Lindsay Davies | CSO
NextCell Pharma

Lindsay Davies completed her PhD in biochemistry in 2006 at Cardiff University, UK. Focussing on cell therapy for cartilage repair, her thesis work introduced her to cell and gene therapy, springboarding her into a career within the field, starting with a postdoc and two fellowship positions in stem/stromal cell biology within the UK. During this time, Dr Davies discovered a novel stem cell population within the oral cavity, which she patented and won multiple awards related to this work. She subsequently moved to Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. As an Associate Professor Dr Davies worked with basic science and clinical trial development using stromal cells from different tissue sources. Alongside her academic work, she worked with the Finnish Red Cross Blood Service and an industrial partner in developing a new medical device for burns therapy. In 2020, Dr Davies moved into industry setting up her own consulting company, CellTherEx, to support academics and companies spinning out and handling regulatory compliance within the drug discovery and advanced therapeutic development space. This offered her the opportunity to join NextCell Pharma, a cell therapy company, developing stromal cell products for usage in multiple clinical indications. As their Chief Scientific Officer she has supported the company´s movement from a phase I company, with one initial clinical trial to 5 active Phase I/II trials, international expansion and a phase III in development. In 2024, Dr Davies co-founded QVance, a subsidiary of NextCell Pharma, specialising in quality control analytics service provision for advanced therapy developers. The company was launched in November 2024 and aims to be a “one-stop-shop” analytics company serving the Nordics and wider Europe. Dr Davies continues to work closely with academia in the space of wound healing and cell therapy development. In addition to her academic and industrial roles, Lindsay is Vice President Elect for Europe at the ISCT, sitting on the European Task Force and several committees related to process development and commercialisation, as well as the inaugural Chair for ISCT’s European Industry committee. She is also an industry representative for the Swedish national ATMP coordinating team and member of a number of Boards for European societies and corporate entities.