Bionow Newsletter April

Companies

Myconostica Ltd closes oversubscribed £3.9m round and establishes US headquarters in Charleston
On 9 April, Manchester based Myconostica Ltd announced that it has closed a £3.9m oversubscribed round of financing from a number of leading international private equity investors. The new funds will be used to launch the company's first two products and establish new US headquarters in Charleston, SC. Myconostica which was formed in 2006 as a spin out from the University of Manchester, is developing and commercializing tests based on highly specific genetic 'signatures' unique to each disease which allow faster and much more precise diagnosis. These 'molecular diagnostics' are simple and can detect multiple fungi in a single process.

SHS International £6.3m expansion
SHS International is planning to invest £6.3m into the expansion of its nutritional food products factory in Liverpool. This includes the creation of 59 jobs.

£1.4m new capital for Auralis
Pharmaceutical firm Auralis announced on 9 April that it has received a £1.4m investment boost from Aquarius Equity Partners. Auralis, which is based at the Daresbury Innovation Centre and supplies critical care drugs to the NHS, is projecting sales of £5m for this financial year. This is the first investment for Aquarius following the closure of its £20m Northern Entrepreneurs Fund, which targets equity investments of between £750,000 and £2m in fast-growing companies across the North of England.

Acquisition of Speciality European Pharma International AG
The board of Maelor plc, the specialist hospital medicines group based in Chester, announced the acquisition of Speciality European Pharma International (SEPI) on 28 March. SEPI AG, a Swiss based pharmaceutical company with a profitable portfolio of specialist hospital pharmaceutical products, is being acquired for an initial cash consideration of £9.25m and up to a further £5m in deferred consideration, conditional on SEPI AG meeting certain regulatory criteria and sales targets.

Intertek acquires 4 Front Research
Cheshire based Intertek, a global leader in providing quality and safety solutions to a wide range of industries around the world, announced on 11 April that it had acquired 4 Front Research for an initial £6m. 4 Front Research is a Northwest based principal provider of clinical research studies on an array of consumer products such as cosmetics, food, over-the-counter pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Manchester based Spin-off company may fetch £1m
A technology company which began life in the laboratories of Manchester University could be on the brink of a £1m sale. Microarray was founded in 1999 to develop ultra-sensitive electrochemical sensors which can be used to assess water quality, medical complaints and environmental conditions. Analytical Nano Technologies has obtained a licence to use Microarray's technology, and Antnano has also secured the option to buy the company for £1m if it is successfully floated on AIM before the end of June.

People & Jobs

Showcasing top women in science, engineering and technology
One of the University of Manchester's best known scientists has been included in a prestigious photographic exhibition showcasing some of the top women working in science, engineering and technology (SET). Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, who is the University's Deputy President and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, has had her portrait included in the 'Women of Outstanding Achievement in SET' photographic exhibition.

Events

The Future of Medical Textiles in Healthcare Event
Medilink North West in conjunction with TechniTex are running 'The Future of Medical Textiles in Healthcare' event on 21 May at Manchester Conference Centre. The programme includes a host of high profile speakers including Lord Haskel (Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords), Professor Richard James (University of Nottingham), Professor Keith Harding (Cardiff University) and Professor Subhash Anand (newly elected president of the Textile Institute). The event is free and delegates can register by visiting http://www.daionline.co.uk/2384/index.html

Merseyside Biomedical Conference - Liverpool
Bionow, the NWDA's biomedical cluster, is pleased to announce that it is hosting a 2 day biomedical conference at the Crowne Plaza, Liverpool with an evening reception at the new Hard Day's Night Hotel on 9^th and 10^th June 2008. The event which is free to attend is aimed at showcasing the biomedical strengths of the Northwest of England with a particular focus on the Liverpool City Region. If you require any further information, please email bionow@nwda.co.uk or visit www.bionow.co.uk/bionow-events.html

Bionow Event system updated
The Bionow website now has a fully integrated events registration page for all our forthcoming events including networking evenings and the Merseyside Biomedical Conference. For further information email bionow@nwda.co.uk or visit www.bionow.co.uk/bionow-events.html to register for access.

Information

Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus set to grow with a £25m investment
The Minister for Science and Innovation, Ian Pearson, visited the Daresbury Science & Innovation Campus on 2 April to announce an agreement that will realise the development of the crucial next phase of the Campus. A new development across nine acres of land will deliver more than £25m of investment with the potential for up to 200,000 sq ft of new accommodation and up to 1200 jobs. The new development adjoins the existing Daresbury Innovation Centre and the Cockcroft Institute.

Board appointed to boost UK LifeSciences on global stage
Leading figures in the North West's biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors have been appointed to a high-powered government body to promote life sciences worldwide in the face of growing competition from abroad. Trade and Investment Minister Lord Digby Jones announced the board on 6 April which includes members from business, government and academia, they include Dr Kevin Cox, former president of Manchester based Avecia and current chairman of the Bionow steering committee, and Professor Mark Ferguson, co-founder and Chief Executive of Renovo. The 12 strong UK LifeScience Marketing Strategy Implementation Board is led by Chris Brinsmead, President of AstraZeneca UK.

Free on-demand biopharmaceutical webinars from Waters Corporation Scientists eager to learn about the capabilities of mass spectrometry for biopharmaceutical protein characterization need to view 'Recent Developments in Intact Protein Mass Analysis for Biotherapeutics'. This webinar is for any scientist whose research focus encompasses protein production or characterization. To view visit www.waters.com/biopharma

Call for applications: CASE Awards
In collaboration with the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC), the Northwest Development Agency invites application for one of two EPSRC PhD Industrial CASE studentships. These awards enable companies to take the lead in defining and setting up research projects with a research organisation of their choice. Projects must be in engineering or physical sciences and jointly supervised by the academic and industrial partners. The deadline for applications is 30 June 2008. An application form and guidance notes can be downloaded from www.northwestscience.co.uk

Northwest firms can be the best with support from knowledge to innovate
The Northwest Development Agency has launched the Knowledge to Innovate (k2i) Programme for small and medium sized enterprises with the potential to grow and develop. It will provide companies with free assistance tailor-made to their particular strengths and weaknesses, and is designed to increase their competitiveness and boost business. K2i will work with companies across the broad spectrum of their innovation needs, including product/service development, approach to market and innovation within their business processes. Companies interested in finding out more visit www.k2i.org.uk

Bionow Readers
Bionow are constantly striving to produce the most up to date monthly newsletter for our colleagues, and would welcome any news stories or information relating to biomedical businesses and individuals, which highlights the fantastic work that is being done in the North West. If you would like to include a short article in the May edition of the newsletter, please forward the story to helen.williams@nwda.co.uk.

Research

£35m Biomedical Research Centre to boost patient care
Medical researchers at the University of Manchester are celebrating the groundbreaking announcement by the Department of Health that the city will be home to a new £35m Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The BRC will be run by a partnership led by the Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust and the University, based at the Trust's Oxford Road site. The partnership has the support of the Northwest Development Agency and Manchester City Council, plus leading healthcare businesses including AstraZeneca, Renovo and GlaxoSmithKline.

World-class biomedical imaging institute launched
A new research institute has been established which will unite all of the University of Manchester's medical imaging facilities and expertise to create an international centre for excellence. The Biomedical Imaging Institute (BII) brings together academics from across the University with the aim of developing new imaging methods and their application to important medical problems. It is also hoped that the BII will enable lab-based research to eventually be used within hospital settings to benefit patients.

Stem cell breakthrough offers diabetes hope
Scientists have discovered a new technique for turning embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing pancreatic tissue in what could prove a significant breakthrough in the quest to find new treatments for diabetes. The University of Manchester team working with colleagues at the University of Sheffield, were able to genetically manipulate the stem cells so that they produced an important protein known as a 'transcription factor'. Stem cells have the ability to become any type of cell, so scientists believe that they may hold the key to treating a number of diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes.

Record funding helps Manchester scientists study breast cancer protein
University of Manchester scientists have been awarded almost £200,000 by charity Breast Cancer Campaign in a bid to find new ways to beat the disease. Dr Andrew Gilmore and Professor Charles Streuli, have been awarded a three year research grant worth £193,000 to study a protein called Fak. Fak is showing potential as an important protein in breast cancer and scientists believe that it plays a role in changing normal breast cells to breast cancer cells.

Datamonitor

Datamonitor is pleased to support the work of Bionow. By reporting on the shape of the Biotech industry, Datamonitor aims to help Northwest firms stay one step ahead in the global marketplace.

Roche has agreed to acquire British biotech firm Piramed for $160 million, plus a milestone payment of $15 million that will be due upon the start of Phase II clinical trials for the company's oncology program. Roche already has deep ties to the fields of oncology and immunology and inflammation and as such, the acquisition of Piramed looks set to strengthen the company's R&D pipeline.

Website of the Month

The ScienceBlogs page is an excellent news source that covers topics you won't see in the mainstream press. http://scienceblogs.com/

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