The Biochemist spoke to Deborah O’Neil, the CEO and founder of NovaBiotics, to find out about her journey to commercialization of her research. A biotechnology entrepreneur and immunologist by training, Deborah has over two decades of experience in drug discovery and development and was named as one of the 20 women leaders in European biotech in 2019. In 2020, Deborah was made OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for services to biotechnology, industry and charity. Deborah studied at University College London and then worked in postdoctoral positions in internationally acclaimed laboratories in San Diego and Ghent before moving to Aberdeen (to the Rowett Research Institute, now part of the University of Aberdeen) where she founded NovaBiotics in 2004.