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Ian Dixon

Ian Dixon

Non-Executive Director

MBA, PhD

Ian has a PhD in biomedical engineering from Monash University and an MBA from Swinburne University. Ian initially qualified as a mechanical engineer in the early 1980s and then also completed a course in electronics engineering. Ian worked in R&D in manufacturing automation and product development in Melbourne and also Cambridge UK before establishing his first business in 1987 in the telecommunications power field. From 1987 to 1995 Ian grew two successful export-oriented manufacturing and R&D businesses – both purchased by public companies.

In 1995 Ian joined Vision Systems as the Director of the Product Group within the Invetech business unit, and managed the team responsible for developing innovative diagnostic, pathology automation and security system products. Ian later left Vision Systems and continued being active in the product and technology development scene as an investor and executive.

In 2002 Ian was the co-founder of Genscreen Pty Ltd, a biotechnology incubator with a particular focus on cancer therapeutics. Amongst a number of projects, Genscreen developed a novel first-in-class anticancer drug based on anti-tropomyosin technology which was outlicensed to Novogen Ltd in 2013. During this time Ian also had experience in the regenerative medicine and cancer immunotherapy fields as a non-executive director of Cell Therapies Ltd.

In 2011 Ian co-founded Cynata Inc and helped to progress the commercialisation of what has become the Cymerus technology of Cynata Therapeutics Ltd (ASX-CYP).

Ian brings to the Board an extensive entrepreneurial background in founding, building and running public companies, in recognising the potential commercial value of early-stage drug development, and in understanding the challenges involved in drug development.