Michael Skynner, Ph.D.
Chief Technology Officer

Michael Skynner, Ph.D., is the chief technology officer at Bicycle Therapeutics.

Michael joined Bicycle from Pfizer, where he led rare disease efforts in Europe and founded and ran the Pfizer Rare Disease Consortium (RDC). The RDC was an innovative agreement between Pfizer and 20 leading U.K. universities that created research partnerships between Pfizer, academic researchers and patient groups to develop new therapies for rare and orphan diseases using a new collaborative paradigm. As part of those activities, he also established Pfizer’s Genetic Medicine Institute, a bespoke research unit in central London embedded within the U.K. gene therapy academic community. Previously, Michael established a discovery performance unit at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) focused on developing therapeutics targeting inflammatory kinases using an externalized and partnered model with leading European biotechnology companies. In his time at GSK, he successfully advanced multiple molecules from screening into clinical trials. Prior to GSK he co-founded a successful biotech start-up company, Cambridge Biotechnology Ltd. (CBT), which specialized in developing small molecule and peptide therapeutics for inflammation and metabolic disease. CBT was sold to Swedish Orphan Biovitrum.

Michael obtained his Ph.D. in biochemistry at Imperial College and is an author on more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific publications.