Jeremy Skillington, PhD, CEO, Poolbeg Pharma, 'It's like a checkbox of everything you wanted', episode 64

Investing Matters

As the Biologist, Researcher and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Edward Osborne Wilson stated, “In our attempt to make scientific discoveries every problem is an opportunity and the more difficult the problem the greater will be the importance of its solution”.

With that in mind welcome to this latest episode in the Investing Matters podcast series with the hugely talented and globally respected, Dr. Jeremy Skillington, the Scientist, Biotechnologist, Entrepreneur and CEO of London AIM listed, £50 million market cap Poolbeg Pharma.

Poolbeg Pharma plc is a biopharmaceutical company that is engaged in the development of medicines to address the unmet need for infectious and other prevalent diseases. The Company is involved in the development of a range of pharmaceutical products. Its product pipeline includes POLB 001, POLB 001 Oncology, POLB 001 Influenza, AI Programs, Oral GLP-1R Agonist.

Its POLB 001 aims to target the Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) associated with many cancer immunotherapy treatments which impacts 70% of patients undergoing CAR T or Bispecific Antibody therapy. The company uses artificial intelligence to identify infectious disease drug targets & treatments.

Its Oral GLP-1R Agonist is a delivery system which offers a scalable, natural, Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) approved solution for the oral delivery of metabolic peptide cargo to specific areas of the gut and into systemic circulation for the treatment of diabetes, obesity and other metabolic diseases.

Jeremy whose father worked at a Pfizer manufacturing plant in Cork, Ireland, “Always had an interest in the sciences”. Which would first take him to Munster Technical University where he attained his Diploma in Food Science and Technology, followed by his Biochemistry, Bachelor of Science Degree with Honours from the University of Galway (UoG). He also later attained his Biochemistry PhD from UoG.

After completing his PhD Jeremy did Postdoctoral research at the University of California, San Francisco for three years before entering the Biotech industry in the Business Development group at Genentech in California in 2002. Throughout his time at Genetech up to 2009 Jeremy played a significant role in executing over forty licensing, investment and collaborations with biotech companies globally.

Jeremy recalls, “how he learned so much from this hard-working, driven, smart but friendly and supportive Genetech Business Development team. With two stand out people in those early days, being his hiring manager, Dr Jonathan Lewis, an Oxford educated Immunologist and investment banker, and an industry veteran, Dr Jack Obijeski. Who both took him under their wings and showed him the biotech ropes.

Since returning to Ireland in 2009, Dr Jeremy Skillington has crammed in an awful lot globally, including investing in the Medtech space, being the third employee of the very significant Irish biotech firm Inflazome, which after a mere four years achieved a landmark exit in September 2020 when it was purchased by Swiss drug giant Roche, This after Inflazome’s leadership team with Jeremy heading up its business development had driven its phenomenal success. Then in 2021 he took “the call“ from seasoned serial entrepreneur Cathal Friel to become the CEO of Poolbeg Pharma. Jeremy has held that role since mid-2021 prior to Poolbeg Pharma’s AIM listing in July 2021.

Dr Jeremy Skillington, CEO of Poolbeg Pharma now has over twenty-one years’ experience in the biotech industry, please listen to his fascinatingly insightful Investing Matters interview. As he shares insights on the global and Irish MedTech, Pharma, Biotech industry, angel investing via the Medtech Syndicate, the importance having “skin in the game”, leading and investing his money into Poolbeg Pharma’s long-term potential, due to its world class leadership team and robust pipeline of innovative products and much more.