Dr Catherine Elton, CEO, Qkine Ltd.
Catherine undertook her Daphne Jackson Fellowship between 2015 and 2018, hosted and funded by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. Her fellowship focused on parasitology and tick-borne diseases.
During the fellowship, Catherine co-founded the biotech company – Qkine – with Dr Marko Hyvönen. Qkine develops novel products and high-quality proteins for stem cell research and regenerative medicine. Along with her co-founder, Catherine has successfully applied for over £2.2m investment funding from Innovate UK and angel investors.
Qkine now has a global customer base in research institutes, biotechnology, and emerging sectors such as cellular agriculture.
This was an exciting way to combine my passion for science, my commercial skills and learn about a completely new research area. I would not have co-founded the company without the opportunity and credibility gained by my Daphne Jackson Fellowship. This has allowed me to recruit other talented scientists and mentor their careers.
“I’ve often spoken about my journey and non-linear career path to empower others who find their careers unexpectedly interrupted or who consciously choose to have a career break. I have two daughters and I feel I’m a better role model for them given the experience I’ve been lucky enough to have”.