Jane Osbourn OBEFounder

United Kingdom - Greater Cambridge Area

I have many years of experience of antibody engineering and worked with AstraZeneca (formerly Cambridge Antibody Technology/MedImmune) from 1993. During my time with AstraZeneca I led multiple functional and therapy area teams as well as being Site Leader for the company’s Granta Park facility in Cambridge, UK. I originated several key publications and patents, and have been part of a great team which has contributed to the discovery and development of marketed drugs and more than 40 clinical candidates. In 2019 moved from AZ and am now Chair of Mogrify, a Cambridge-based cell therapy company, and CSO of Alchemab. Alchemab is a pioneering biotech company that harnesses the body’s natural protective response to develop novel antibody therapeutics for hard-to-treat cancers, neurodegenerative conditions and infectious diseases

I was Chair of the Board of Directors of the BioIndustry Association (BIA), until 2020, and remain on the Board of Directors, I am a Director of Babraham Bioscience Technologies, a Director of Cambridge Enterprise and have presented at a number of parliamentary select committees. In 2016 I was recognised by FiercePharma’s “Fierce Women in BioPharma” and PharmaVoice’s “100 most inspiring people”. In June 2019 I was awarded an OBE for services to Human Monoclonal Antibody Drug Research and Development and Biotechnology, and in December 2019 I was awarded the Scrip's Lifetime Achievement Award for contribution to biopharma.

Prior to joining MedImmune, I obtained a degree in Natural Sciences (Biochemistry) from the University of Cambridge and completed a PhD at the John Innes Centre for Plant Science Research in Norwich. This was followed by a postdoctoral position at Rutgers University, New Jersey before I moved into medical research through a British Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Department of Medicine at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.