Following the full year results on 28th January, CEO Jon Burrows and Chair Matthew Wakefield, gave an update on corporate performance, the company strategy and prospects for the current year. A recording of the webinar is available here.
Matthew started the presentation with a brief introduction explaining how he was first introduced to the Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Alexandre Akoulitchev (Sacha), over 10 years ago. Since then, the development of the technology has progressed expansively, and its efficacy has been proven in many studies just as Sacha predicted. Matthew is clearly excited to have recently joined the firm as their new Chair and stated he was firmly of the belief that the company is on the precipice of the commercialisation of this brilliant technology. He also believes that the new CEO has a clear plan to deliver this commercialisation.
Jon Burrows, the CEO, joined OBD in March 2020. He was attracted to the company by the game changing technology he saw at OBD. His background is in chemistry and molecular biology where he worked for pharma companies in drug discovery, translation medicine and diagnostics. Over the years he has successfully helped to develop drug companies. He first encountered OBD when the company’s work in Immuno-Oncology was published and this convinced him there was a huge opportunity at the company.
Jon started with a brief introduction to the company and its focus on the study of 3D structure of the genome. This 3D structure, also known as a chromosome confirmation signature, is a key determinant of gene regulation. OBD has developed a proprietary technology platform, EpiSwitch, which analyses the 3D structure of the genome to understand gene regulation. It is then able to link the phenotype (the set of observable characteristics of an individual from the interaction of its genotype with the environment) with clinical outcomes. The tests are blood based, characterise the host response to disease, or response to a drug, are based on specific 3D biomarkers and provide binary and actional results.
The company went through a strategy pivot in 2020 moving away from research and development and expanding beyond the pharma and clinical trials work to commercialise the pipeline of opportunities in the diagnostics market.
The first diagnostics test to be launched is a Covid-19 Severity (CS) test which was developed between June and December 2020. In October 2020 OBD carried out some primary market…
