Deborah O’Neil

I am a biotechnology entrepreneur and immunologist by training. I have two decades of experience in the field of anti-infectives research & drug development. I studied at University College London and then worked in postdoctoral positions in internationally acclaimed laboratories in San Diego and Ghent before moving to Aberdeen where, in order to fully develop the therapeutic and commercial potential of innate immune effector molecules as anti-infective therapies, I formed NovaBiotics; successfully spinning the business out of the University of Aberdeen’s Rowett Research Institute in 2004. I have grown NovaBiotics to a leading global biotechnology business developing a portfolio of first-in-class, clinical-stage compounds and a robust and exciting pipeline of earlier stage drug candidates; potentially part of the solution to an unfolding global antimicrobial resistance crisis. NovaBiotics’ technology addresses the urgent, unmet need for safe and effective antibacterial and antifungal therapies for difficult to treat and drug (multi) resistant infections, rare and respiratory diseases (including Nylexa® as a therapy for COVID-19). I led the team that secured landmark co-development and licensing deals for NovaBiotics’ lead product candidates, Novexatin and Lynovex and have raised more than $30 m in equity and grant funding for NovaBiotics. I have hands-on, front-line experience in taking drug candidates for challenging conditions from invention and early laboratory discovery through to clinical development and commercialisation. I am an elected Director of the BEAM Alliance (Biotechs of Europe innovating in Anti-Microbial Resistance), was a member of the Scottish Life Sciences Industry Leadership Group and sit on the Boards of the Scottish Life Sciences Association, Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce and Opportunity North East Life Science/BioAberdeen. I am Chairperson of the UK’s Medicines Discovery Catapult-Cystic fibrosis (CF) Trust’s working group on antimicrobials in CF and part of the UK BioIndustry Association’s working group on AMR. I was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2018 and am a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. I was named as one of the 20 women leaders in European biotech in 2019, one of the 30 top female leaders in UK Healthcare in 2018 one of the 15 leading women European biotech in 2017.