BIA regional focus: Aberdeen

Ayham Alnabulsi

Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, EpitoGenX

Ayham Alnabulsi is a strategic visionary, an immunologist, geneticist and engineer by training, Ayham has over a decade of experience in developing new technologies and building commercial value of life science biotechs. His passion is the development of disruptive transformational technologies to create benefits for the NHS and low/middle income countries. Ayham has founded and led multiple companies, starting with Vertebrate Antibodies, a biotech focused on delivering high quality products to service the research and diagnostic markets; AiBiologics, a biotech that utilises various artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms to accelerate biotherapeutic, diagnostic and vaccine discovery; and more recently EpitoGenX, forward-thinking biotech embracing disruption through pushing forward innovative technologies

Rebecca Andersen

Head of Commercial and Communications, TauRx

With focus on Alzheimer’s disease research, TauRx’s mission is to discover, develop and commercialise innovative products for the diagnosis, treatment and cure of neurodegenerative diseases caused through protein aggregation. They have raised over $880Million of investment in the pursuit of this mission. Rebecca’s role is to develop and lead the go to market strategy and prepare the company for potential future commercialisation of their lead asset as milestones in their current phase 3 trial programme are reached and regulatory pathways are progressed. Rebecca also supports the company’s investor relations and future financing objectives, helping to shape how TauRx leverages its extensive IP portfolio and to facilitate future transactions and collaborations. A Solicitor by profession with BSc Pharmacology, Rebecca has numerous years of experience at Partner level in a national UK law firm, previously specialising in maximum severity clinical negligence and personal injury law cementing her strong belief in patient advocacy and patient-led care. She also co-founded a legal tech start-up, which developed and launched a multi-award winning claims software solution piCalculator, later sold to data analytics giant Verisk. She joined TauRx legal team in 2019 and established the Commercial & Communications function to support this latest phase in the company’s growth.

Steve Bates OBE

Chief Executive Officer

What does your role at BIA involve?

Steve Bates is the CEO of the UK Bioindustry Association, the UK’s Trade Association for innovative life science companies with over 550 members. Steve is the visible face of the vibrant UK life sciences industry to government and media. He serves on the UK Government’s Life Sciences Council and the UK Biosecurity Leadership Council. Steve was a founder member of the UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce in the Covid crisis, sitting on its steering Board alongside Kate Bingham. He is active member and former chair the International Council of Biotech Associations and has been a board member of EuropaBio since 2015.

Previous experience & achievements

Steve has championed, with government, effective industrial incentives like the Biomedical Catalyst, which have crowded in private sector investment into UK SMEs. He is a driving force behind the scale up agenda, spearheading policy agenda to unlock UK pension fund capital into productive UK growth in life sciences. He has forged several links for the sector across the USA, Europe and in China. In his time at the BIA, Steve has developed new member groups focused on cell and gene therapy, genomics and engineered biology. A strong advocate of partnership working, Steve champions sector collaboration with research charities and academia. Proud to lead an organisation with a diverse Board with over 40% female representation, Steve is committed to next generation talent and developing the skills needed for the sector to flourish. Before joining the BIA in 2012, Steve worked for Genzyme and was advisor to the UK Government of Tony Blair working on NHS reform and the Northern Ireland peace process. He was made OBE for services to innovation in 2017 and became a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Science in 2020.

Deborah O'Neil

CEO and CSO, NovaBiotics

A biotechnology entrepreneur and immunologist by training, Deborah has over two decades of experience in drug discovery and development. Deborah studied at University College London and then worked in postdoctoral positions in internationally acclaimed laboratories in San Diego and Ghent before moving to Aberdeen (to the Rowett Research Institute, now part of the University of Aberdeen) where she founded NovaBiotics in 2004. NovaBiotics is now a global biotechnology business with a portfolio of first-in-class solutions for unmet health and personal care needs, all of which have been developed from proprietary technology based on how the innate immune system maintains healthy tissue. Deborah chairs the life science sector board of Opportunity North East and the BioAberdeen Ltd board. She also chairs the UK’s Medicines Discovery Catapult-Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Trust’s antimicrobial resistance syndicate. Deborah was a board member of the UK’s BioIndustry Association and continues to work with them on antimicrobial resistance. She was a member of the Scottish Life Sciences Industry Leadership Group and is a member of the Scottish Life Sciences Association advisory board. Deborah is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. She is an honorary professor of the University of Aberdeen and in 2023, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science from Robert Gordon University. 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, Deborah was made OBE in the Queen’s 2020 Birthday Honours list, for services to biotechnology, industry and charity.

Obinna Ubah

Principal Scientist and Programme Lead, Elasmogen

Obinna is a principal scientist and programme lead in autoimmune inflammation diseases drug discovery at Elasmogen Limited, a University of Aberdeen spinout biotech company. His research interest broadly encompasses biologics drug discovery and development for chronic diseases such as autoimmune inflammation diseases and cancers. He originally trained as a pharmacist at the University of Benin, Nigeria before moving to Scotland, United Kingdom in 2010 to undertake a postgraduate Master’s degree in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology (graduated with distinction) at the University of Aberdeen Scotland. Obinna received a Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA)/Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) PhD scholarship in 2012 and obtained a PhD in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in 2016 from the University of Aberdeen. Obinna’s interest in the commercialisation of life sciences research output inspired him to obtain a PGCert in IP Law from the University of South Africa (UNISA, 2018). He is also a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy and holds a lectureship position in the School of Medicine and Medical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen. Obinna is the president of a Scottish registered foundation (FISEA) focused on bridging the life sciences knowledge gap between the UK and Africa. In October 2021, he was awarded the prestigious UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship with a £2M grant to continue advancing his cutting-edge drug discovery research and leadership development.