Dr. Kurt Sales Appointed as Chief Scientific Officer at Agilex Biolabs

Kurt Sales as Chief Scientific Officer will lead future growth and solidify Agilex Biolabs’ position as a global leader in bioanalytical support services. He previously served as Director of the Immunoassay and Immunobiology department at Agilex and was responsible for launching the company’s first vaccine and immunobiology laboratory in 2021.

Agilex Biolabs has appointed Dr. Kurt Sales (B.Sc (MED)Hons. MSc. PhD. PGCM) as its new Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Sales has extensive experience in applied and academic research, preclinical drug development, clinical study support, and business development and management. In 2021, Dr. Sales led the company in establishing a state-of-the-art, $1.5m specialized bioanalytical laboratory for vaccines and immunotherapy.

“Kurt is a perfect fit in this role, his experience and innovative spirit have been critical to some of our recent service expansions. His transition into this new leadership role feels like a very natural evolution for Agilex,” commented Jason Valentine, CEO. “He keeps a finger on the pulse of what’s new and promising in therapeutics and has a knack for anticipating what kind of tools and support customers need for success. That instinct paired with his scientific excellence positions Kurt to lead our team in building robust new service areas and staying at the forefront of innovation.”

Dr. Sales started his career in the medical field, gravitating toward pharmacology and neuroscience after losing two close family members to cancer and neurocognitive disease.

“From that experience I developed a deep passion and was really driven towards a cure, or at least to provide information that would help the medical field understand why these things happen as we get older and how we can improve treatment for patients,” said Dr. Sales. He went on to publish 45 peer-reviewed scientific papers and develop a patented mechanism for targeting cancer cells

After 15 years in academia, Dr. Sales entered the world of drug development to apply his knowledge to advancing promising therapies into the clinic. He led the immunology group at Charles River Laboratories in Edinburgh, UK and gained business development experience at CPR Pharma Services in Adelaide, South Australia.

Dr. Sales joined Agilex Biolabs in 2017

“My role within the CRO sphere has always been a dual one,” said Dr. Sales. “My research background equips me to manage operations, but at the same time my experience enables me to engage in scientific and forward-looking conversations with biopharma leaders to determine how we can develop superior, dependable support for our customers and shape the drug development landscape in a way that improves health outcomes.”

In his five years at Agilex Biolabs, Dr. Sales has championed scientific engagement efforts and expanded support offerings to include immunobiology, cell and gene therapy, and vaccines. His goal as CSO will be to maximize efforts that cement Agilex Biolabs as a global leader in supporting clinical and nonclinical drug development. In the immediate future, Dr. Sales’ primary focus will be on the newest facility at the Agilex Biolabs campus focused on large molecule bioanalysis. His goal will be positioning the new team as a major asset to biopharma companies around the world who are shepherding large molecule drug candidates through the drug development pipeline.

“As Chief Scientific Officer, I have the opportunity to leverage my experience to accelerate promising therapies through the clinic so they can get to patients who need them – it’s amazing to work with a group of passionate scientists who all have the same goal.”

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Kurt Sales has a Ph.D. in Medical Biochemistry, a Masters in Biochemistry, and a Bachelors of Science in Medicine with Honours in Pharmacology, and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Physiology. He has a Diploma in Business Organisation and Management and a Post Graduate Certificate in Management.