May Newsletter
Companies
Manchester Nano Company sees value soar
Nanoco - a spin-out company from the University of
Manchester - is now worth £90m following its first week of
share trading on AIM. It completed a reverse takeover into a cash
shell in February 2009, valuing it at £38m. Nanoco
develops fluorescent semi-conducting materials called quantum dots,
which are used in lighting solar energy and life sciences.
SSL International operating profits rise by 31.4 per cent
The operating profits at Manchester based SSL
International have risen by 31.4 per cent to £89.5m. Garry
Watts, Chief Executive said 'We have again outperformed against
our targets notwithstanding the challenge of the difficult consumer
environment. The new financial year has begun satisfactorily, and
we are now aiming at a new target for the three years to March
2012 of growing earnings per share by at least 50 per cent.
New fund to support biomedical innovation at the University
of Manchester
The
University of Manchester Intellectual Property Ltd has signed
an agreement with the Johnson & Johnson Corporate Office of Science &
Technology (COSAT) to establish a proof-of-principle fund which
will help scientists to explore ideas which can have a positive
impact on human health. It may support new development in
regenerative medicine, treatments for chronic conditions such as
Alzheimer's or diabetes and new diagnostic markers or medical
devices. The new fund will augment its capability for funding
innovative projects beyond spin-outs, which are supported by the
UMIP fund.
Renovo reveals quicker route to market for new product
Manchester based Renovo Group Plc announced on 19 May that
their product Adaprev, has been classified as a medical device and
will only require two sets of clinical trials instead of the usual
three meaning that the product will get to market a lot quicker and
more cost effectively than its other drugs. Adaprev is an injection
formulation which will be used to prevent scarring in tendons.
Also, Renovo
reported a pre-tax loss of £8.73m for the six months to 31
March 2009. The company, which has negligible revenue of
£4,125 because its products are not yet on the market, burned
£12.6m in cash during the half year compared with £12m in
the same period a year earlier. It still has £73m of cash in
the bank and Chief Executive Professor Ferguson said 'We
continue to manage the business to maximise shareholder value from
our significant cash position'.
AstraZeneca announces top line results from pivotal Phase
III study for Brilinta
AstraZeneca announced top line results from the phase
III trial of Brilinta on 11 May. The company, which employs more
than 7,000 in Alderley Park and Macclesfield, said that the drug
had achieved a statistically significant primary efficacy endpoint
versus clopidogrel, in the prevention of cardiovascular events in
patients with acute coronary syndromes. The primary efficacy
measure was time to first occurrence of any event from the
composite of myocardial infarction, stroke and CV death.
Also, AstraZeneca posted a 40 per cent increase in the first
quarter pre-tax profits on 30 April, beating analysts'
expectations and sending its share price up 5 per cent.
Semiramis graduate onto Science Park
Biosciences Company Semiramis Genetics
is to open a new, permanent office on Manchester Science
Park, marking the firm's graduation to full tenancy on the
Park. The company opened an office in 2008 at Manchester
International Innovation Centre (MIIC), a soft landing facility
based at the Science Park. Semiramis, which supply the renowned Genecraft
molecular biology products to life sciences markets across the
world, will move from MIIC to the Science Park in June.
Key Forensic Services secures NWDA funding
Warrington based Key Forensic
Services is to create around eight new jobs after securing a
£65,000 grant from the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA). Key Forensic
Services will use the grant to install and equip specialist
laboratories which will help to boost its capacity to provide DNA
services, as well as expanding the range of services that it
offers. The company was formed in 2005 to provide forensic services
to the UK's law enforcement agencies.
Intercytex confirms offers
Macclesfield based Intercytex Group
Plc provided an update to its shareholders on 20 May on
developments in relation to its ingoing strategic review at the
Company's Annual General Meeting (AGM). Since the announcement
on 20 February that it was reviewing strategic options, the company
has held discussions with a number of interested parties. Although
at an early stage, the Company confirmed that it has received a
number of approaches which may or may not lead to an offer for the
Company or certain business assets.
Also, shares in Intercytex climbed by 28 per cent on 26 May following
reports that pharmacy giant Pfizer is one of a number of potential bidders
looking at the firm.
Biofortuna secure further funding
An offer of £94,558 has been approved by
the Northwest
Development Agency grant for Research & Development
team for Biofortuna who are based at the Merseybio Incubator
in Liverpool. The grant will enable Biofortuna to
develop a novel DNA investigation method that has the potential to
allow healthcare professionals to look at multiple gene mutations
simultaneously in one rapid test.
Cyprotex awarded R & D grant
Macclesfield-based Cyprotex Discovery
Ltd has been awarded a Research and Development grant by the
Northwest
Development Agency. The grant will be used to explore methods
to improve the in silico prediction of pharmacokinetics in
humans. The company, which was established in 1999, is a world
renowned provider of ADME and pharmacokinetic expertise to the
Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology industry.
Also, AIM-listed Cyprotex has launched a new web portal to allow access
to its drug discovery services. The company said its Cloe
Gateway portal will make it easier and quicker for companies to
obtain data on a pay-per-use basis. Chief Executive Anthony Baxter
said 'The cost effectiveness of this approach will allow new
audiences of scientists, such as bench medicinal chemists, to
access these predictive technologies'.
Waters Corporation and University of Warwick sign research
agreement designed to foster adoption of novel MS Technologies
Waters Corporation, based in Manchester, have signed a
collaborative research agreement with the University of
Warwick intended to support the growth, development and
adoption of novel mass spectrometry (MS) technologies, including
Waters® SYNAPT High Definition MS™ (HSMS™) system.
This agreement paves the way for research projects leading to a
meaningful impact for analysts using biomedical mass spectrometry.
Vernacare's Award winning porter's chair
Medical products manufacturer Vernacare is taking
a prototype of its award winning porter's chair on a tour of
seven showcase hospitals. The ultra-hygienic chair was recognised
in the national Design Bugs Out competition, launched by the
Design
Council and Department of Health. It will now be evaluated and
trialled to complete the development process.
DxS and Exiqon Diagnostics hosted a joint Personalized
Cancer Therapy workshop during the ASCO Annual Meeting
Manchester based DxS Ltd, a
personalized medicine company and leader in the field of companion
diagnostics worked in partnership with Exiqon Diagnostics, a
company on the forefront of individualizing cancer care through its
novel molecular and cell-based oncology clinical laboratory
services, to present a timely and relevant workshop on personalized
cancer therapy. The workshop which took place on 29 May, coincided
with the start of the 2009 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual
Meeting.
Prestige Medical relocates offices in Blackburn
Prestige Medical has relocated it offices and
production to a larger industrial unit on Shadsworth Business Park,
Blackburn. Managing Director Ian Starkey commented 'our
products are sold all around the world and we are delighted that,
even in the current difficult economic climate, that we are
continuing to increase business'.
People & Jobs
Promotions at DxS Ltd
DxS Ltd announced on 6 May the promotion of Jeff
Devlin, Chief Operating Officer, to the Executive Board and Peter
Collins to Senior Vice President of Business Development. Despite
the economic downturn, DxS continues to expand, and the last twelve
months have seen the company's workforce more than
double.
Byotrol appoints two non-executive directors to its
board
Byotrol, the
Manchester-based anti-bacterial chemicals maker, has appointed two
non-executive directors to its board. Ralph Kugler is a
non-executive at Intercontinental Hotels Group Plc, a chairman at
Gorkana Ltd and a senior advisor to 3i Plc. Dr Till Medinger is a former senior vice
president for corporate strategy at AstraZeneca. He is
chairman of Photobiotics Limited and a non-executive director of
Datapharm Communications Ltd and Polytherics
Ltd.
Events
Annual NW Business Pitch - Biomedical Event
The North West Innovation Network, MIDAS,
Bionow, TrusTECH, MBRC and UMIP have collaborated to arrange an ideal pitching and
networking opportunity for companies operating in the Biomedical
sector. The event taking place on Tuesday 7 July at the Core
Technology Facility, Manchester will give a unique chance to
hear first hand the technologies and innovations available from
some of the leading companies in the North West. For further
information on the event please email alison.warren@umic.co.uk
LifeSciences Trade Mission to India
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is organising a Trade
Mission to India on 15-20 June 2009 for UK companies active in the
Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology sector. The aim is to build on a
successful mission organised in April 2008, and develop further
opportunities and business for the UK companies. All UK-registered
Pharma/Biotech companies are eligible to participate in this
mission. For further information on the Mission programme, please
contact Mina Joshi at mina.joshi@uktibiotech.org.uk.
Medilink NW Mini Mission to Biomed 2009, 14-17
June 2009, Tel-Aviv Israel
The Israeli medical device market is the largest in the Middle East
and was valued at an estimated $885 million in 2008. Imports
represent much of this market. Biomed 2009 is an essential opportunity to learn from
international experts on the latest healthcare trends, regulatory
and reimbursement issues and therapies. Medilink North
West is proud to offer a managed programme to this event
including an invite-only Ambassador's Business Networking
reception. For further information on this mission, please contact
hayley.hall@cmft.nhs.uk
Medica 2009 - Last stands available
Medica remains the world's largest
exhibition for the medical technology industry attracting top
buyers, distributors, companies and government representatives from
around the globe. It provides exhibitors with the opportunity to
both develop and maintain business relationships in one location
over 4 days. The
Association of British Healthcare Industries will again be
co-ordinating the UK Pavilion for companies wishes to exhibit. For
further information and to book a stand, please visit www.abhi.org.uk/medica/forms.aspx. Please note that the
deadline for applications is 10 June 2009.
Bionow March Networking Event
Bionow are hosting
the next networking event on Wednesday 1 July in Manchester. We are
delighted that Dr David Griffith-Johnson from the Bioscience Unit
at the Department
for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform will be
presenting at the event as part of a visit to the North West. If
you wish to register for the event, please visit http://www.bionow.co.uk/bionow-events.html
Information
North West Technology Adoption Review
Call 2009
The
NHS Technology Adoption Centre in partnership with Medilink North
West, is launching its first regional call specific to North
West companies. Companies who want to understand how their
technology can best work in the NHS are invited to submit applications for
technologies potentially suitable for a Technology Adoption Review.
The call will close on 26 June. For further information
please contact Hayley Hall on 0161 901 2513 or hayley.hall@cmft.nhs.uk.
£39m Research Centre honours Manchester Nobel Laureate
A £39m Research Centre that will make
Manchester home to one of the largest biomedical complexes in
Europe was officially opened on 7 May. The AV Hill Building houses
300 scientists in 50 research groups, mainly focusing on
neuroscience and immunology, from the University of
Manchester's Faculty of Life Sciences and Faculty of
Medical and Human Sciences. The 6000 sq metre facility connects
the Core Technology Facility, Michael Smith and Stopford
Buildings, creating a linked complex housing more than 300 research
groups. The building is named after Archibald Vivian Hill, who won
the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine while he held the chair
in Physiology at the University.
University of Liverpool awarded £2.2m for genomics hub
The
University of Liverpool has been awarded £2m to establish
a high-throughput genomic hub for the North of England. The funding
of £2m from the Medical Research Council (MRC) - is part of a £7m
initiative by the MRC to boost the UK research community's access to
cutting edge equipment for DNA sequencing. Led by Liverpool, the
North of England hub will consolidate the expertise of four partner
universities - Manchester, Sheffield, Lancaster and Liverpool.
Also, the University
of Liverpool has been awarded £1.7m to investigate how
nanotechnology could be used to improve the effectiveness of
pharmaceutical drugs. Nanotechnology involves the manipulation of
matter at sizes close to molecular level to produce particles that
are small clusters of molecules.
North West NHS Innovation Awards 2009 - Awards website now
launched
The
2009 North West NHS Innovation competition, which was launched
on 19 May, now has a dedicated website enabling applicants to find
out information on the competition and apply online. Managed by
TrusTECH,
the awards provide the opportunity to win up to £1000 and
receive advice from specialist NHS Innovation Managers at TrusTECH. For
further information, please visit www.northwestnhsinnovationawards.co.uk
Liverpool makes 'super cities' list
Liverpool has been selected as one of just five
'super cities', to be populated by nano, bio and tech
science companies, by a new report that maps how the UK business
landscape will look through the 21st century. The Future
of Business report, by HSBC, predicts that the economic downturn,
increased emphasis on international trade and changing demands on
business, will profoundly alter the UK's business map in the
21st century. The four other 'super cities'
identified were Brighton, Leeds, London and Newcastle.
UCLAN unveils plans for a new forensic science building
The University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) has
unveiled plans to invest £12.5m in a new forensic science
building designed to house more than 160 students across four
laboratories. The building will be named after James Brierley
Firth, who set up the North West's first Forensic Science
Laboratory in Preston and led the way for the creation of a
regionalised forensic science service for the police.
Trust gets the key to Britain's biggest children's
hospital
On 30 April Catalyst Healthcare Ltd officially
handed over the keys to Britain's biggest children's
hospital. The
Royal Manchester Children's Hospital is the flagship of the
four new hospitals making up the £500m new central Manchester
hospitals development. A period of commissioning of the new
hospital by the Trust will now follow and the official opening is
set for early June.
Also, the keys to the new St Marys Hospital were handed over on 29 May. Catalyst
Healthcare Ltd is set to deliver the Manchester Royal Infirmary and
Manchester Royal Eye Hospital by the end of June.
Biotechnology YES Young Entrepreneurs Scheme
Biotechnology YES is an innovative competition
for postgraduate and postdoctoral scientists, developing the
business skills necessary to recognise, protect and harness the
commercial potential of bioscience research. Participants in teams
of four or five devise a business plan for an imaginary company,
based on real science. The competition is free to enter, and
travel, accommodation and meals are included. The deadline for
entries if 17 June 2009. Please visit www.biotechnologyyes.co.uk for further information.
Mott MacDonald to design new £45m pharmaceutical
facility in Cheshire
Mott Macdonald has been appointed by AstraZeneca to
design a major new four-storey research and development facility at
the company's site at Alderley Park, Cheshire. The building
will house several research departments including pre-clinical
imaging facilities.
Research
Scientists to calculate the speed with which disease can
spread
The speed with which killer diseases such as swine
flu in Mexico could spread through the British population is being
investigated by scientists at the University of Liverpool. In light of the
outbreak in Mexico and the threat of a pandemic, it is essential
that Government and UK health authorities understand the speed with
which these diseases could spread in the UK. Britain leads the
world in research into Infectious diseases and two of the
world's leading authorities are carrying out the survey, which
involves answering a questionnaire on the internet.
Protein 'magnet' uncovers clue to cancer cell
spread
The destruction of a protein 'magnet' could
lead to cancer cells breaking away from a tumour and spreading
around the body, according to a study by researchers at the
University
of Manchester's Paterson Institute. The team of scientists
from the University has discovered that a partnership between two
proteins called Tiam1 and Src, causes a whole group of other
proteins to be attracted to Tiam1. The Cancer
Research UK funded study could help scientists develop drugs
that stop the destruction of Tiam1 and potentially stop the spread
of cancer.
Fireflies and Jellyfish illuminate causes on infertility
Genes taken from fireflies and jellyfish are
literally shedding light on possible causes of infertility and
autoimmune diseases in humans. Scientists at the University of
Manchester and Liverpool are using the luminescent and fluorescent
genes to illuminate cells that produce a hormone linked to
conditions, which include rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. The
technique will help scientists track the production of the hormone
probating, which is crucial in ensuring supplies of breast milk in
nursing mothers but can be over-produced by some pituitary tumours,
causing infertility.
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.
Oxford BioTherapeutics has signed a cancer drug discovery agreement
with GlaxoSmithKline that could see the British biotech company
earn up to $370 million. The collaboration will develop antibody
therapies against undisclosed selected Oxford BioTherapeutic
targets. The company, which was founded in 2004 as a spinoff from
Oxford Glycosciences, already has research partnerships with
Medarex, Biosite and Amgen.
In news of another significant agreement between a UK biotech firm
and a leading pharmaceuticals group, Antisoma has sold its oral
fludarabine product to Sanofi-Aventis SA for $60 million, in a deal
that secures the company's funding until mid-2011. Meanwhile,
shares in vaccine delivery specialist Lipoxen climbed on the back
of the company gaining funding from the US National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Oxford BioTherapeutics and GSK announce
alliance for cancer drug development
Oxford BioTherapeutics, a developer of targeted
antibody-based medicines for oncology, has formed a strategic
alliance with GlaxoSmithKline to discover, develop and
commercialize novel, therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of
primary, metastatic and recurring forms of cancer.
Read full article
Sanofi-Aventis acquires rights to leukemia drug from Antisoma
Sanofi-Aventis US has acquired from UK-based
biopharmaceutical company Antisoma the US commercial rights to
Oforta, an oral B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia drug.
Read full article
Lipoxen obtains funding for malaria vaccine project
Lipoxen, a UK-based developer of drug and vaccine
delivery systems, has received funding to apply its ImuXen
technology to enhance the performance of malaria vaccine
candidates.
Read full article
Ark granted fast track status for Trinam
UK-based Ark Therapeutics Group has received FDA
fast track designation for Trinam, the company's gene-based
medicine to prevent blood vessels blocking in kidney dialysis
patients who have undergone vascular access graft surgery.
Read full article
Vernalis and Servier form oncology collaboration
Vernalis, a UK-based specialty biopharmaceutical
company, and Servier, a French pharmaceutical company, have signed
a new three-year joint oncology collaboration, focused on the
discovery of drugs for a new target.
Read full article
Pandemic flu: gaps in preparedness remain
The current outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) is
testing pandemic preparedness strategies across the globe. While
widely implemented strategies seem to have prepared the world
better than ever before, important gaps regarding the logistics of
drug and vaccine distribution remain.
Read full article
Oxford-Emergent signs licensing agreement with ProBioGen
The Oxford-Emergent Tuberculosis Consortium, a
joint venture between the University of Oxford and Emergent
BioSolutions, has signed a commercial licensing agreement with
ProBioGen, a cell specialist, to evaluate large scale commercial
production capabilities for MVA85A, the Consortium's new TB
vaccine candidate.
Read full article
QuantuMDx signs licensing agreement with Nanosys
UK-based biotechnology company QuantuMDx Group has
signed a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Nanosys, a US-based
provider of nanotechnology enabled products, for several patents
and patent applications related to the use of nanowires for
biosensors.
Read full article
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Joke of the Month
Q. What do you call a biologist who's afraid of
little glass dishes?
A. Petrified!
Q) Why do cell biologists always go to the doctor?
A) They're mitochondriacs.
