Team
In addition to the core team, PTNG Consulting works with a team of >20 expert consultants offering detailed knowledge in antibody design, bioinformatics, immunology, proteomics, biotech valuation, grant development and more.
Dr Simona John von Freyend
Chief Operating Officer
Cell biology, Microbiology, Cell signalling, Communication, strategy and project management
Simona leads the management of client relationships, conducts background research for and project management of client assignments and is responsible for strategic planning of the company. She holds the same role at Biovidera, a collaborative company of scientists and animators, which uses art to tell stories that inform, persuade and connect.
Simona is well versed in high level stakeholder management, strategic development, planning and business case development for major capital projects (in her previous role as Strategic Development Advisor for the Victorian Heart Hospital). An editorial internship at The Conversation provided her with insights into science communication and consolidated her writing skills.
Simona completed her PhD in cell signalling in parasites in 2010, after working at Strathclyde University, Glasgow, UK and the Bernhard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany. Her research brought her to Australia, where she worked as a postdoctoral researcher in parasite metabolism and cell signalling at the Department of Biochemistry, Bio21 Institute, Melbourne University and the Department of Microbiology, Monash University, respectively.
Simona is passionate about biomedical and health research, science communication done well and connecting people and building community.
Dr Sheena McGowan
Senior Consultant
Microbiology, Structural Biology, Drug discovery, Microbial disease control
Sheena McGowan has a PhD in Microbiology from Monash University (2004). After her PhD, she joined the laboratory of Professor James Whisstock to learn structural biology and protein biochemistry. Sheena used the award of an NHMRC Career Development Award as well as an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship to establish her own laboratory in 2011, focussed on structural microbiology and the development of novel antimicrobials. Her research has generated over 120 PDB structures and published papers in top journals including PNAS, EMBO J, J Med Chem and Nature Micro. She has a long standing interest in research translation and drug discovery, and in addition to academic projects, has worked with industry, philanthropic and venture capital partners.
Dr Malcolm Buckle
Senior Consultant
Biophysics, Biosensors, Nanoparticles, Nucleoprotein complexes, Gene expression
Malcolm Buckle was a Director of Research in the CNRS in France and director of a fundamental biology research laboratory (LBPA) at the Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris-Saclay from 2011 to the end of 2019. Following a PhD in Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis with Roger Epton at Wolverhampton Polytechnic in the UK (1980), he held a series of post-doctoral positions in Canada, Italy and France and finally became a senior scientist at the CNRS working with Dr Henri Buc at the Pasteur Institute Paris. After moving to the ENS Cachan, in 2002 he directed a group working on the control and regulation of transcription. Although his research interests have covered a broad spectrum ranging from solid phase peptide synthesis through bioenergetics to the control of gene expression, he has always been struck by the necessity of developing techniques that allow time-resolved analysis of dynamic systems. This has led to the development and use of rapid high-energy UV lasers to follow the photo-reactivity of DNA involved in nucleoprotein complexes culminating in the PhAST (Photochemical Analysis of Structural Transitions) technique.
Malcolm was an early user of emerging technologies based on Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPRi) and quickly realised that these techniques were severely limited by problems associated with the interface between a surface-based biosensor surface (a biochip) and macromolecules in solution. His group developed a unique surface chemistry with a wide range of applications ranging from biosensor surfaces to nanoparticles with tremendous potential for use in diagnostic assays. Malcolm was recently involved in a maturation phase for valorisation of this chemistry that has spun off to the creation of a start-up company. Current research is focused on the dynamics of nucleoprotein complexes, specifically nucleosomes, and increasingly the role of order/disorder transitions in proteins and their role in protein structure/function related to evolution and disease, again from a dynamic point of view. Malcolm is now professor emeritus (CNRS) and continues to act in a consultative capacity for all biophysical aspects of macromolecular interactions.
Our Roots
PTNG Consulting was founded in 2020 by Dr Ashley Buckle, motivated by the increasingly important role of protein engineering in the development of biologics and therapeutics. Based on his 3 decades worth of experience in structural biology research, Ashley was able to recognise the value of applying deep protein design and structure/folding/function knowledge in combination with bioinformatics and molecular dynamics to boost commercial projects. He built up PTNG Consulting accordingly with a team that fully understands the needs and challenges of industry while drawing on long-standing academic expertise.
Ashley is currently Senior Director of Protein Engineering and Structural Biology at Replay, a VC-backed cell and gene therapy company with headquarters in San Diego, USA.
Protein engineering is revolutionising medicine