CNS Scientific Leadership

Ilan Rabiner, BSc Hons, MBBCh, FCPsych SA, is a psychiatrist, molecular imagingphysician, and neuropsychopharmacologist with more than 25 years of experienceadvancing translational medicine through PET and MRI. His expertise spansneuroscience, clinical pharmacology, and early-phase drug development, applyingadvanced imaging technologies to optimize therapeutic development and improveunderstanding of human physiology and neurochemistry. Dr. Rabiner held leadershippositions at GlaxoSmithKline, Imanova and Invicro. Dr. Rabiner held academic roles atImperial College, London and was the Reader in Molecular Imaging at the Institute ofPsychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London. Dr. Rabiner hasauthored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, has an h-index of 65 and isinternationally recognized for his contributions to translational imaging andneuropsychiatric drug development.

Lisa Wells, PhD, brings more than 20 years of experience in translational pharmacology, molecular imaging, and CNS drug development. Her expertise includes biomarker strategy, neuropharmacology, and PET imaging, helping pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies optimize candidate selection and de-risk therapeutic development. Before joining Perceptive Discovery, Dr. Wells held scientific leadership roles at GlaxoSmithKline, Imanova, and Invicro, where she directed preclinical and translational imaging programs supporting neuroscience research and early drug development. Her scientific leadership bridges biology, imaging, and pharmacology to generate actionable insights that accelerate translational research and clinical success.

Dr. Matthew Wall is a neuroscientist and psychologist with expertise in functional MRI and psychopharmacology. He leads translational MRI efforts at Perceptive and holds an honorary Senior Lecturer post at Imperial College London. His research explores how psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD affect brain function, with broader interests in cannabis, sex hormones and fMRI methods. He has held senior imaging roles at Invicro and Imanova and authored over 100 scientific publications. He is the Editor of the forthcoming book, Pharmacological fMRI: Methods and Applications, which bridges neuroimaging techniques with clinical and drug development applications.

Alex Whittington, PhD, is a quantitative imaging scientist specializing in PET analytics, mathematical modeling, and neuroimaging. With more than 10 years of experience spanning academia and industry, he develops advanced image analysis methods that generate robust biomarkers for translational research and drug development. Prior to becoming Director of Image Analysis at Perceptive Discovery, Dr. Whittington led late-phase NeuroPET analytics research and development and helped develop the AmyloidIQ® platform, advancing standardized quantitative analysis for Alzheimer’s disease research and clinical trials. He also serves as a Senior Research Fellow at University College London and has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications focused on PET imaging, neurochemistry, and computational imaging science.

Frans van den Berg, MB.ChB, has over 25 years of extensive experience leading early-phase clinical drug development and medical governance in translational imaging. His expertise gained across industry and high-profile clinical research sites includes first-in-human trial oversight, clinical pharmacology, PET and PET/MRI imaging, complex safety monitoring, and trial design for small molecules and biologicals. At Perceptive Discovery, Dr. van den Berg provides senior medical leadership and serves as an ARSAC licence holder and HTA Designated Individual. His oversight of complex dose-escalation protocols and robust clinical safety management accelerates early-phase timelines, satisfies regulatory standards, and mitigates clinical risk.

Christophe Plisson, PhD, brings more than 20 years of experience in radiochemistry, molecular imaging, and translational drug development. An expert in PET radiotracer discovery and imaging biomarker development, he has led multidisciplinary scientific teams supporting pharmaceutical and biotechnology programs from early discovery through preclinical translation. Before joining Perceptive Discovery, Dr. Plisson held leadership positions in preclinical sciences and radiochemistry at Invicro, GlaxoSmithKline, and Emory University School of Medicine, where he helped advance innovative PET imaging technologies across multiple therapeutic areas. His extensive publication record and contributions to radiotracer development have established him as a recognized leader in molecular imaging and translational research.