RNA therapeutics developer Ochre Bio has appointed Dr Elaine Sullivan as senior independent non-executive director, marking a strategic board-level addition as the Oxford-based company scales its efforts in chronic liver disease research.

Sullivan brings more than two decades of pharmaceutical leadership experience, having previously held global roles at Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca. At Lilly, she managed a $100 million external R&D fund, while at AstraZeneca, she oversaw international teams focused on early-stage innovation and external partnerships. In addition to executive roles, she has held several non-executive directorships across the biotech sector, contributing to business development, clinical translation, and strategic growth.

Her appointment comes at a time when Ochre Bio is advancing RNA-based approaches to treat chronic liver diseases—a therapeutic area with limited options beyond transplant and rising global incidence.

“Ochre’s work combining AI with human data to discover RNA therapeutics could radically change the future of liver disease medicine,” said Sullivan.

“This approach is highly innovative and particularly significant as levels of chronic liver disease continue to rise globally. I look forward to supporting Ochre Bio’s development at this dynamic moment in its journey.”

Ochre Bio’s platform combines computational discovery with ex vivo human liver models to identify and validate RNA-based drug targets. The company is headquartered in Oxford, with research operations in New York and Taipei. It is currently engaged in multi-million-pound partnerships with GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim.

Alongside the board appointment, the company has expanded its scientific team with two senior hires. Dr Julian Maller joins as head of in silico biology, bringing 15 years of experience in computational biology and genomics to support target discovery and validation. Dr Sarah Batey joins as head of portfolio development & scientific operations, with a background in advancing drug candidates toward the clinic.

Quin Wills, co-founder and chief scientific officer at Ochre Bio, said: “Elaine’s strategic insight and deep understanding of how to build successful pipelines and biotechnology companies will be invaluable as we continue developing our human data-driven platform and ex vivo liver models. I could not be more excited to welcome Elaine to the next phase of Ochre’s ambitions.”

The leadership additions reflect Ochre Bio’s preparations for clinical development of its RNA candidates, targeting unmet needs in hepatology.