Abzena announces appointment of Petra Dieterich as Scientific Lead

Abzena, the leading Partner Research Organization (PRO) providing integrated discovery, development and manufacturing of biologics and antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), has announced the appointment of Dr. Petra Dieterich, DPhil, MBA, as scientific lead.

Reporting to Abzena’s chief technology officer Dr. Louise Duffy, Dr. Dieterich will use her extensive technical knowledge and leadership experience to support Abzena’s successful drug development and manufacturing operations, ultimately assisting in getting more successful treatments to patients.

Dr Louise Duffy, chief technology officer at Abzena, said: “Petra is a valuable addition for both the Abzena team and our clients.

“She has held several leadership positions and brings extensive experience and a proven track record in project management, technical operations, and business development. Coupled with her many academic accomplishments I have no doubt that she will help drive our company’s growth.”

Dr. Dieterich most recently served as senior vice president at Aptuit Oxford, a pharmaceutical services provider that offers early discovery to mid-phase drug development solutions.

She joins Abzena with more than three decades’ experience of working in drug development with a focus on CMC activities. A PhD chemist by training, Petra has wide-ranging experience in working in a CRO environment leading projects for Biotech companies in the development of APIs for clinical trials and commercial use.

Petra said: “It’s an exciting time to join Abzena. It has shown great success in transitioning complex molecules through lead selection into clinical development in multiple therapeutic areas and I’m looking forward to working with the team to support the clients, and help steer it through its next stages of growth.”