Dirk Gewert
Dr Dirk Gewert has over 20 years of experience working with biopharmaceuticals in both pharma and biotech companies. He was involved with the development of a number of commercial products, including Wellferon, a cell derived natural interferon, and Campath‐1H (alemtuzumab), a humanized antibody now a major product for the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma. Dirk has also worked as CSO of Gemini Genomics and was a departmental head at Astra Pharmaceuticals (now AstraZeneca) where he led a team of 30 scientists working on asthma and inflammation. These experiences provide him with an in‐depth understanding of how scientists use and apply technology to develop new products. More recently, Dirk has worked to shape a number of RDA interventions including drafting the North East’s successful bid for a Genetics Knowledge Park and EEDA’s funding of The Genome Analysis Centre.
Dirk’s favourite things …
- A perfectly tuned hand plane
- Swimming in open water
- Nasa’s Apollo programme: “Open Innovation lands man on moon”
- Taking the dog for a walk on a cold winter day…and coming back to a log fire
- DNA: the best thing since life began (and more fun than proteins!)
Dirk’s most enjoyable projects…
- The Genome Analysis Centre, Norwich (it’s about DNA!)
- Interim Research manager, Inion labs: The bench is where it happens!
The best thing about Dirk…
Rowan says “Dirk is BioLauncher’s secret weapon of mass opportunity. He is knowledgeable, tenacious and able to identify potential applications with pinpoint accuracy.”
Steve says “Dirk’s depth of knowledge and experience is fabulous – he brings the real scientific insight and pragmatic realism of an experienced pharmaceutical researcher to projects. He keeps everyone’s feet firmly on the ground whilst spotting connections that create new opportunities.”
Tony says: “Dirk never ceases to amaze me in the breadth of knowledge he possesses and subjects he can tackle. His thinking is also very practical and grounded in common sense which aids massively in the implementation phase. Oh and he’s the polyglot as well as the polymath.”
Favourite quote
“In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed”
Charles Darwin
What am I Doing?
Follow Dirk on Twitter @biolauncher
