on engaging discussions with clients and takes pride in finding creative, practical solutions to complex analytical challenges.

Amber specialises in the development and validation of complex ligand-binding and cell-based immunoassays to support clinical trials. This includes regulated PK, ADA, and nAb assessments, as well as Context-of-Use assays.

Her career at Synexa has consistently centered on addressing scientific challenges and delivering high-quality assays. She has trained and led Synexa’s soluble biomarker teams globally in advanced large molecule assessment techniques, including MSD, ELISA, and fluorescence- and luminescence-based platforms.

Earlier in her career, Amber worked as a Regulatory Affairs Officer, gaining extensive experience in regulatory compliance, license applications, and Drug Master File preparation. This experience has been instrumental in deepening her understanding of regulatory submission requirements.

Amber is passionate about bespoke scientific approaches and enjoys providing practical solutions for complex problems. She holds a Master of Science degree in Physiology from Stellenbosch University, with a focus on immunology and stress-induced inflammatory conditions.

Bianca Randall is an accomplished scientist with a Baccalaureus Technologiae in Biomedical Technology and more than a decade of specialised experience in flow cytometry, primarily at Synexa Life Sciences. Her expertise spans method development, validation, and clinical sample analysis, with a strong focus on designing and implementing bespoke assays tailored to client-specific requirements across Phase I to Phase III clinical trials.

Having contributed to Synexa’s flow cytometry laboratories globally, Bianca has been instrumental in assay transfer and staff training, ensuring consistency and excellence across international sites. With a keen interest in instrumentation, she combines technical proficiency and practical insight to deliver robust and reliable assays. Her ability to integrate scientific rigour with operational efficiency makes her an invaluable asset in the field of clinical trials and a trusted partner in advancing complex research programmes worldwide.

Leani holds a Master of Science in Molecular Biology from Stellenbosch University, specializing in human immunology. With extensive expertise in molecular and advanced immunological techniques—including multiparameter flow cytometry and ELISpot assays—she excels in developing bespoke assays, validation, and clinical sample analysis.

As a Principal Scientist in Translational Science, Leani leads translational studies and ProtoTrials®, effectively overseeing projects from site initiation through to completion. Her experience in establishing new laboratories and collaborating across various global sites enhances her ability to deliver impactful results, combining technical proficiency with practical insight.

Sally Hannam is a distinguished expert in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), bringing over 35 years of experience to the field.

As a co-founder of Alderley Analytical (acquired by Synexa in October 2024), she has built a career developing and validating quantitative LC-MS assays to meet rigorous regulatory guidelines in GLP and GCP-accredited environments. Sally’s expertise spans small molecules, peptides, proteins, biomarkers, and oligonucleotides, making her a trusted authority in bioanalytical method development and validation. Sally holds a BSc in Applied Biology from the University of the West of England.

Timo Piironen is a seasoned scientist with extensive experience in biotechnology and immune technology. He currently serves as scientific director at Synexa Life Sciences and holds an Adjunct Professor position at the University of Turku. His career spans over two decades, with notable roles including co-founding and leading Syrinx Bioanalytics (acquired
by Synexa in 2022) as Scientific Director and working as a Senior Scientist at Orion Pharma and Bayer HealthCare. Timo earned his PhD in Biotechnology from the University of Turku, where he continues to contribute to academic and industry advancements.

Caroline is a biomarker expert with a PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology and more than a decade of experience in translational and biomedical research. She specialises in designing biomarker strategies that bridge discovery and clinical development, with expertise in high-plex proteomics and multi-omics data integration to identify pharmacodynamic and predictive signatures.

Earlier in her career, Caroline focused on infectious disease research, including tuberculosis, as part of a personal fellowship at the Francis Crick Institute where she developed advanced imaging technologies for three-dimensional disease modelling. She is passionate about translating complex biology into meaningful clinical insight through collaboration and innovation in biomarker science.

Matti was a molecular geneticist (University of Stellenbosch) and immunologist (University of Cape Town), with more than 10 years’ experience in regulated bioanalysis and clinical biomarkers.

As CSO, his primary focus was to ensure that the execution of all work performed at Synexa was scientifically driven by the objective of generating data that is informative towards answering the specific questions being asked in the context of each study. He had a deep understanding of the principals of the regulatory framework supporting bioanalysis and applying the guidelines provided by regulators to novel analytical technologies and therapeutic modalities.

Matti was passionate about using world class science and innovation to transform the way novel therapeutics are developed, to bring them to market faster, cheaper and safer.