100 Life Sciences Showcase - The Listing - in association with Milton Park and Freeths Solicitors
The pandemic saw UK life sciences companies thrown into the global spotlight. In this issue of Business & Innovation Magazine, we reveal 100 of the region’s most successful and share some of their innovations...
Definition of a life sciences company: 'A company researching and developing sciences concerned with the study of living organisms. The companies included in our listing are either pre-revenue or already commercialising their research and development.'
The life sciences sector is now among the most valuable and strategically important in the UK economy – and critical to the country’s health, wealth and economic resilience.
The sector generated almost £81 billion in annual turnover in 2019 – a year before Covid-19 came into existence. That was more than two thirds the turnover of the mighty construction sector, which contributed £117 billion. The life sciences sector also employed more than a quarter of a million people across the country.
Investors like a success story. In the first 10 months of 2021, UK life sciences companies raised a total of £6.6 billion in equity finance, according to the government’s Office for Life Sciences. In 2012, the equivalent figure was £0.6 billion. That’s an increase of 1,000 per cent.
But we cannot be complacent. Our competitiveness as a leading global location for life sciences is heavily reliant on a successful, supported and thriving science and research ecosystem.
The pandemic saw UK life sciences companies thrown into the global spotlight. We reveal 100 of the region’s most successful and share some of their innovations Last July, the government published its life sciences vision to help the UK build on its phenomenal pandemic response.
It wants the country to be a science superpower, and for the UK (across government, industry and philanthropy) to invest 2.4 per cent of gross domestic product in research and development by 2027.
The vision acknowledges the diversity of the sector across the UK: that the country’s modern centres of excellence are fed by an ecosystem of entrepreneurs as well as small and large companies, all supported by a world-class academic base in our universities.
In the heart of our region lies not only the UK’s, but also one of Europe’s most successful life sciences clusters, with a track record in establishing and attracting world-leading life sciences businesses. Their research and development is leading a swathe of innovative lifesaving products and therapies.
Business & Innovation Magazine's 100 Life Science Showcase listing - in association with Milton Park and Freeths Solicitors
Abbott Diabetes Care Ltd - Witney and Maidenhead
Abbott Diabetes Care Ltd is part of Abbott Laboratories, the leading global healthcare company. It entered the blood glucose monitoring marketplace after acquiring MediSense in 1996.
Active Needle Technology Ltd - Culham Science Centre, Abingdon
Technology to enable clinicians to perform needle-based procedures safely.
Adaptimmune Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
A leader in T-cell therapy to treat cancer.
Accession Therapeutics - Oxford Business Park
Developing novel immune-oncology therapeutics.
Amsbio Holdings Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Accelerating discovery through life science technology, products and services for research and development in the medical, nutrition, cosmetics and energy industries.
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals - Maidenhead
Develops innovative medicines to transform the lives of patients with inadequate treatment options using gene silencing.
Arctoris Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Combines its unique automation platform with computational approaches and team of seasoned drug hunters to progress its drug discovery programmes in oncology and neurology.
Argonaut Therapeutics Ltd - Oxford Science Park
A spin-out from Oxford University’s Medical Sciences Division focusing on new cancer treatments.
Argonaute RNA Ltd - Bristol
Developing safe and reliable methods of temporarily silencing target genes in different tissue cells.
Bayer UK - Reading
Works across pharmaceuticals, consumer healthcare and crop science, developing new molecules for use in innovative products and solutions to improve the health of humans, animals and plants.
Beckley Psytech Ltd - Oxford
Building a pipeline of psychedelic compounds with distinct clinical attributes for mental and neurological diseases.
Bioarchitech Ltd - Oxford
Developing immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer.
Biocleave Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Develops research use only proteins, for the study of multiple cellular activities such as cell signalling, replication, transcription, and translation.
BioCote Ltd - Coventry
When manufactured into products, Biocote’s antimicrobial additives provide surface protection against microbes such as bacteria and mould, creating more hygienic products with an extended functional lifetime.
BioMe Oxford Ltd - Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Developing a pill-sized medical device for targeted and minimally invasive sampling of the human gut microbiome.
Brainomix Ltd - Banbury
Medical imaging software that interprets brain CT scans of stroke patients.
Carbon Gold Ltd - Bristol
Carbon Gold was founded by Craig Sams, founder of Green & Black’s Chocolate, as an organic, peat-free planting aid.
Celleron Therapeutics Ltd - Oxford Science Park
Global oncology company focused on the clinical development of new and innovative therapies to treat cancer.
Cerus Endovascular Ltd - Oxford Science Park
Privately owned medical device company developing and manufacturing neurovascular products to treatment haemorrhagic strokes.
Chronos Therapeutics Ltd - Oxford Science Park
Developing a portfolio of therapies in degenerative and behavioural brain diseases.
Circadian Therapeutics Ltd - Oxford Innovation Centre
Develops products that target serious diseases associated with circadian rhythm disruption.
Circassia Group Plc - Oxford Science Park
Diagnostics and management company focused on asthma.
ConvaTec Group PLC - Reading
Medical products and technologies company focused on therapies for the management of chronic conditions in advanced wound, ostomy, continence, critical and infusion care.
CryoLogyx Ltd - Coventry
CryoLogyx’s proprietary technology enables it to develop cell models frozen in-plate and ready to use directly from the freezer.
CytoSeek Ltd - Bristol
Artificial membrane binding protein technology to deliver next generation cell therapies.
Cytox Group Ltd - Oxford Science Park
Provides non-invasive, risk assessment and patient stratification tools for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
DJS Antibodies Ltd - Wood Centre For Innovation, Oxford
Aiming to creating the next generation of antibody therapeutics. It uses its HEPTAD platform for antibody discovery to create novel therapeutics.
Ducentis BioTherapeutics Ltd - Witney
Developing novel therapies for inflammation and autoimmune diseases.
Eden Research Plc - Milton Park, Abingdon
Developing sustainable bio-pesticides and plastic-free encapsulation technology for global crop protection, animal health and consumer products.
Emergex Vaccines Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Developing a pipeline of CD8+ T-Cell adaptive vaccines with the potential to deliver long-lasting immunity to reduce serious illness associated with infectious diseases.
Enara Bio Ltd - Oxford Science Park
Advancing novel T-cell receptor directed immunotherapies against unconventional, shared, cancer-specific antigens.
Enesi Pharma Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Developing next-generation vaccination products targeting infectious diseases and emergent threat pathogens.
Everest Biotech Ltd - Bicester
Specialists in anti-peptide and antigen affinity purified goat polyclonal antibodies.
Evotec (UK) Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Discovers and develops effective therapeutics. Assesses disease relevance at the patient-specific level as early as possible.
Evox Therapeutics Ltd - Oxford Science Park
Harnessing the natural delivery capabilities of extracellular vesicles to develop an entirely novel class of biotherapeutics.
ExMoor Pharma Concepts Ltd - Future Space, Bristol
Technical and strategic consultancy specialising in cell and gene therapies (ATMPs) and biopharmaceuticals.
FasT Biopharma Ltd - Watlington
Specialist therapeutics company developing therapeutic antibodies in the field of immuno-oncology.
Ferryx Ltd - Future Space UWE, Bristol
Developing innovative bacterial products for the treatment and prevention of gastrointestinal inflammation in people and animals.
FluoretiQ Ltd - Science Creates, Bristol
Founded to solve the £1.1 billion problem of using broad spectrum antibiotics as an alternative for accurate diagnosis of infection. Developer of Nanoplex, a 15-minute proprietary diagnostic platform for bacterial infections.
GeneFirst Ltd - Culham Science Centre, Abingdon
A molecular diagnostics company working in the fields of infectious disease, cancer diagnostics and personalised medicine.
Genomic Labs Ltd t/a Genomekey - Gloucestershire
Uses DNA sequencing and novel machine learning, to diagnose bacterial presence, species and antimicrobial resistance in hours, not days.
Genomics Plc - Oxford
Pioneering healthcare company that uses large-scale genetic information to develop precision healthcare tools, and to bring new understanding to drug discovery.
Grey Wolf Therapeutics Ltd - Milton Park Innovation Centre Abingdon
Focused on developing novel immuno-oncology agents. Rather than targeting the immune system, Grey Wolf aims to directly alter tumour cells, illuminating them for attack and destruction by the immune system.
Halo Therapeutics Ltd - Science Creates, Bristol
Develops safe pan coronavirus antiviral drugs for Covid-19 that can be administered by patients.
HydRegen Ltd - Oxford
Developing bio-based manufacturing technologies for the fine chemicals and pharmaceutical markets using biocatalysis.
Hypha Discovery Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Specialists in metabolite synthesis, complex purification and structural characterisation for pharma and agrochemical companies worldwide.
Immunocore Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Commercial-stage T cell receptor biotechnology company developing a new generation of medicines to address unmet needs in cancer, infection and autoimmune disease.
Imophoron Ltd - Science Creates, Bristol
Developing a novel, next generation rapid-response vaccine platform called ADDomer, which can be produced and stored at warmer temperatures, removing the need for refrigeration.
Innaxon Ltd - Bristol
Innaxon’s in-house biopharmaceuticals Toll-like Receptor 4 agonists and in-licensed small molecule inhibitors have been shown in proofof-concept pre-clinical studies to treat cancer and prevent serious inflammatory diseases.
Invivo Diagnostics Ltd - Bristol
Developed multiple diagnostic tests that analyse the bacterial, viral and fungal communities of multiple human microbiomes, associated with key host immunological and inflammatory markers.
Ipsen Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Biopharmaceutical company focused on transformative medicines in oncology, rare disease and neuroscience.
Isansys Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Digital healthcare company which has developed the most complete, scalable and simple-to-use advanced patient monitoring platform – the Patient Status Engine.
Lipocast Biotech UK Ltd - Cirencester
Developed a regenerative therapy available for treating horses and dogs.
Ludger Ltd - Culham Science Centre, Abingdon
Specialises in glycomics and glycoanalytical technology to support biopharmaceutical medicine. Technology originated at the University of Oxford and is used in the quality control of FDA and EMA approved biopharmaceuticals.
Medherant Ltd - University Of Warwick Science Park
Developing its novel transdermal drug delivery technology, the TEPI Patch. Transdermal drug delivery can overcome some disadvantages of oral administration, such as spikes in drug levels that can lead to side effects and poor compliance.
Mirada Medical Ltd - Oxford
Diagnostic imaging software that aims to help medical professionals identify cancer.
NanoSyrinx Ltd - University Of Warwick Science Park
Leveraging naturally occurring, protein ‘nanosyringes’, to deliver drugs in a cell specific manner, with nano-scale accuracy.
Neuro Bio Ltd - Culham Science Centre, Abingdon
Privately-owned biotech spun out of Oxford University with a therapeutic focus on neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s.
Novo Nordisk Research Centre Oxford - Oxford
Innovative target discovery and translational research unit with a focus on identifying novel, game-changing therapies for patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases.
Occuity Ltd - Reading
Design of non-contacting optical instruments for use in healthcare diagnostics and monitoring.
OMass Therapeutics Ltd - Oxford Science Park
Identifying new medicines against highly validated but inadequately drugged targets using novel biochemistry, native mass spectrometry and custom chemistry.
Optellum - Oxford
Lung health company, developing products to help clinicians in the management, diagnosis and care of patients.
Orbit Discovery Ltd - Oxford Science Park
Develops innovative drug discovery platforms defined by a unique peptide display engine that deliver novel peptide therapeutic leads.
OrganOx Ltd - Oxford Science Park
Developed a medical device that maintains human livers for transplants during transport and storage.
Orthox Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Tissue regenerative synthetic biology company developing orthopaedic implants manufactured from silk protein.
Owen Mumford Ltd - Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Manufactures innovative range of medical devices and disposables for drug delivery and capillary blood sampling.
Oxford Biomedica plc - Oxford
World leader in gene and cell therapy.
Oxford BioSystems Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Sources reliable, quality in-vitro diagnostics products and research tools for clinical and research laboratories.
Oxford BioTherapeutics Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Focused on first-in-class immune therapies, with special emphasis on improving outcomes for patients with solid tumours who respond poorly to PD-1 inhibitors.
Oxford Genetics Ltd (t/a Oxgene) - Oxford Science Park
Design and engineering for viral vector optimisation and cell line development.
Oxford Immunotec Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Global diagnostic company developing proprietary in vitro diagnostics tests.
Oxford Nanopore Technologies plc - Oxford Science Park
Manufacturing and engineering of genetic sequencing technology.
Oxford Optronix Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Global pioneer in the design and manufacture of sophisticated instrumentation for clinical medicine and the life sciences.
Oxford Vacmedix UK Ltd - Oxford Science Park
Developing therapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer.
Oxitec Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Develops biological solutions to control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock.
OxSonics Ltd - Oxford Science Park
Its SonoTran Platform has been designed to actively enhance the delivery of oncology drugs into solid tumours.
Oxular Ltd - Oxford Science Park
Developing treatments for patients suffering from sight-threatening diseases.
Pathios Therapeutics Ltd - Oxford
Pioneering a proprietary macrophage conditioning approach to treating advanced solid tumours.
Pertinax Pharma Ltd - University of Bristol
Developing smart materials capable of delivering slow-release antiseptic to promote fast wound healing and reduce risk of infection.
Premier Research LLC - Reading
Helps biotech companies transform ideas into reality, targeting unmet needs in analgesia, neuroscience, oncology, paediatrics and rare diseases.
PsiOxus Therapeutics Ltd - Abingdon
Systemic immune oncology products for sustained reprogramming of the tumour micro-environment to overcome resistance to therapy.
Quanta Dialysis Technologies Ltd - Alcester
Developing innovative dialysis products and services.
Replimune Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Pioneering a novel class of tumour-directed oncolytic immunotherapies designed to kill the tumour locally.
RevoluGen Ltd - Ascot, Berkshire
Company commercialising molecular tools with a specific focus on rapidly extracting long and pure DNA fragments from cells.
Rosa Biotech Ltd - Science Creates, Bristol
Aims for early diagnosis of a broad spectrum of diseases by combining the power of protein design and machine learning.
Sense Biodetection Ltd - Abingdon Science Park
Diagnostic technologies which deliver fast, accurate results and offer the flexibility to run one test or dozens at the same time.
Sensium Healthcare Ltd t/a The Surgical Company Group - Milton Park, Abingdon
Sensium is a discreet, wearable, wireless system for monitoring vital signs of patients outside of high acuity areas.
Sensyne Health plc - Oxford Science Park
Clinical artificial intelligence company analysing real-world data to deliver healthcare and life sciences insights.
Sky Medical Technology Ltd - High Wycombe
Develops bioelectronic medicine for clinicians who treat vascular related conditions.
SpyBiotech Ltd - Oxford Business Park
Uses unique protein superglue technology to develop vaccines against infectious disease and cancer.
Summit Therapeutics Plc - Milton Park, Abingdon
A clinical-stage drug discovery and development company.
Systems Biology Laboratory UK CIC - Milton Park, Abingdon
A Community Interest Company dedicated to improving patient treatment through collaborative and clinically focused research.
The Native Antigen Company Ltd - Kidlington
Develops and manufacturers antigens and antibodies.
Theolytics Ltd - Oxford Science Park
Focused on harnessing viruses to combat disease.
Vaccitech plc - Oxford Science Park
T-cell immunotherapy and vaccine company developing products to treat and prevent infectious disease and cancer.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (UK) Ltd - Milton Park, Abingdon
Invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases. The company has multiple approved medicines that treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis.
Vicon Motion Systems Ltd - Oxford Industrial Park
Global leader in motion capture hardware and software, helping track and analyse movement.
Xerion Healthcare Ltd - Bicester
Working to transform radiotherapy for cancer treatment using pioneering nanomedicine technology.
Zentraxa Ltd - Science Creates, Bristol
Specialises in the design, production and testing of novel biomaterials.
This feature has been published inside our May Issue of Business & Innovation Magazine in association with Freeths and Milton Park.
To see the feature in print, read our latest edition online
