Mark O'Neill and Moayed Hamza | HAON

Mark O'Neill and Moayed Hamza talk to us about their new biotech, HAON

Having worked closely together in the biotech space for a number of years, UCD alumnus and entrepreneur Mark O'Neill (BComm) and Dr Moayed Hamza (a former researcher in UCD School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems) are now on a mission to build an Irish-headquartered, global pharma company with significant impact.

The ambitious duo, with complementary skill sets in business and clinical research, are co-founders of new Irish biotech (opens in a new window)HAON Life Science. The company has developed a novel cell therapy technology with the potential to transform paediatric care for newborn babies with brain injuries and children with cerebral palsy.

Harnessing the therapeutic power of stem cells

In a nutshell, HAON has acquired a patent-protected technology from the University of Queensland in Australia that can extract stem cells from healthy, full-term placentas. They have identified two particular cells that work together to repair damage caused by brain injury. HAON is initially focusing on developing a therapy for neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), which is caused by lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain around the time of birth.

These cells have enormous potential to treat a variety of neurodegenerative diseases in both children and adults. Mark explains why HAON is targeting HIE first: 

"HIE is a leading cause of infant mortality globally. It causes 22% of neonatal deaths worldwide and has a variety of dire long-term consequences, including high rates of cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Yet the only treatment currently available is therapeutic cooling immediately after birth. A lot of drug development is focused on end-of-life care, but there’s significantly less investment in paediatrics. Developing an approved therapy for HIE is one of the highest unmet needs globally, and it’s an area where we can have a life-changing impact."

A lot of drug development is focused on end-of-life care, but there’s significantly less investment in paediatrics."

"Our platform technology has multiple applications that could have a dramatic impact not only on babies but also on other children with cerebral palsy and older people with a variety of neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer's" Moayed adds. "In developing the treatment for HIE, we’ll have answered so many questions that will make it much easier to develop other new treatments for children and adults with a variety of brain conditions. HAON will develop some applications internally and look to partner with other pharma companies to develop other applications."

Developing an approved therapy for HIE is one of the highest unmet needs globally, and it’s an area where we can have a life-changing impact."

An Irish success story

With advanced preclinical data showing huge promise and the various regulatory opportunities for rare, paediatric disorders, Mark and Moayed expect their cell therapy could be available to patients within 5 years. Clinical trials will be led out of Ireland and the product will be manufactured in Ireland, led by HAON working with partners locally.

The company has received seed funding from (opens in a new window)Enterprise Ireland as a High-Potential Start-Up and is currently on a mission to raise additional capital before exploring various partnerships on offer, including a potential early public listing.

It's an exciting time for biotech innovation in Ireland.

Advice for current students

We asked Mark what advice he would give to current students and here’s what he said:

"If you are interested in entrepreneurship the road is long, but you are rich with time. Counter to some outliers, most people who build significant businesses are in their 40s. In your 20s you should work and learn in areas that you are genuinely passionate about, try and be entrepreneurial within an organisation that facilitates it and see how it fits. Do, learn and readjust. The business you were meant to create may take time to reveal itself."

For more information about HAON, contact Mark and Moayed at (opens in a new window)info@haonco.com