Avacta Therapeutics has appointed Francis Wilson as its Chief Scientific Officer, effective February 9, 2026. Francis Wilson joined Avacta in September 2022 as Vice President of Chemistry and has been instrumental in developing the pre|CISION® platform. Francis Wilson has extensive experience in medicinal chemistry, having held positions at Roche Discovery Welwyn from 1990 to 2001, Head of Chemistry at Xenova from 2001 to 2003, Director of Chemistry at Cellzome from 2003 to 2007, and Director of Chemistry at Summit Therapeutics from 2007 to 2022 where he led multiple programs from discovery into clinical development.
He holds a chemistry degree and a Doctor of Philosophy from Oxford University and is a Chartered Chemist and Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Francis has been instrumental in the development of novel intellectual property around the pre|CISION® mechanism, notably the sustained release mechanism that forms the backbone of the FAP-Exd (AVA6103) program that is anticipated to begin clinical testing in the near term. Along with this leadership change, former Chief Scientific Officer Michelle Morrow will be leaving Avacta to pursue another opportunity.
