Nottingham-based contract research organisation, Platelet Services, has appointed Dr Paul Cato as Senior Research Scientist to support growing client demand for its pre-clinical services in platelet testing.

Paul started his career working for the NHS as a biomedical scientist in haematology and immunology, where he gained a great deal of experience in clinical blood work, building his knowledge in red blood cells, platelets and leukocytes. After seven years, Paul moved into industry, where his career has primarily been focused on the development of bespoke assays for pharmaceutical research.

He worked at Nottingham-based Albumedix, where he developed bespoke immunoassays for the in-house drug development programme, before joining XenoGesis (now Sygnature Discovery), where he worked in the in vitro DMPK team for almost four years. During that time he was promoted to Senior Research Scientist and worked on developing and validating bespoke biological assays, tailoring assay design to client’s needs.

Paul comments: “As an experienced research scientist with a background in haematology blood sciences, Platelet Services feels like the perfect fit. I am looking forward to working with a fantastic and experienced team and learning new methods whilst returning to an area of research that I really enjoy and have experience within.

“I am excited to be in a role where I can interact with and help clients with the potential for longer term projects, and to be working with platelets and leukocytes again. Platelet Services has a great reputation in the market for its work and I am looking forward to an exciting future.”

Natalia Dovlatova, CEO of Platelet Services, adds: “Platelet Services has been experiencing increased demand for our specialised pre-clinical services in platelet testing. Paul’s appointment will strengthen our service offering and capabilities and I am delighted to welcome him to the team. His background and experience in both clinical haematology and developing bespoke biological assays will be invaluable as we continue to grow the company and support more clients.”

Paul has a BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science; an MSC in Immunology and Allergy; and a PhD in Immunology and Tissue Engineering from the University of Nottingham.