About Hooke Bio

Dr. Mark Lyons is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hooke Bio. Holding a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford, he has extensive experience in assay development, diagnostics, microfluidics, and technology commercialisation. Since founding the company, Mark has led Hooke Bio’s strategic growth, securing investment, establishing international partnerships, and driving the development of the Mera™ platform. Under his leadership, Hooke Bio has evolved from a University of Limerick spin-out into an innovative biotechnology company advancing human-relevant approaches to drug discovery and development.

Dr. Finola Cliffe is co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of Hooke Bio. With a PhD in Biotechnology and over 18 years of experience in cell culture, translational research, and biotechnology innovation, she leads the company’s scientific operations and the commercialisation of its Mera™ microphysiological system platform. Her expertise encompasses assay development, project management, quality systems, and operational strategy. Throughout her career at Hooke Bio, she has built and led multidisciplinary teams, secured multimillion-euro funding and investment, and helped establish the company as a leader in human-relevant preclinical testing and New Approach Methodologies (NAMs).

Barry Comerford is an experienced MedTech entrepreneur, board director, and industry leader with extensive expertise in scaling high-growth medical device businesses. Formerly co-founder of Cambus Medical and now an advisor to multiple healthcare and technology companies, he brings deep experience He has extensive experience scaling innovative organisations, building collaborative networks, and leading multidisciplinary teams to deliver results in complex technical and commercial environments. Barry currently serves in a number of board and advisory roles across the Irish MedTech sector and has previously served as Chair of the Irish MedTech Association.

Trisha is a Chartered Accountant with an excess of twenty years post qualification experience.   Trisha trained with KPMG in Dublin, Ireland.  Since then, she has worked in many accountancy roles in a number of Irish & International companies including Emerson, O2 & ICHAS. 

Patrick has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from NUI Galway. Since graduating college, he has over 8 years’ experience working on R&D projects and product design. Bringing machinery from concept to manufacturing has been a large part of Patrick’s career. Patrick has been a R&D Engineer on the Hooke Bio team since 2020.

Veasna holds a B.Sc. in Biotechnology, an M.Sc. in Biomedical Science, and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Galway. Her PhD thesis assessed thermally-induced regenerative healing capacity of bone cells when exposed to high speed surgical cutting. She has experience in cell biology, immunoassay, biochemistry, bioengineering and biomechanics techniques. She has previously worked in Beckman Coulter Diagnostics on the Blood Virus and Immunoassay team before joining Hookebio Ltd in 2023.

Sumir holds a master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. He has an electronics engineering background and has previously worked on designing and prototyping of medical devices. He has hands-on experience in electronic instrumentation, embedded systems, signal processing and software development.

Nuno holds a BSc (2014) and a MSc (2016) in Biochemistry, both obtained at Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra (FCTUC), Coimbra, Portugal.  He was also a research fellow in the Pharmacology and Therapeutics group at Center for Biosciences & Health Technologies (CBIOS), Lisbon, Portugal (2017-2018). In 2023, he completed a PhD in life sciences at the University of Strasbourg, France, focusing on the study of liver cancer patient-derived spheroid models for drug screening. His research expertise is based on the field of oncology and in vitro 3D models, covering several areas in oncobiology and cancer therapeutics.

Sandra holds dual Master’s degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, and the University of Groningen, Netherlands. With a strong foundation in biomaterials, tissue engineering, and project management, she has contributed to leading academic laboratories across multiple countries. Her interdisciplinary research spans diverse areas, including in silico modelling and mRNA therapeutics. Prior to joining Hooke Bio as a Senior R&D Scientist in 2024, she was a Research Scientist at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, where she focused on developing therapeutics for spinal cord injury. It was during this work that she cultivated a deep interest in microfluidic tissue modelling platforms.

Ruth holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Limerick, where her research focused on the impact of bacterial components on breast cancer cells and their potential role in breast cancer recurrence. She has a strong background in mammalian cell culture, biochemical assays, and interdisciplinary research. In her previous role as a Technical Officer in the CERC lab at University Hospital Limerick, Ruth collaborated closely with clinicians, research nurses, and technical staff to develop and support a range of laboratory-based projects.

Hannah holds a BEng in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Limerick and an MEng in Biomedical Engineering with a specialization in Management & Innovation in Healthcare Technologies from UPM, Madrid. She has experience in smart wearable systems and nanotechnology-based cancer therapies, with particular interests in device design and experimental R&D