
Ignatius Viljoen, BPharm, MM(Hons)
Business Development and GxP Consultant
ArexCell
South Africa & Malawi
Ignatius Viljoen is a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience in product and business development, supply chain and logistics, and general management. He has extensive experience in leading multicultural teams and working in multinational biopharmaceutical companies. He is also a pharmacist and CQI-certified pharmaceutical quality system (PQS) auditor.
In 2016, Ignatius transitioned from molecule-based pharmaceuticals to cell-based products. He founded ArexCell, which assists pre-clinical cell-based product (CBP) developers with developing target product profiles (TPP) and de-risking critical quality and process decisions (CQAs and CPPs) that may have long-term safety and efficacy impacts. His skills and professional experience, combined with a deep understanding of the regulatory requirements for cell-based products, make him a valuable asset to any company developing cell-based products.
Ignatius is passionate about improving patient access to CBPs and gene therapies in low-and-middle-income countries (LMIC). He is working towards a PhD at the Institute of Cellular and Molecular Medicine (ICMM) at the University of Pretoria, where he addresses safety and efficacy questions related to non-commercial CBPs. He is an active contributor to the field and has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals on this topic.