Sir Christopher Thomas Evans OBE ARCS FMedSci FREng FRSC FRSA FIBiol CCMI CChem (born 29 November 1957) is a Welsh professor, scientist and biotechnology entrepreneur.
[2] Since the 1980s, Evans has launched and supported more than 50 companies in the biotechnology sector, including 20 listed on six different stock markets.
These include an S-Ketoprofen anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical, single isomer chiral synthons for use in new anti-viral drugs, a single-isomer levobupivacaine for local anaesthesia, the pre-eminent rapid bioluminescent test for bacterial contamination, numerous enzymes and proteins for use in clinical diagnostic tests, as well as stem cell therapies, immunotherapeutics, oncology drugs and respiratory devices.
He attended St Joseph's School in Port Talbot before studying microbiology at Imperial College London.
[5] Its early work involved the use of cabbages and eggs to mass-produce phospholipids which were used in surfactants to help premature babies breathe.
[12] In 1998, Evans founded Biovex, a company which specialized in the development of a genetically modified herpes virus which kills off cancer cells.
[13] Later that year, Lord David Puttnam assembled a team of eight trustees for the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, which included Evans.
[16] Evans’ Excalibur Group sold Piramed, which developed treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases to Roche in 2008 for £175 million.
[17] In 2013, Evans founded Arthurian Life Sciences, which aimed to bring biotech investment into the Welsh economy.
[20] In 2016, Evans founded and became deputy chairman of Arix Bioscience, a health and life sciences company investing in medical innovation.
[22] In 2019, Evans created Excalibur Healthcare Services to specialize in international medical supplies, clinical research and development, diagnostics and testing.
[33] In 2018, Evans launched the Evamore project, a musical collaboration inspired by the letters of First World War soldiers.
[34] The first release from the project, "One More Yard", was written by Evans and published in November 2018 to mark the centenary of Armistice Day.