Joanna Cox joins Panthera as operations director

Preston-based Panthera Biopartners has appointed Joanna Cox as operations director.

Joanna joins the clinical trials specialist from Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, where she was the senior research nurse responsible for the day-to-day management of the clinical research team across a wide portfolio of trials.

Previously, Joanna has also worked as clinical trial manager at UCLan, and senior research nurse at Salford Royal Foundation as well as in a senior position at Synexus.

Stuart Young, chief executive of Panthera, said: "With her years of experience in running clinical trials, both within the NHS and commercially, Joanna is an outstanding addition to the very experienced Panthera team. Her clinical and patient management expertise is a huge asset for us going forwards, and I am hugely excited to be working with her."

Panthera is initially aiming at recruiting patients and running clinical trials in therapy areas which are traditionally managed in primary care including cardiac disease, allergies, migraine, osteoarthritis, diabetes. etc. It will also expand into other key indications including neurology and oncology later this year.

The Panthera site model is to locate their clinics either in mega GP practices – more than 100,000 patients – or at major hospitals ensuring that there is an easily accessible patient pool and connected services.

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