Key Epichem Staff

John is a medical practitioner with 25 years experience in drug development in industry.
For the last 17 years John has worked exclusively in Developing World Medicine – malaria, helminths, leishmaniasis, diarrhoea etc. and was the moving force and ‘father figure’ of the tropical disease initiatives in GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

John was closely involved in establishing the Medicines for Malaria Venture and the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, and was a member of GATB scientific advisory committee. At GSK, John ensured involvement in 3 Public Private Partnerships with the WHO (Lapdap, Lapdap + artesunate and an early stage antimalarial) and in developing concepts for access in public health to these products.

John was intimately involved in establishing the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF), having initiated both the original studies that formed the basis of the programme, and the concepts behind the global programme.

Over the years John has acted as an advisor in a number of WHO programme initiatives (e.g. global helminth elimination). Although now retired from GSK, John continues to work part time for WHO in their drug development programmes, and holds academic appointments in Liverpool and in Perth, and is a founding trustee of the Malaria Consortium, a UK NGO. John is married with 5 children and lives in Hertfordshire in the UK.

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Dr Wayne Best is Managing Director of Epichem and has 25 years’ experience in synthetic and medicinal chemistry, including the design and synthesis of a range of biologically active compounds. He obtained his BSc (Hons) and PhD in Organic Chemistry from UWA. He then spent two years at Imperial College in the UK, where he obtained a DIC, followed by a year at the ANU in Canberra. Dr Best has worked with ICI Australia's Research Group and the Chemistry Centre (WA). Dr Best is a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute and is an Adjunct Associate Professor at both Murdoch University and UWA.

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Colette has over ten years experience in organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry both in Australia and overseas. Colette obtained her BSc (Hons) at the University of Western Australia, and completed her PhD (Organic Chemistry) at the same institution.

Colette then took up a position at the Chemistry Centre (WA) to work on an anti-HIV drug discovery program, before completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching. Following this Colette moved to Canada for a year and a half where she was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The University of Calgary.

Colette returned to Australia to take up another position at the Chemistry Centre (WA) where she spent over seven years, and was engaged in contract synthesis and drug discovery projects. Prior to joining Epichem, Colette headed the Medicinal and Biological Chemistry Section.

Colette is currently Deputy Director of Epichem and holds an appointment as an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Murdoch University.

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Dr Paul D’Sylva is Managing Director of PharmAust Limited and Mimotopes Pty Ltd. Prior to joining PharmAust, Dr D’Sylva was a Director of Research and Development at Murdoch University and a founding Director of commercial consulting company MurdochLink Pty Ltd.

Dr D'Sylva represented the University on the Boards of a number of research centres and companies, including the Australian Centre for Sustainable Energy, the Environmental Biotechnology Cooperative Research Centre, WABRI and Paragen Pty Ltd. He was also a technical and corporate consultant to Australian biotechnology company, EQiTX Ltd.

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