FFEI Names Dr Rick Salmon As New Life Science Product Manager
“Dr Rick Salmon brings extensive experience of developing life science applications across a broad range of disciplines”
January 30th, 2018 – FFEI Ltd, the global developer of award-winning digital imaging solutions, today announced the recruitment of Dr Rick Salmon as their new life science product manager. Rick will be responsible for enhancing FFEI’s current repertoire of life science technologies including digital pathology scanners and calibration slides. He will also be charged with exploring new approaches and biological technologies to enrich FFEI’s capabilities.
“We are on a mission to provide medical and diagnostic advances to our OEM partners – technologies that ultimately help improve patient healthcare.” Commented Andy Cook, Managing Director, FFEI. “To achieve our goals it is vital that we employ talent from leading life science academic institutions – experienced professionals who can help us remain at the cutting edge of digital life science.”
Rick joined FFEI Life Sciences in November 2017 and brings with him extensive knowledge of life science applications across a broad range of disciplines. With experience of managing projects from initial concept through to end-stage refinement, he aims to apply his passion, knowledge and enthusiasm for emerging biological technologies to enhance FFEI’s repertoire of life science products.
Commenting on his new role Rick said “FFEI has an impressive array of talented scientists, engineers and software experts under a successful management strategy – evident from the number of patents owned and their client base. It is a fantastic opportunity and I very much look forward to supporting existing projects and leading the development of new approaches.”
After obtaining a BSc Hons in Biochemistry and Genetics, Rick gained his doctorate from the University of Sheffield in 2013, specialising in structural biology and the protein biochemistry of pathogenic bacteria. Here he employed a technique known as X-ray crystallography to resolve the atomic structure of macromolecules that facilitate bacterial infections, to discover more about their biological processes and to greater understand the pathology of bacterial diseases. It was during this time that his interest in combining and translating life sciences technologies was instilled, and he sought to apply his biotechnological ability to the understanding and treatment of human disease.
After PhD studies, Rick then moved to the University of Cambridge’s Department of Medicine to undertake postdoctoral research as a Research Associate, funded by the British Heart Foundation. For 5 years, Rick applied his knowledge of protein biochemistry and molecular structure to human cardiopulmonary diseases, with focus primarily on the life-threatening Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH). By combining elements of genetic modification, protein biochemistry, human tissue culture, in vitro diagnostic assays and structural biology, he designed and optimised a biologic for the treatment of PAH, with enhanced therapeutic benefits and reduced side-effects. This drug has since entered preliminary in vivo trials, utilising tissue pathology and symptom regression as analyses, to prepare for translation of the research from proven concept to patient.
