NovaBiotics
A Scottish clinical-stage biotechnology group with a pharma division developing first-in-class anti-infective and inflammatory disease candidates and a consumer health arm selling nail, skin, scalp and hair products.
Last updated September 27, 2026
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Overview
NovaBiotics is a clinical-stage biotechnology group based in Aberdeen, Scotland, spun out of the University of Aberdeen's Rowett Research Institute by immunologist Dr Deborah O'Neil, who serves as Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Scientific Officer. The company describes itself as an innovative biotechnology group operating through two divisions: a pharma division with advanced clinical-stage product candidates for medically unmet, life-limiting inflammatory, infectious and respiratory diseases, and a consumer health arm with commercial products for the personal care market addressing nail, skin, scalp and hair issues. The company's stated mission is to develop first-in-class solutions for unmet health and personal care needs. Its pharmaceutical pipeline is anchored in cysteamine-based science. NovaBiotics has collaborated with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) to investigate oral cysteamine bitartrate as a potential new intervention in mycobacterial disease, including tuberculosis (TB), announced on World TB Day 2025. Grant funding from the Medical Research Council has been secured to investigate how cysteamine can boost the immune system's ability to fight TB, and the cysteamine pipeline continues to advance through the LSTM collaboration. On the consumer side, NovaBiotics Consumer Health Ltd markets Tinexyl PRO, described as a first-of-its-kind conditioning product for toenails, available only through UK podiatrists and foot health practitioners. The company has provided positive clinical data updates for this breakthrough toenail health product. NovaBiotics is led by a board and management team with experience in business development and product commercialisation in the healthcare industry. Chairman of the board is Ian Townsend. Founder Deborah O'Neil trained as an immunologist at University College London, UC San Diego and the University of Ghent before moving to Aberdeen. She chairs the Life Sciences board of Opportunity Northeast and BioAberdeen Ltd, and chairs the UK Medicines Discovery Catapult-Cystic Fibrosis Trust AMR syndicate steering group. She was a board member of the UK's BioIndustry Association until January 2024 and a director of the BEAM alliance until March 2023. In 2019 she was named among 20 women leaders in European Biotechnology, in 2018 among the 30 female leaders in UK healthcare, and in 2014 was named Ernst & Young's UK Healthcare Products & Services Entrepreneur of the Year. She was made OBE in the Queen's 2020 birthday honours list for services to biotechnology, industry and charity. The company is privately held and headquartered in Aberdeen, United Kingdom. It addresses significant global markets through what it describes as highly disruptive solutions to personal care and health needs.
History
NovaBiotics was spun out of the University of Aberdeen's Rowett Research Institute by immunologist Dr Deborah O'Neil, who trained at University College London, UC San Diego and the University of Ghent before moving to Aberdeen. O'Neil serves as Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Scientific Officer of the company, which is headquartered in Aberdeen, United Kingdom. The company has developed into an innovative biotechnology group with two divisions. Its pharma division focuses on advanced clinical-stage product candidates for medically unmet, life-limiting inflammatory, infectious and respiratory diseases. Its consumer health arm, NovaBiotics Consumer Health Ltd, has commercial products for the personal care market addressing nail, skin, scalp and hair issues. A central thread of NovaBiotics' pharmaceutical work is cysteamine science. On World TB Day 2025, NovaBiotics Ltd and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) announced a collaboration to investigate the use of oral cysteamine bitartrate in the treatment of mycobacterial disease, including tuberculosis (TB). Grant funding from the Medical Research Council was subsequently secured to investigate how cysteamine can boost the immune system's ability to fight TB, and by July 2026 the company reported that its cysteamine pipeline continued to advance through the LSTM collaboration. On the consumer health side, NovaBiotics developed and its consumer health subsidiary markets Tinexyl PRO, described as a first-of-its-kind conditioning product for toenails, available only through UK podiatrists and foot health practitioners. The company has provided positive clinical data updates for the product. NovaBiotics is led by a board and management team with experience in business development and product commercialisation in the healthcare industry. Ian Townsend serves as Chairman of the Board. Founder Deborah O'Neil chairs the Life Sciences board of Opportunity Northeast and BioAberdeen Ltd, and chairs the UK Medicines Discovery Catapult-Cystic Fibrosis Trust AMR syndicate steering group. She was a board member of the UK's BioIndustry Association until January 2024 and a director of the BEAM alliance until March 2023. Her recognitions include being named among 20 women leaders in European Biotechnology in 2019, among the 30 female leaders in UK healthcare in 2018, and Ernst & Young's UK Healthcare Products & Services Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014. She was made OBE in the Queen's 2020 birthday honours list for services to biotechnology, industry and charity.
On World TB Day 2025, NovaBiotics Ltd and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine announced a collaboration to investigate oral cysteamine bitartrate in the treatment of mycobacterial disease, including tuberculosis.
NovaBiotics reported that its cysteamine pipeline continues to advance through its collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, with Medical Research Council grant funding secured to investigate how cysteamine can boost the immune system's ability to fight TB.
Products and positioning
Clinical-stage biotechnology group developing first-in-class solutions for unmet health and personal care needs across pharma and consumer health divisions.
Tinexyl PRO
A first-of-its-kind conditioning product for toenails, marketed by NovaBiotics Consumer Health Ltd and developed by NovaBiotics, available only through UK podiatrists and foot health practitioners.
Cysteamine bitartrate pipeline
Advanced clinical-stage product candidates being investigated for mycobacterial disease including tuberculosis, in collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Recent events
NovaBiotics NM002 included in REMAP-CAP Phase 3 trial[4]
Reported:
NovaBiotics announced that its intravenous cysteamine bitartrate candidate NM002 was included in the global REMAP-CAP Phase 3 clinical trial for community acquired pneumonia. NovaBiotics provided doses for the initial UK phase and developed a manufacturing process to supply the rest of the trial.
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