5 April 2023, OXFORD, UK
Ochre Bio, an innovator in chronic liver disease medicine development, is pleased to announce the appointment of David Coughlan, PhD as VP of Translational Development and Chinwe Ukomadu, MD, PhD as an Observer on its Board of Directors.
Dr. Coughlan will be responsible for translating the findings from Ochre Bio’s discovery platform and human-based translational models into RNA therapies ready for clinical development. David is a pharmacist with over 20 years experience in the pharmaceutical research and development sector, most recently serving as Chief Technical Officer of Afimmune Ltd.
Dr Coughlan said:
“Joining the Ochre Bio team has presented me with a unique and valuable opportunity to work on ground breaking science. I look forward to drawing on my experience in taking novel scientific ideas into the clinic to help advance Ochre’s mission, and to play my part in transforming outcomes for chronic liver disease patients.
“Ochre’s end-to-end RNA therapy development, which includes testing in live human donor livers, is an ambitious and bold approach to tackling chronic disease. I believe that the advancements they are pioneering have the potential to treat a range of liver health and therapeutic challenges.”
In addition to David’s appointment, Dr. Chinwe Ukomadu joins Ochre Bio’s board as an observer and will act as a liaison between the company’s Scientific Strategy Board (SSB) and Board of Directors. Given Dr Ukomadu’s prior experience on Ochre Bio’s SSB and his current role as SVP and Head of GI Therapeutic Area at Takeda, he is uniquely positioned to provide guidance to the leadership team as it pertains to translating early discoveries into a pipeline of therapeutic candidates to improve patients lives.
Dr. Chinwe said:
“It’s an honour to join a cohort of experienced members on the Ochre Bio board, each of whom is fully committed to overseeing and supporting the organisation’s breakthrough work. I look forward to working with both the SSB and the Board to guide Ochre Bio on their path towards impacting patient lives.
“The future of chronic liver disease treatment is being shaped by Ochre Bio, built by some of the best scientific talent on a foundation of transdisciplinary excellence.”
Quin Wills, CSO of Ochre Bio, commented:
“We take huge pride in the world-class scientific and clinical expertise that exists across all levels of the organisation, and are delighted to bring David and Chinwe on board as we begin this next, critical phase of our journey.”
“Their expertise across liver R&D and global drug development will drive us forward, toward the successful development of new, innovative treatments to improve the lives of those suffering from chronic liver disease.”
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Dr. David Coughlan has a wealth of experience establishing, directing and managing international drug and clinical development programs with multinational biotech and pharma companies, from start-up to successful market launch. Earlier in his career, he worked at Merrion Pharmaceuticals plc where he held a number of senior technical and management positions in commercialising global development programs. Dr. Coughlan holds a B.Sc. in Pharmacy and PhD from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, as well as holding Postgraduate Diplomas in Quality Improvement and Financial Management. He is a registered pharmacist, has authored numerous research papers and abstracts within the pharmaceutical field and is a named inventor on a number of patents.
Dr. Chinweike (Chinwe) Ukomadu is a physician-scientist whose career spans academia, clinical care and industry. Chinwe earned his PhD (Physiology) and MD from Yale University and was an internal medicine resident and chief medical resident at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). He completed sub-specialty training in gastroenterology and a post-doctoral fellowship at BWH prior to joining the staff of the hospital and Harvard Medical School with roles as an independent investigator, clinician and educator. After 21 years at BWH, Chinwe was recruited to Novartis Institutes For Biomedical Research (NIBR) and led the pre-clinical and translational strategy in gastroenterology and liver diseases at NIBR as well as providing translational medicine expertise for the entire liver pipeline across Novartis. In 2021, Chinwe joined Takeda Pharmaceuticals, a multinational company as its Head of the GI Therapeutic Area Unit. He is responsible for the gastroenterology pipeline and strategy in research and development, and is a member of the Takeda Research and Development leadership team. Dr. Ukomadu serves on the board of a number of biotech companies.
About Ochre Bio
Ochre Bio is a biotechnology company developing RNA therapies for chronic liver diseases. Using a combination of deep phenotyping, precision RNA medicine, and testing in live human donor livers, Ochre is developing therapies for important liver health challenges, from increasing donor liver supply to reducing cirrhosis complications. Visit: www.ochre-bio.com.
