Speakers

Wen is a geneticist and molecular structural biologist focused on building integrated translational platforms at the intersection of biology, AI, and population-scale data. His early multi-disciplinary scientific career spanned working in a synchrotron (a particle accelerator) and in computational biology in the US, followed by senior leadership roles at the University of Oxford where he helped design and implement major international public–private drug discovery initiatives, including the Structural Genomics Consortium and the European Lead Factory. Presently he is the CEO of the research charity Action Against AMD and its subsidiary Foresight Research Ltd., combining charitable governance with venture-style execution. Foresight is building a population-scale retinal imaging platform aggregating fundus and OCT scans from 500,000 consenting participants, linked to NHS and genomic data, creating AI-ready infrastructure for early disease detection and risk stratification across ophthalmology and systemic disease. Wen has embedded robust governance, independent data oversight, and IP stewardship mechanisms to ensure that innovation remains affordable and aligned with public benefit. His broader ambition is to demonstrate that AI-enabled, prevention-focused translational science can be built and retained in the UK while maintaining scientific depth, urgency, and accessibility.