Emmanuel Hanon (Manu) is the Chief Executive Officer of Vicebio and has more than 20 years experience in vaccine research & development. He led the merger between Novartis and GSK R&D organisations and ran global vaccines R&D at GSK for 7 years. Manu has broad functional knowledge including R&D, medical, clinical, regulatory, technical CMC, manufacturing and quality operations. At GSK, he oversaw the discovery and development of four major vaccines : quadrivalent influenza (Fluarix and Flulaval Quadrivalent), shingles (Shingrix), malaria (Mosquirix), and RSV older adult vaccines.

Manu received his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine and completed his PhD in Veterinary Sciences at the University of Liège, Belgium. Additionally,  he spent 2 years at Imperial College (St Mary’s), London UK, as a post-doctoral researcher. 

Keith Chappell is the Lead Scientific Advisor for Vicebio. He is a molecular virologist and group leader at the University of Queensland, Australia. Keith completed his PhD at the University of Queensland in 2006, which focused on West Nile virus, and a subsequent postdoctoral posting at the Carlos the Third Institute of Health in Madrid, Spain, which focused on respiratory syncytial virus. Keith is one of the inventors of the Molecular Clamp platform technology and co-lead of a program to establish a rapid response vaccine pipeline that was funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). In response to the CoVID-19 outbreak at the beginning of 2020, Keith co-led the production of a Molecular Clamp stabilised vaccine that progressed from sequence information to clinical trial dosing within 6 months.

Giovanni Della Cioppa is the Chief Medical Officer of Vicebio and is an independent consultant specialising in clinical R&D. Over the years, his clients included GSK, Novartis, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK Government and several medium size and start-up pharmaceutical companies. From 2015 to 2017 Giovanni was the Head of the Siena R&D Centre, one of three GSK global centres devoted to vaccines research and development. From 2007 to 2015, with Novartis and then GSK, Giovanni led the clinical development of numerous vaccines, including H1N1 pandemic influenza vaccines and vaccines against invasive meningococcal disease (Menveo and Bexsero). Previously, Giovanni spent most of his career with Novartis Pharma, where he held positions of increasing responsibility in Switzerland, UK and US, leading development of novel therapeutics in respiratory, dermatological and infectious diseases. Giovanni received his medical degree from the University of Naples, Italy, and holds post-graduate degrees in Internal Medicine and Pharmaceutical Medicine.

Jean Smal is the Chief Technology Officer of Vicebio and is a senior consultant with global experience in the R&D and manufacturing vaccine industry. He is currently supporting the vaccine projects of various companies and serves as a member of the WHO Advisory Panel for the Polio Eradication Program. He is chairman or independent board member of several biotech companies. He has previously served as Vice-President, Head of New Product Development at GSK Vaccines, covering development and scale-up of manufacturing processes, analytical methods, manufacturing for Phase I-III clinical trials, development strategy and organisational development. In this role, he directly contributed to the development and the launch of 12 new vaccines from 1998 to 2016, totalling over €4bn in sales in 2020. Prior to joining GSK, Jean was General Manager of Eurogentec, CDMO Division, a company offering development and GMP services for biopharmaceutical products. Jean Smal holds a degree in Bioengineering, a PhD in Biochemistry and post-graduate degree in Business Management. He has published over 50 peer reviewed scientific papers/communications in the biochemical field.

Julie Dutton is leading project management at Vicebio. She is an experienced molecular biologist and project manager and has been involved in vaccine research and development since 2004. At that time, she joined a small Australian biotech company, Coridon, and soon became their Senior Scientist, a role she undertook for almost 10 years. Her association with Coridon (later Admedus Immunotherapies and finally Jingang Medicine) continued in a consulting capacity until she joined the Molecular Clamp team at The University of Queensland in 2019. Her time is now divided between her research management role at UQ and project management of the RSV vaccine program at Vicebio. Julie has a First Class Honours degree in Biotechnology from the University of New South Wales, a PhD in Structural Biology from the University of Queensland and a Specialist Certificate in Biomedical Research Management from The University of Melbourne.

Craig has been with UniQuest, the commercialisation company of The University of Queensland, since 2004 and is currently the Senior Director and Head of Life Sciences. Prior roles at UniQuest included Senior Director Industry Engagement and Manager of Innovation and Commercial Development. Before joining UniQuest, Craig was a Business Development Manager at Cambridge Antibody Technology in the UK before the company was listed on the NASDAQ and acquired by AstraZeneca. He has more than 20 years of deal-making and IP commercialisation experience – negotiating agreements totalling more than $100 million – including securing venture capital to establish start-up companies and licensing with major pharma and biotechnology companies based in the US, UK, Europe and Australia. As well as Vicebio Ltd, Craig serves on the board of a number of UniQuest portfolio companies, including Liperate Pty Ltd and a start-up company in stealth mode, and is a past director of Dendright Pty Ltd, Nexgen Plants Pty Ltd, TenasiTech Pty Ltd and Aquahydrex Pty Ltd.

Giovanni is a Partner at medicxi and a member of the co-founding team.

Prior to medicxi, Giovanni was a Principal at Index Ventures for four years, having joined in 2012. Giovanni currently serves on the boards of a number of portfolio companies, including Vaderis, Vicebio, Gadeta and Aura Biosciences (AURA).

Emmanuel Hanon (Manu) is the Chief Executive Officer of Vicebio and has more than 20 years experience in vaccine research & development. He led the merger between Novartis and GSK R&D organisations and ran global vaccines R&D at GSK for 7 years. Manu has broad functional knowledge including R&D, medical, clinical, regulatory, technical CMC, manufacturing and quality operations. At GSK, he oversaw the discovery and development of four major vaccines : quadrivalent influenza (Fluarix and Flulaval Quadrivalent), shingles (Shingrix), malaria (Mosquirix), and RSV older adult vaccines.

Manu received his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine and completed his PhD in Veterinary Sciences at the University of Liège, Belgium. Additionally,  he spent 2 years at Imperial College (St Mary’s), London UK, as a post-doctoral researcher. 

Medicxi is a healthcare-focused investment firm with the mission to create and invest in companies across the full drug development continuum. Leveraging deep expertise in drug development and company creation spanning over two decades, medicxi invests in early and late-stage therapeutics with a product vision that can fulfill a clear unmet medical need.