Founder & Chairman
Dr. Niall Armes is a molecular biologist and protein biochemist dedicated to transforming cutting-edge science into transformative technology. He invented Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA), a technique now used in thousands of studies and integral to Illumina’s sequencing systems.

He currently serves as the Scientific Founder and CSO of Biocrucible (a Sapphiros company), focused on developing next-generation diagnostics. He is also the founder of Partition Bio and GeneWeaver, companies pioneering advances in drug delivery and gene therapy through synthetic biology.

Dr. Armes has led successful biotech ventures, including the sale of TwistDX to Alere, and holds over 33 patents. His multidisciplinary work bridges molecular biology, diagnostics, and synthetic biology, all driven by a passion for pushing the boundaries of biological innovation.

Managing Director
Dr. Olaf Piepenburg is an accomplished R&D leader with over 20 years of experience in the life sciences, diagnostics, and drug delivery sectors. He has led high-performing research teams, directed technical discovery and development programs, managed start-up companies, and facilitated the successful commercialization of life science products.

Dr. Piepenburg brings extensive expertise in fundraising, strategic planning, and thought leadership. His scientific background encompasses molecular biology and genetics, nucleic acid chemistry and amplification, DNA sequencing technologies, and drug delivery.

He earned his PhD in Molecular Genetics at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, Germany, and completed postdoctoral research under Sir Jim Smith at the Gurdon Institute in Cambridge, UK.

Principal / Lead Scientist
Dr. Zehra Nizami is a biotech scientist and translational strategist working at the intersection of discovery, innovation, and application. As Head of Business Development & Scientific Partnerships and Principal Scientist at PartitionBio, she leads strategy, early access programs, and partnerships to advance the company’s non-viral delivery platform, BubbleFect™, toward research, development, and clinical use.

Her scientific journey began with a passion for molecular biology, gene regulation, and nuclear architecture. At Princeton University, working with Dr. Martin Weigert, she studied B cell receptor editing in a lupus model. During her PhD and postdoctoral research in Dr. Joseph Gall’s lab at Johns Hopkins and the Carnegie Institution, she discovered novel nuclear organelles called “Pearls,” characterized Cajal and Histone Locus Bodies, and identified a new class of non-coding RNAs (sisRNAs), early contributions to the burgeoning field of biomolecular condensates.

Director & Chief Operations Officer
Helen Kent-Armes is Director and co-founder of PartitionBio and Gene Weaver, bringing over 25 years of experience in life sciences and biotech, including 15 years in senior management roles. She specializes in operations, systems implementation, finance, human resources, and facilities management, excelling in fast-paced, cross-functional environments.

Previously, Helen co-founded Biocrucible and served as COO at TwistDx, where she played a key role in supporting company growth and driving operational excellence.

Director
Dr. David Brooks is a Non-Executive Director at PartitionBio with extensive experience in drug and device development spanning large multinational companies such as GSK, Alere, and Abbott, as well as smaller startups. He was CEO of Biocrucible until its acquisition by Sapphiros and the subsequent spin-out of PartitionBio.

Prior to that, Dr. Brooks founded and led an NHS spin-out focused on cancer ablation technology. He also spent 10 years at TwistDx leading Clinical and Business Development, and previously held senior roles in fundraising and project management at an AIM-listed biotech.

Dr. Brooks began his career in Regulatory Affairs at GSK and was a CRUK-funded Principal Investigator studying oncogenes. He holds a PhD in molecular pathology from Cambridge University and an MBA from the Open University Business School.

Director
Namal Nawana is a Non-Executive Director at PartitionBio and a healthcare entrepreneur and investor specializing in medical devices and diagnostics. He is the Chairman and Founder of Neoenta and Sapphiros, a consumer diagnostics company partnered with KKR.

Namal has founded several medtech and diagnostics companies, including Graphene-Dx and Satio. Previously, he served as CEO of Smith & Nephew and Alere, and held leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson for over 15 years.

He also serves on the board of Nasdaq-listed Hologic and has been actively involved with organizations such as Advamed and Malaria No More. Namal holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering, Medical Science, and an MBA.

Office Manager
Caroline Orros is an experienced Office Manager with a background in small and medium-sized enterprises across diverse industries. She values clear communication and close collaboration within small teams. With a strong foundation in administrative roles, including PA, Secretary, and Office Manager positions, and solid knowledge of bookkeeping in small business settings, Caroline plays a key role in supporting the day-to-day operations at PartitionBio.

Lead Scientist
Dr. Barbara Tavares earned her PhD from the University of Lisbon, where she studied anionic currents across the plasma membrane of pollen grains under the guidance of Prof. Jose Feijo and Dr. Ana Bicho. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship investigating the role of Notch signaling in cilia motility and left-right axis determination in zebrafish.

Dr. Tavares transitioned into the biotechnology industry through her work at Isogenica, where she contributed to the discovery and development of nanobodies.

Lead Scientist
Clare Simpson completed her PhD at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, where she studied cell-to-cell signaling under the supervision of Prof. A. Maule. She then undertook postdoctoral research investigating the function and components of biomolecular condensates in yeast and mammalian cells.

Clare has since worked in the biotechnology industry at TwistDx Ltd and Isogenica, focusing on protein expression process development and leading candidate development in antibody fragment engineering.

Lead Scientist
Dr. Ian Cook earned his PhD from the University of Cambridge, where he studied cell signaling under Dr. Len Stephens and Dr. Phill Hawkins. Since 2010, he has worked in the biotechnology industry at TwistDx Ltd and Nuclera as a molecular biologist and protein engineer. Dr. Cook has applied his expertise in enzyme engineering across diverse fields, including point-of-care diagnostics, isothermal nucleic acid amplification, and enzymatic de novo DNA synthesis.

Principal Scientist
Oliver Nentwich earned his Dr. rer. nat. from the University of Tübingen, where he studied FGF- and TGF-β signaling. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Sir Jim Smith’s lab at the John Gurdon Institute in Cambridge before transitioning to the biotech industry by joining TwistDx Ltd.

Since then, Oliver has held senior development roles in molecular analytics, DNA sequencing, and DNA synthesis at Cambridge Epigenetix, Sense Biodetection, and Evonetix. His expertise lies in developing molecular assays at the interface of molecular biology and organic chemistry.

Lead Scientist
Dr. Puneet Srivastava completed his Master’s degree in Organic Chemistry at Lucknow University, India. He earned his PhD at Uppsala University, Sweden, under the supervision of Prof. Lars Engman in the Department of Chemistry. Following postdoctoral research on nucleic acid chemistry with Prof. Piet Herdewijn at the Rega Institute, Katholic University Leuven, Dr. Srivastava joined Nuclera Ltd in Cambridge, UK, as a Senior Chemist, focusing on de novo DNA synthesis.

Lead Scientist
Mona Katariya earned her Master’s degree in Chemistry from the Indian Institute for Science, Education and Research in Pune, where she specialized in designing, synthesizing, and characterizing biologically relevant peptides. She completed her PhD in Prof. Chris Abell’s group at the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, focusing on fragment-based approaches targeting Cytochrome P450 enzymes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Senior Research Assistant
Sarah Gibbs earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science from Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge. She has over 15 years of experience as a researcher and laboratory manager specializing in immunology and cell biology. Prior to joining PartitionBio, Sarah worked in both academia and industry on various disease models, including Type 1 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Most recently, her research focused on inducible pluripotent stem cells and their applications in Huntington’s Disease.