Ros Deegan is an industry leader and the CEO of OMass Therapeutics, an Oxford-based biotechnology company discovering medicines against highly-validated target ecosystems, such as membrane proteins or intracellular complexes.  

OMass’s MC2 program targeting Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, or CAH, is set to enter the clinic this year and in our interview today she walks me through how the company is preparing for their trials, how their approach differs to existing treatment options, and the impact on patient lives they hope to have. A leader in the UK biopharma industry, she also explains the strengths of the UK industry and how it can maintain an edge in the face of competition from Europe and the US.

01:07   Meet Ros Deegan

02:36   Cambridge and INSEAD

04:24   Building industry experience

05:16   Biotech in the US vs Biotech in the UK

06:19   OMass: mission and ambition

07:16   Funding the mission

08:18   The importance of partnerships

09:17   Industry and government

10:37   OMass and CAH

13:11   The differentiator for patient outcomes

14:49   Into the clinic in 2025

16:31   CAH patients and patient groups

19:29   The importance of hiring the right people

20:55   The Oxford ‘brand’ in biotechnology

22:17   Preparing for the clinic

23:43   Regulation and manufacturing

26:17   Partnering with top pharma

27:35   The importance of building value

28:41   How the UK can compete on a global scale

30:39   What’s next for OMass

32:59   The future of targeting rare disease

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• 10 biotech companies making a difference in rare diseases
• Rare Disease Day: seven drugs awaiting approval in 2025