Dr Terrie Anne Cock joined the Amplia Team in 2022, bringing with her over 18 years’ experience in pharmaceutical research and development, including with multinational pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline and OSI Pharmaceuticals.
Specialising in translational pharmacology - both preclinical and clinical – Terrie Anne has held leadership positions with some of Australia’s most progressive life sciences and drug discovery companies, including as Senior Vice President, Therapeutic Research and Development, Microba; Director of Biology, Queensland Emory Drug Discovery Initiative, and Director of Translational Research, Benitec Biopharma Limited.
Terrie-Anne has played key roles in the translation of molecules from research, through clinical trials, and regulatory approvals. Her knowledge of disease biology and discovery, combined with her understanding of the whole drug development process - from hit-to-lead research, preclinical and clinical development, all the way to commercialisation – makes her a valuable addition to the Amplia team.
Terrie-Anne was a recipient of the prestigious Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship, at the Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France and has a PhD in Medicine from Garvan Institute of Medical Research and University of New South Wales.
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Can you tell us about your background and how you came to join the team at Amplia?
I have been leading and driving translational research in my previous roles in cancer, immuno-inflammatory, and fibrosis, covering both clinical and preclinical translation of small molecules, like AMP945, as well as live biotherapeutics (LBPs), gene and cellular therapies.
The role at Amplia - and Amplia’s corporate strategy - just seemed like the perfect fit for my passion of translating research into meaningful clinical data. It is rewarding to be able to translate fabulous Australian cancer research, and to support the development of a drug like AMP945 to help patients with pancreatic cancer.
What inspired you to pursue a career in drug discovery and development?
I was very young when I decided I wanted to be a scientist and discover how things work. I have always been curious about the world around me and within, which drove me to follow a career in medical research.
Working in R&D has given me the ability to follow my passion for medical research to understanding what leads to and drives disease, while working on solutions of how to help treat this disease. Not everyone has the privilege of doing what they love as a career, I’m one of the lucky ones.
What achievement are you most proud of since joining Amplia?
I’m very proud to be working with the Amplia team to expand the development work in AMP945, including helping to identify additional cancer indications in which to progress next.
In your own words, why do you believe Amplia’s work so important?
Cancer is a disease that touches everyone at some point in their life, and when you watch someone you love fight cancer and struggle with the drug treatments, you can feel helpless.
Amplia’s innovative R&D is endeavouring to deliver safer drugs to help fight cancer and improve the quantity and quality of the lives of cancer patients.
What excites you most about working in science?
Knowing every day, no matter how hard the objective, it’s worth it. Just knowing that someone will benefit from the knowledge you create, or the drugs you progress through development. It’s a slow and challenging process, but worth it.
What advice do you have for young women who aspire to pursue a career in science?
For any young person in science, persistence is not futile. Getting used to failure and learning from it, getting back up and trying something else to try and solve the problem. You can’t give up, because if it was easy, we would have already cured all diseases.
