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Who We Are
Audax is the culmination of a decade's research by its scientific founder Dr Stephen Yarwood and by commercial founder Chris Wardhaugh. Together, they have assembled a team of scientists and advisers who are united in their pursuit of better outcomes for patients with inflammatory disorders.
Our Team
Stephen Yarwood
Scientific Founder
Dr Stephen Yarwood is an Associate Professor in the Institute of Biological Chemistry, Biophysics and Bioengineering (IB3) at Heriot-Watt University (HWU).
He obtained his PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Glasgow in 1998.
His research interests have been aimed at elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying inflammatory disease states, like atherosclerosis, which are normally associated with diet-induced obesity and ageing.
His research has focused on understanding the mechanisms regulating cAMP signal transduction, particularly the EPAC1/Rap1 signalling system in the control of vascular inflammation and has a proven record of accomplishment in defining the mechanisms of EPAC1 signalling (~80 publications, H-index 28, >£2M UKRI/British Heart Foundation (BHF) funding).
His editorial roles include Editor-in-Chief for the "Cell Signalling” section of the journal Cells and Editorial Board member for Cellular Signalling journal.
Chris Wardhaugh
Commercial Founder
Chris has ~30 years' experience in life sciences with international operational and transactional experience across large and small companies, all stages of pharmaceutical product development including preclinical and clinical development, product launches throughout Europe and the United States.
Chris’ recent experience includes running a pre-clinical CRO and representing several different therapeutic companies in strategic transactions.
Chris has an impressive transaction history working on deals including product licensing, Angel and VC investments and public markets transactions including two London listings. Chris’ deal sheet comprises transactions under his leadership of >$300m.
He currently serves on the boards of several public and private life science companies.
Graeme Barker
Founder: Chemistry
Graeme completed an MChem degree at the University of St Andrews, graduating in 2007. He then moved to the University of York to complete his PhD.
Graeme was appointed to his current position as assistant professor in 2016. His research interests revolve around the development of novel C-H functionalisation methodologies for the synthesis of drug-like motifs and medicinal chemistry for therapeutic interventions in cell signalling cascades.
Graeme is Chair of the ScotCHEM medicinal and biological chemistry scientific advisory board. ScotCHEM is a network of all chemistry research-active universities in Scotland, showcasing Scotland’s excellence in medicinal and biological chemistry.