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About o2h Plug-in Biotech

o2h Discovery has launched o2h Plug-in Biotech, a new dedicated service designed to help early-stage biotech companies establish and scale subsidiary-like operations in the UK and India. Changing the business model from Contract Research Organisation (CRO) to Contract Discovery Organisation (CDO), the plug-in biotech is a plug-and-play operational platform that will enable biotech founders and executives to retain strategic control while outsourcing execution and administrative functions to o2h’s expert teams on both sides of the world.

By adopting a hybrid model, biotech companies can gain a competitive edge by splitting their focus. Execution-driven operations and administrative tasks can be managed by our team in both UK and India for speed and efficiency, while strategic leadership remain with the biotech head office. This enables Boards and C-Suites to stay focused on high-impact areas—advancing pipelines, maximising licensing opportunities, and securing funding and grants—ensuring their attention remains at the forefront of innovation.

With over two decades of experience in delivering insight-driven integrated drug discovery services, o2h operates from state-of-the-art facilities in Cambridge, UK, and Ahmedabad, India. We understand the challenges of setting up and managing biotech operations, which is why o2h Plug-in Biotech provides strategic support across key functions, including:

  1. 1. Chemistry, Biology, PR&D/Scale-up
  2. 2. Tech & AI
  3. 3. Board, Licensing and BD support
  4. 4. Project Management
  5. 5. Legal Services*
  6. 6. Accounts & Finance
  7. 7. Supply Chain Management
  8. 8. Office Management & Admin Support
  9. 9. Marketing
  10. 10. HR & Talent Management

We empower biotech companies to focus entirely on scientific innovation, without losing momentum on operational challenges and complexities by taking care of these critical functions.

(*We can offer legal support as part of a plug-in biotech but due to the variable nature of any legal work required from our partners we will be happy to discuss or customise those requirements on application.)

How do we help you?

We will provide all the required services to help you smoothly set
up and run your biotech operations
Route

Plug-in Biotech

plugin biotech

Head-office

headoffice
Chemistry/Biology, PR&D/Scale-up

Dedicated FTE’s or labs with the latest equipment, and experienced scientists to support your research needs.

Tech & AI

IT support, security management, data management, digital development and AI-driven solutions to enhance your biotech operations.

Board, Licensing and BD support

We can add board members, licensing and BD capabilities to support from the UK to support asset value creation opportunities.

Project Management

Streamlining your drug discovery projects from inception to completion, ensuring timely delivery and optimal efficiency.

Legal Services

Legal assistance for regulatory compliance, intellectual property protection, contract management, and more.

Supply Chain Management

End-to-end supply chain solutions, ensuring timely procurement and delivery of necessary materials.

Accounts & Finance

Comprehensive financial services including bookkeeping, payroll, tax compliance, and financial reporting.

HR, EA & Office Admin Management

End-to-end support across recruitment, compliance, employee benefits, facilities, admin, executive and daily operations.

Marketing Support

Branding, digital marketing, content creation, and outreach strategies to amplify your presence.

Head-office

headoffice
Scientific decision-making & Licensing

Focus on advancing your therapeutics pipeline while accessing top scientific expertise for decision-making and licensing.

Board & C-Suite

Keep key leadership resources close to ensure aligned vision, faster decisions, and a stronger strategic advantage.

Funding & Grants

Maximise investment opportunities without distractions from backend execution.

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Why choose us?

We will provide all the important and necessary services to help
you smoothly set up your biotech subsidiary.
Scalability

Scalability

Our state-of the-art infrastructure and industry expertise support seamless expansion, whether you're launching a startup or scaling an established biotech operation. We can assist with smooth transitions at every growth stage.

skills & talent

Skills & Talent

With over two decades of experience, we have deep insights in the sector ensuring you have the right team to drive innovation.

speed

Speedy Execution

Our proven processes, honed over decades in life sciences services, enable rapid and efficient project execution. Real-time communication and KPI’s, we help you meet critical deadlines without compromising quality.

About o2h discovery

Founded in 2005, o2h discovery has a multi-modality integrated drug discovery platform, operating from Cambridge, UK, and Ahmedabad, India. We have the in-house capability to execute hit-lead-optimization programs leading into patent and IND filing with expertise in discovery chemistry, biology, pharmacology, and the ongoing project management of pre-clinical development.

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Our team

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Prashant Shah

CEO - o2h discovery and Co-Founder - o2h group

Prashant's Biography

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Prashant Shah

CEO - o2h discovery and Co-Founder - o2h group

Prashant is a serial entrepreneur in life sciences and tech in which one of those companies was acquired by a public company. He is currently active in seed investing (a portfolio of ~50 companies), product/IP development, services, and building lab/office infrastructure. The early career was with the Strategy group at Accenture. He has a BEng, an MSc, in which he worked on the Human Genome Program at the Sanger Centre, and an MPhil in Management from the Judge Institute. Prashant is also a General Partner in the o2h SEIS/EIS Human Health Funds.


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Sunil Shah

CEO - o2h Ventures and Co-Founder - o2h discovery

Sunil's Biography

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Sunil Shah

CEO - o2h Ventures and Co-Founder - o2h discovery

A serial entrepreneur having begun a career in the Life Sciences team at PA Consulting group followed by co-founding two companies in the information technology and life sciences sector. The second of these companies, Oxygen Healthcare Ltd was acquired by Piramal Enterprises Ltd (BSE: PEL). Sunil co-founded o2h ventures which involves discovery services / collaborations, seeding drug discovery, academic in-licensing and biotechnology incubation. Sunil has a degree in Biochemistry and an MBA from Cambridge University.


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Catherine Stace

Vice President - Business Development (East Coast USA) & Strategic Relationships

Catherine's Biography

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Catherine Stace

Vice President - Business Development (East Coast USA) & Strategic Relationships

Catherine holds over 18 years of post-doctoral experience in therapeutic discovery, with strategic roles in biotechnology, consultancy, and CRO organizations. She has contributed to small molecule therapeutics, peptides, health tech, and engineering. She started her career at Isogenica and Bicycle Therapeutics, establishing therapeutic platforms and discovery programs. She has also consulted for various biotech and health tech start-ups to develop platform technologies at the intersection of biology and engineering. Before joining o2h, she was EVP of Business Development at Domainex, collaborating with companies in the UK, USA, and Europe. She has completed an MSc in Biochemistry from Nottingham, a PhD in Cell Biology from Cambridge, and an MBA from the Open University.


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Andy Morley

Chief Scientific Officer

Andy's Biography

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Andy Morley

Chief Scientific Officer

Andy is the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at o2h Discovery. He also leads scientific evaluations for investments and provides strategic scientific support across key portfolio projects for o2h Ventures. With over 25 years of experience as a Medicinal Chemist, Andy has worked with major pharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi-Aventis and AstraZeneca. He has contributed across all phases of drug discovery and has played a key role in advancing five candidates into clinical trials. Andy is also the author and inventor of over 55 publications and patents.


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Nilesh Dagia

Chief Special Projects Officer

Nilesh's Biography

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Nilesh Dagia

Chief Special Projects Officer

Nilesh leads the global operations of o2h group covering a wide range of innovation led investment, life-science and technology businesses. He is also overseeing the development and execution of the new o2h discovery Shirish Research Centre in Ahmedabad, India. Prior to joining o2h group, Nilesh worked with Piramal Group in various capacities including as an Alliance Manager for a risk-share oncology-based collaboration with a US Big Pharma and has also worked as the Head of Biology in Piramal Discovery solutions. Nilesh obtained his Ph.D. from Ohio University and completed a post-doc in Immunology, Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is the author and inventor of >30 life science patents and publications. He received the Young Scientist of India award from OPPI in 2010.


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Gayathri Sadasivam

Vice President - Biology

Gayathri's Biography

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Gayathri Sadasivam

Vice President - Biology

Gayathri leads the biology capabilities in Ahmedabad, India and Cambridge, UK. She also significantly contributes to the business development with the o2h customers world-wide, understanding the market requirements, contributing to technology transfer and investment evaluations. Prior to this, she has worked for more than 2 decades in different therapeutic areas in both industry and academia. She has led multiple programs in drug discovery projects through lead optimization to candidate selection and further development to late stage clinical trials. She has worked in a multi-disciplinary environment, leading chemical biology efforts creating chemical tools that modulate novel class of “undruggable” targets. Gayathri has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Brain Research Institute, Zurich, Switzerland.


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Tejas Upadhyay

Vice President - Business Development (USA)

Tejas's Biography

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Tejas Upadhyay

Vice President - Business Development (USA)

Tejas holds a master’s degree from Gujarat University, earned his PhD in India, and gained valuable post-doctoral experience at the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom. His professional journey commenced at Alembic, and he has since contributed his expertise to several contract research organisations, including Evotec, o2h, and Piramal. Currently, he oversees all projects in the USA region. With a background in chemistry, he boasts over two decades of experience in the field of preclinical drug discovery.


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Claudio Dagostin

Vice President - Business Development (UK & Europe)

Claudio's Biography

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Claudio Dagostin

Vice President - Business Development (UK & Europe)

Claudio obtained his PhD in Chemistry (Mechanisms of Organic Reactions) from the University of Rome in 2000. He went for a post-doc at Imperial College London where he worked on Alzheimer’s disease chemical probes. In 2004, he started working in several companies in the Cambridge biotech cluster where he deepened his knowledge in Medicinal Chemistry and in Fragment Based Drug Design. In 2012, he went back to academia at Cambridge University where he investigated challenging drug targets such as protein-protein interactions. He also co-founded the Entrepreneurial Postdocs of Cambridge (EPOC) society in 2015 to support postdocs in their pursuit of entrepreneurial careers. In 2017, joined Capital Cell with a role in Business Development, then Abzena in Cambridge and finally o2h in January 2021.


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