Dr. Mark Saunders is a seasoned professional with demonstrated scientific and leadership skills in the pharmaceutical industry, having spent over 20 years working in the contract research, development and manufacturing field.
After completing his degree in Biochemistry from The University of Exeter and his PhD from The London School of Pharmacy (now part of UCL), Mark was involved in the commercial set up of a University spin-out CRO, initially providing outsourced solid-state chemistry support for clients NCEs. The company quickly grew and Mark oversaw the implementation of the analytical, solid-form screening and formulation development groups, culminating in the establishment of a dedicated Phase I / II cGMP clinical manufacturing site supporting oral (solids / suspensions / liquids) and orally inhaled and nasal drug products. After the business was acquired in 2007, Mark immediately went on to found Kuecept Ltd, a niche CRO specialising in designing bespoke preclinical and early-clinical formulations for drugs that exhibit complex bioavailability barriers through solubility / DMPK liabilities. Since inception, the company's technical expertise was globally recognised by over 100 leading emerging and mid / large pharma and biotech organisations and in April 2016, Kuecept Ltd was acquired by Aptuit LLC. For the next 2 years, Mark ran the Early Formulation group and oversaw the integration of the Kuecept team into the global Aptuit business, including relocating the laboratories from London to Oxford. After 2 years Mark left to set up his own consulting business, P2C Pharma Ltd. In addition, Mark is also currently supporting the start-up company Fluid Pharma Ltd (www.fluidpharma.com) as a Strategic Advisor and is also a Director of Relevo Ltd, a technology innovator offering connected health-care solutions for respiratory therapies.
In addition to his commercial roles, Mark is also a member of the UK and US Controlled Release Societies, the UK Aerosol Society and Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists of Great Britain (APSGB), as well as serving as a member of the APS Materials Science Focus Committee. Mark has also been an author/collaborator on over 100 articles, book chapters and conference presentations and is also co-named on several patents on novel drug delivery technologies and particle engineering. In addition, Mark also co-edited 'The Essentials of Pharmaceutical Preformulation' book which was published by Wiley-Blackwell. in 2012.