About Us
A leading clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on leveraging its novel immunology platforms to design and develop first-in-class therapies to address difficult-to-treat, medically unmet diseases.
Board and Management
NovaBiotics is led by a highly experienced Board and Management team with a wealth of experience and an impressive track record of business development and product commercialisation in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry.
Dr. Deborah O’Neil PhD OBE FRSE
Chief Executive Officer and Scientific Officer
A biotechnologist with over three decades of experience in the field of research & drug development.
Deborah founded NovaBiotics in 2004. She trained as an immunologist in internationally acclaimed laboratories (University College London, UC San Diego, University of Ghent) before moving to Aberdeen and developing the clinical and commercial potential of her antimicrobial technologies, spinning NovaBiotics out of the University of Aberdeen’s Rowett Research Institute.
Deborah is a Board member of the UK’s BioIndustry Association, a Director and founding member of the BEAM Alliance (Biotechs of Europe innovating in Anti-Microbial Resistance), was a member of the Scottish Life Sciences Industry Leadership Group. She is a Board member of the Scottish Life Sciences Association and Chair of Opportunity North East Life Science and BioAberdeen. Deborah also Chairs the UK’s Medicines Discovery Catapult-Cystic fibrosis (CF) AMR Syndicate.
Deborah was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2018 and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. Named as one of the 20 women leaders in European biotech in 2019 and one of the 30 top female leaders in UK Healthcare in 2018. In 2020, Deborah was made OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, for services to biotechnology, industry and charity.
Mr Bryan Bodek
Chairman of the Board
Mr Bryan Bodek joined NovaBiotics Board in 2009. He was previously Chairman of Trenchard Aviation and brings more than 30 years’ experience of advising public and private companies in all aspects of their business.
Bryan’s background is in corporate finance/company law and he has served on the boards of three public companies. He has significant experience in leading successful health care licensing/marketing deals and acted as Vice Chairman for University of Manchester tech transfer office for 9 years.
Bryan was 2011 Ernst & Young U.K. Entrepreneur Of The year for business to business goods and services. Qualified lawyer.
Mr Ian Townsend
Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit Committee
Ian joined NovaBiotics Board in 2011
Ian has over 20 years experience in the medical device sector, co-founding orthopaedic manufacturing business, Eurocut Plc, which went on to become The Medical House Plc and was floated on AIM in 2000. After many years as the Chief Executive Ian became Chairman where he remained until the successful sale of Medical House Plc to Consort Plc in 2009.
Ian qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1976 and worked with KPMG until 1979 when he set up his own practice in Harrogate. Ian is the founder and Chairman of Townsend Investments Ltd and Townsend Family Investments LLP.
Grant Ellis
Non-Executive Business Development Director
Grant joined NovaBiotics Board in 2013.
He is a serial entrepreneur and Chartered Insurance Broker; most of his working life being in in the insurance and financial services sectors. Grant led the successful AIM listing of the Broker Network and its subsequent sales to The Towergate Partnership.
Grant remains a Non-executive Director of the Ellis Bates Group of companies, which he cofounded in 1980. Grant resigned from the Assured Fire & Security Company Ltd in June 2019, following the successful sale of the business. He also serves as a mentor to several small companies.
Dr. Malcolm Barratt-Johnson
Non-Executive Director
Malcolm joined NovaBiotics Board in October 2020.
Consultant Pharmaceutical Physician with over 20 years experience in Government and Industry Medical and Regulatory Affairs.
Malcolm has extensive experience within both Industry and Government Agencies – National and International, leading decision making in the Medical and Marketing Departments of seven of the top ten Pharmaceutical Companies + Medical and Regulatory Advisory roles to the Biotech and Generic Pharma sectors.
Investors
NovaBiotics is a global leading, privately held clinical stage biotechnology company. To date, the business has raised over $40 million in funding.
The Company’s portfolio and robust and risk-diversified pipeline comprises immune derived compounds that have been derived from NovaBiotics’ proprietary peptide platform (NP213, NP339 and NP432) and aminothiol platform (NM001 and NM002).
NovaBiotics’ experienced board and management team remain focused on high-value opportunities and the delivery of commercial success from the Company’s solid technology base.
The Company has a strong, wholly-owned IP portfolio with multiple patent families granted and pending, protecting NovaBiotics’ technology worldwide.
To find out more about investment opportunities, contact us.
Corporate Social Responsibility
NovaBiotics believes that our continued success is dependent on creating a sustainably innovative culture within the business. Our staff, the environment and the community are central to this and therefore components of the Company’s core operational values.
Safety, Regulation and the Environment
As a minimum, we will meet or exceed all relevant legislation as we carry out the research (and administrative) tasks required to deliver the Company’s drug design and development plans. Where no legislation exists, appropriate internal standards, benchmarked against and beyond best practices elsewhere, have been developed and implemented and are components of a fully auditable quality management and policy system.
NovaBiotics is fully committed to minimising any impact its operational activities might have on the environment and through ongoing internal review and external audits actively looks for opportunities to improve its activities wherever possible.
Education and the Local Community
NovaBiotics is actively engaged in a number of programmes promoting biomedical research and commercial-academic links with both of Aberdeen’s universities as well as some further afield.
Through our links with local Academies and various education programmes, we promote the science career opportunities available to local pupils; both through site visits (virtual in recent times) to NovaBiotics and going to visit schools.
We remain passionate about developing the next generation of local science talent in what is a key, emerging employment sector in the North East of Scotland. To further enhance this, members of NovaBiotics staff are STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematical) Ambassadors actively inspiring young people in science.