DextraUK
Our DextraUK Values
Customer Focus/Service
• Relationships◦We value those who build and strengthen relationships.
• Responsiveness◦We value those who put aside their own timetable to meet our customer's expectations.
• Reliability◦We value those who are able to overcome problems to produce a consistent product and service to our customer.
Innovation
• We value those who bring creative solutions to challenging problems.
Respect
• We value a personal attitude that acknowledges the feelings and interests of others.
Integrity
• We value those who do the right thing even when no one else is looking or when it is unpopular to do so.
Personal Responsibility
• We value those who take care of themselves by means of, keeping healthy, managing ones emotions, keeping a sound mind, and having self respect.
Right First Time
• We value those who pursue excellence in all they do.
Our DextraUK Consultants
Dr Bruno Linclau
Bruno Linclau graduated from the University of Ghent, Belgium in 1992. His undergraduate thesis was carried out at Leicester University as an ERASMUS exchange student with Dr P R Jenkins during his final year. Back in Ghent, he joined the group of Professor M Vandewalle for his PhD (1992 - 1996, funded by the Belgian "National Fund of Scientific Research"), where he completed the total synthesis of several Vitamin D analogues. This was followed by a postdoctoral stay with Professor D P Curran in Pittsburgh PA (USA) (1997 - 1999), with a fellowship from the "Belgian American Educational Foundation" and from the University of Pittsburgh. There he worked on fluorous chemistry applications in combinatorial chemistry and developed a fluorous scavenger approach illustrated with automated solution phase parallel synthesis of urea libraries. He joined the Chemistry at Southampton University as a lecturer in August 1999, followed by a promotion to Senior Lecturer in 2005. Since 2011 he is heading the Molecular Diagnostics and Therapeutics Group, and in 2013 he was promoted to Reader.
Most current research projects involve organofluorine chemistry, with a focus on investigating how fluorination of organic compounds can modify their physical properties, such as hydrogen bonding, lipophilicity and conformation. We have a particular focus on fluorinated carbohydrates, but are also working with fluorinated glycolipids and steroids.
Another strand of research involves the development of synthetic methodology and its application in the total synthesis of natural products. Currently we are exploring methodology towards the synthesis of quaternary stereocentres, and its application in the synthesis of the angiogenesis inhibitor luminacin D.
He is a member of the RSC Carbohydrate Subject Group Committee, and of the RSC Fluorine Subject Group Committee.
Professor John Mann
Professor John Mann graduated with first class Honours in Chemistry from University College London in 1967; and a PhD in Organic Chemistry in 1970. This was followed by Postdoctoral Fellowship’s in 1971 at Syntex, Palo Alto, California (new synthetic approaches to cephalosporins) and at Harvard 1972-1973 (prostaglandin synthesis with the Nobel Prize Winner Professor E. J. Corey). John became a Lecturer in Organic Chemistry at the University of Reading in Oct. 1974; then a Reader in Organic Chemistry from Oct. 1988; and was awarded the Personal Chair in Organic Chemistry in 1990; he then became Head of (the Chemistry) Department from Jan. 1991 to Sept. 1994. John was appointed to the McClay Chair of Biological Chemistry at Queen’s University Belfast in August 1999 and was Head of School from January 2000 to July 2003. John received the Royal Society of Chemistry Adrien Albert prize for medicinal chemistry in 1997 and the Flintoff medal of the RSC for natural products’ chemistry in 2005. John is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC, CChem) and he received a DSc. in Chemistry from the University of London in 1990.
John has supervised the research of 65 PhD students and 14 PDRAs since 1975. Over the years he has developed expertise in the synthesis of natural products including carbohydrates, steroids, terpenoids, nucleosides, alkaloids, lignans, and prostanoids as well as non-natural products with novel polycyclic structures. Much of this research was concerned with the design and synthesis of enzyme inhibitors for use in cancer chemotherapy and in antiviral therapy. As well as duties as PVC for Research, John was also Head of the Medicinal Chemistry section of the new Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology at QUB.
Professor Helen Osborn
Helen Osborn is Head of the Reading School of Pharmacy and Professor of Biomedicinal Chemistry at the University of Reading. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the University of Oxford in 1991. After this, she studied for a PhD in Organic Chemistry under the supervision of Dr J.B. Sweeney at the University of Bristol (1991-1994). She then undertook post-doctoral research with Professor S.V. Ley, FRS, CBE, at the University of Cambridge (1994-1996) and this involved the development of methodology to allow efficient access to carbohydrates of biological importance. Professor Osborn was appointed to a Lectureship in Organic Chemistry at the School of Chemistry, University of Reading in 1996 and was subsequently promoted to a Readership in Medicinal Chemistry in 2003 and a Professorship in Biomedicinal Chemistry in 2006.
Professor Osborn has extensive research expertise in the synthesis and biological analysis of carbohydrate based therapeutics, and in medicinal chemistry aligned to anti-cancer and anti-bacterial strategies. She has attracted research income of over £1.8 million from a range of sources, has published more than 60 original research papers in international peer reviewed journals, and has presented her recent research findings at many international and national scientific meetings. She has supervised 20 PhD students to completion, and has trained 6 PDRAs in synthetic, medicinal and analytical chemistry. In addition to her responsibilities at the University of Reading, Professor Osborn is an academic adviser for the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK, and is involved in peer review panels for research councils, charities, and for Athena SWAN awards. She is a member of the editorial board for the International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, and regularly peer reviews research publications and grant proposals for a range of journals and grant awarding bodies. She also acts as external examiner for a range of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
Testimonials
DextraUK Dextra successfully delivered a number of novel nucleoside, nucleotide and carbohydrate targets for our company in a long standing collaboration, involving highly challenging chemistry and purification and against impressive timelines. The productive and rapid discussions between Dextra’s chemistry, analytical and business development departments and with our company were instrumental towards the completion of the projects. The range of expertise demonstrated by Dextra scientists led to synthetic issues being resolved in a timely manner and their input was key towards the progress achieved at a high level of quality. Dextra possesses a number of highly talented, skilled and dedicated chemists as well as supportive leadership and we have greatly appreciated their contributions. We would thoroughly recommend Dextra to companies who require medicinal chemistry and process development.~
Dr Alistair Stewart, Director CMC, Idenix Pharmaceuticals
Galecto Biotech has been very pleased to work with Dextra on a complex carbohydrate chemistry project. Dextra provided excellent service through route scouting, process development and delivery of toxicology and GMP API batches. Communication is open and honest and Galecto Biotech gladly recommends Dextra as a collaboration partner.~
Anders Pederson, Chief Operating Officer, Galecto Biotech
DFI has been pleased with Dextra who are a professional and adaptable company with high quality labs and talented staff. The Dextra team were able to resolve a complex reaction impurity profile through complimentary HPLC and IC methods, which contributed to the understanding and scale-up of our process. Communication has always been open and honest through regular teleconferences, meeting and reports. We recommend Dextra as a company to work with for research intended for industrial projects.
Jonathan Stapley, Chief Technology Officer, DFI Corporation
Dextra Laboratories Ltd
Thames Valley Science Park
The Gateway
1 Collegiate Square
Reading RG2 9LH
