Alchemab Therapeutics heads for ‘next phase’ led by Jane Osbourn, now CEO
Alchemab’s new CEO is the company’s co-founder and hitherto CSO, Jane Osbourn.
Dr Osbourn brings more than 30 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience to the CEO role and has played a role in creating all aspects of Alchemab’s platform development and drug discovery activities since co-founding the company in 2019 with a mission of using adaptive immunity, ‘nature’s most effective search engine’.
As vice president of R&D at MedImmune, the biologics arm of AstraZeneca - and its Cambridge leader for 17 years - she contributed to the development of antibody phage display technology, and the discovery and development of several marketed antibody therapies including Humira and Imfinzi.
Dr Osbourn, who will continue to chair Cambridge Science Park-based Mogrify, was awarded an OBE and Scrip’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 for services to drug discovery, development and biotechnology. She has served as a director of Babraham Bioscience Technologies, Cambridge Enterprise, the Crick Translational Advisory Group, and was chair of the board of directors of the UK BioIndustry Association.
“Jane’s knowledge of Alchemab and the wider industry is unparalleled,” noted Alchemab chair and managing partner at SV Health Investors, Kate Bingham.
The first CEO at Alchemab was Doug Treco, who was at the helm for an $82million series A raise in April 2021, and resigned in May 2022 citing personal reasons. He was immediately replaced as CEO that May by Young Kwon, a co-founder who served as Alchemab’s chief financial and operating officer from November 2021. Dr Kwon had previously served as chief financial and business officer of Momenta Pharmaceuticals until its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson in October 2020.
Dr Kwon, outgoing CEO of Alchemab, said: “The time is right to hand over the reins to Jane to lead the company as CEO.
“Jane has been my partner in growing Alchemab and has played a central role in establishing the company’s robust, well-tuned antibody discovery platform.
“I am very pleased to hand over to Jane whose scientific and organisational expertise will ensure the successful progress of Alchemab as it enters its next phase of growth.”
“I have had the great pleasure of helping to lead the company since the beginning,” said Dr Osbourn, adding: “We have a fantastic team who have been integral to Alchemab’s growth from a concept through to a robust and novel antibody identifying engine.
“With several novel targets and therapeutic antibodies in preclinical development, I am delighted to lead Alchemab as CEO through this next phase towards achieving our ultimate goal of discovering and developing ground-breaking treatments for patients.”
