Ochre Bio

🚀 Announcing our new multi-year data licence agreement with GSK to investigate the drivers of liver disease! This partnership will provide GSK with access to our advanced computational biology, cellular and perfused human organ platforms to generate proprietary human liver datasets. The data will be used by both GSK and Ochre Bio to build better AI models – allowing for fewer, but more precise, experiments to aid in target choice. The deal has a total value of up to $37.5m for both co-exclusive and non-exclusive data licences. "Data innovation is as important as algorithmic innovation when investing in ML workflows. Both Ochre Bio and GSK share a commitment to providing liver disease patients with more effective medicines and believe in the power of computational modelling to improve therapeutic discovery. These large-scale, causal human datasets will be foundational for our respective liver pipelines." - Jack O'Meara, Co-Founder and CEO. Read our full announcement ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eeETgHV6 #TeamOchre #biotech #genomics #LiverDisease BACKED VC Khosla Ventures Norrsken VC BoxOne Ventures Hoxton Ventures Apollo Ventures Y Combinator LifeLink Ventures Taavet+Sten SSI Strategy Entrepreneur First Pledge Ventures Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.

We’re welcoming three new brilliant minds to Team Ochre! 👋 Meet them below: 🔬 Ed O'Neill Scientist I – fresh from his PhD at Durham University, Ed explored the effects of Wnt signalling on cytokinesis. Before that, he was at MRC Harwell, developing CRISPR-engineered mice. 👨⚕️ Mateo Noriega, Clinical Research Scientist – Mateo is a fully trained General Surgeon from Argentina, with hands-on experience from Weill Cornell's Liver Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery program. Outside work, he’s a passionate cook, theatre-goer, and loves to explore city bookstores. 🦠 Cho-Chin Cheng, Scientist II – with a PhD from the Technical University of Munich, Cho-Chin specialises in virology, immunology and molecular biology research! Welcome aboard, Ed, Mateo, and Cho-Chin!

Our Founder and CSO, Quin Wills, recently joined the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) in San Diego, for one of the biggest annual gatherings in hepatology. AASLD is renowned for presenting the latest advancements in hepatology, from foundational science to impactful clinical trials. Here are some of Quin's key takeaways ⬇️ 🔸 Madrigal is paving the way for F2/F3 MASH treatments, setting the stage for future therapies with better efficacy to meet unmet needs in later-stage patients. 🔸 GLP1 and incretin therapies are showing strong results in resolving steatohepatitis, raising the bar for new MASH treatments. 🔸 Human-relevant fibrosis modelling, including regeneration and disease regression, remains a significant challenge for the industry. Missed the conference? Feel free to reach out with any questions or drop Quin a comment below!

🌟 Ochre Bio has been named one of the “7 Oxford-based startups to watch” by top investors in Sifted! Nominated by John W Cassidy, at Kindred Capital VC, for our work combining human data, computational biology, and human translational models to develop RNA therapies for chronic liver dieases, we're delighted to be named alongside some of Oxford's finest biotech innovators. Oxford’s biotech scene can often be overshadowed by London and Cambridge, so we're glad to see the city recognised for its talent and innovation, as well as its investor activity. Thank you to Sifted for the feature. View the full shortlist ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ecNjxxP8

🎉 Ochre Bio was a finalist for the 'Deal of the Year over €500M' at the European Lifestars Awards - Celebrating Life Science Leaders - Celebrating Life Science Leaders! Our partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim, worth up to $1 Billion to transform treatment for late-stage liver diseases, has been recognised as one of the top deals in Europe. We were honoured to have our work acknowledged by Europe’s leading life science investors and strategists, and contribute to the UK & Ireland winning region of the year. To top that, our partner GSK won 'BD Team of the Year', with our deal being highlighted as contributing to their award. A huge thank you to our team, partners, and everyone who has supported us on this journey!

🧬 Shedding light on the complexity of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs)… HSCs play a pivotal role in the progression from liver fibrosis to cirrhosis. These diverse cells can perform many functions: 🔸 The "good" – maintaining essential liver functions 🔸 The "bad" – emerging during fibrosis 🔸 And the "ugly" – promoting hepatocellular carcinoma Research published earlier this year describes how scientists, using single-cell RNA sequencing, have mapped this diversity – revealing how HSC subpopulations shift in liver disease states. This balance between protective and harmful cell types can shape disease outcomes, and potential therapeutic avenues. By untangling the different phenotypes between these disease states, we focus on developing RNA therapies targeting genes with the potential to impact liver disease progression in the right cell type, at the right time. Read the paper published in Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology: https://lnkd.in/gHVc2UKt

Celebrating 5 years of Ochre Bio! 🎂🎉 Over the last half a decade (!) we’ve made great strides in our mission to tackle chronic liver disease, achieving some bucket-list milestones such as: 💰 Raised $9.6m Seed to build a discovery platform and a $30 million Series A to fund our discovery and validation platforms 📝 Signed a contract with Gilead Sciences to explore drivers of liver disease 🫀 Partnered with OrganOx to launch the world's only organ perfusion lab in NY for liver disease R&D 🤝 Announced collaborations with Boehringer Ingelheim & GSK for advancing liver disease treatment 📈 Grew our team to 50 global employees 🚀 Developed and progressing an internal pipeline ✍️ Landed some incredible press coverage, including in the Financial Times, Endpoints News, BBC Click, Fierce Biotech and recognised by Sifted, EU-Startups and more as a company to watch A huge thank you to everyone at Ochre Bio for your dedication and hard work – this journey wouldn’t be the same without you!

“Ochre's strong commitment to liver diseases and differentiated drug discovery platforms were a huge attraction” – Jack Castle 👋 Meet Jack, our Head of Corporate Development & Business Operations at Ochre Bio. Jack holds a degree in Applied Economics from Cornell University and has a diverse career background: from investment banking at Citi to health economics initiatives with the Clinton Health Access Initiative. He later transitioned into life sciences as a consultant at Deloitte, where he led projects for pharma giants like Novo Nordisk, Roche, and Takeda. Since joining Ochre Bio in 2021, Jack has been instrumental in driving our corporate strategy, business development, and overseeing critical operations as we scale, ensuring our mission to tackle chronic liver disease stays on course. We asked Jack what he enjoys most about working at Ochre Bio – here’s what he shared 👇 #TeamOchre #Biotech #Genomics #LiverDisease

Catch Quin Wills, our Co-Founder & CSO, and Jack Castle, Head of Corporate Development & Business Operations in Massachusetts, later this month. Here’s where to find them: 📅 20 November 📍Arias Liver Symposium 🇺🇸 Cambridge, MA 👥 Quin Wills Quin will be presenting in the following session: 13:55 – Developing Cirrhosis Therapies: The Three Grand Challenges Full Programme: https://lnkd.in/eYEHsgg3 📅 19-21 November 📍Antifibrotic Drug Development Summit 🇺🇸 Boston, MA 👥 Quin Wills and Jack Castle On the 20th, Jack will be presenting in the following sessions: 16:00 – Shaping the future of antifibrotic therapeutics 17:00 – Collaborative strategies in antifibrotic drug development Full Programme: https://lnkd.in/eFtxpUZM If you're at either conference, reach out to Quin and Jack to arrange a meeting! ☕️ #TeamOchre #Biotech #Genomics #LiverDisease

📈 Liver disease has risen by 115% in the Middle East and North Africa A study released last week shows that the incidence of cirrhosis and other chronic liver disease has surged over the last 3 decades – a silent yet heavy burden on Middle Eastern and North African healthcare. While advances in care have cut mortality rates by 54%, treatment options remain limited – with liver transplants often the only path forward for many. Developing better therapies for patients worldwide should be a priority, but it relies on access to diverse human data, which is why research like this and across varied patient groups is so critical. At Ochre Bio, we’re driven to tackle these urgent challenges head-on by developing RNA therapies that target chronic liver disease. Our focus on deep phenotyping and human-first validation brings us closer to solutions that can alter the progression of disease – potentially providing a future where fewer patients rely on transplants. We're always looking for ways to expand our discovery data, including liver samples from MENA and Asia, to ensure our treatments are globally effective. If you have access to liver tissue samples in these regions, please get in touch. Read the BMC Public Health paper ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eDzFQ_q5 #TeamOchre #Biotech #Genomics #LiverDisease