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SparesImperial InnovationsLife Sciences CompaniesCase Studies
Imperial Innovations
Life Sciences Companies
Contents
1. Abingdon Health
2. Autifony
3. Cell Medica
4. Circassia
5. IXICO
6. MISSION Therapeutics
7. Oxford Immunotec
8. PolyTherics
9. PsiOxus Therapeutics
10. RespiVert
11. Stanmore Implants Worldwide
12. TopiVert
13. Veryan
CompanyAbingdon Health is a medical diagnostics company that develops and distributes state of the art diagnostic tools and technologies based on the work of leading scientists.
Abingdon Health Group comprises a number of companies, including:
Molecular VisionMolecular Vision is developing a low-cost, instrument-free, disposable point-of-care platform diagnostics technology which is able to measure different analytes simultaneously on a single test from a single sample. Molecular Vision was formed as a spinout from Imperial College London, based on the pioneering lab-on-a-chip and light emitting polymer expertise of its co-founder, Professor Donal Bradley.
SerascienceSerascience is a cancer diagnostics company formed to commercialise intellectual property developed at the University of Birmingham. Its diagnostic and prognostic technologies are targeted at patients with myeloma and other plasma cell disorders.
AltaBioscienceAltaBioscience is a manufacturing biochemical laboratory which has operated from the University of Birmingham since its foundation in 1973. The company offers a range of synthetic, sequencing and analytical methodologies to academia and commercial clients.
Bioscience VenturesBioscience Ventures is a joint venture with the University of Birmingham, operates from the campus of the University and aims to enhance and maximise the value of IP in the field of in vitro diagnostics and develop tools to meet clinical needs in fields ranging from cancer and genetics to veterinary applications.
Linear DiagnosticsLinear Diagnostics is focused on the development of a platform technology based on linear dichroism (a spectroscopic technique for studying the structure and functionality of molecules) which is currently being applied to the multiplexed detection of infectious disease agents in sepsis.
Quick Facts Recent Articles
Employees 22Founded 2008Location London,
Birmingham & Oxford
Development and distribution of state-of-the-art medical diagnostic tools and services
Abingdon Health raises £3m and acquires controlling stake in Molecular Vision
26th March 2012abingdon-health.com
www.abingdon-health.com
Prama HouseBanbury Road
OxfordOX2 7HT
Dr Chris Hand Chief Executive Officer
Chris has more than 20 years’ experience in the medical diagnostics industry in both development and commercialisation roles. Chris was founder and Chief Executive of Cozart, a medical diagnostics company, until its sale to Concateno plc for £65 million in 2007. Following this, he was a Non-Executive Director of Concateno until its sale to Alere Inc for £147m in 2009. Chris has a DPhil from the Faculty of Medicine at Oxford University and a BSc in Applied Biochemistry from Brunel University.
Founders & Management Team
Dr Brett PollardHead of Preclinical Drug Discovery
Peter WoodfordChairman
Brett has more than ten years’ experience in the healthcare industry including an early career as an equity analyst. Prior to co-founding Abingdon Health he was Head of Life Science Research at Numis, following time at Seymour Pierce in London and Deutsche Bank. Brett has a PhD in Molecular Virology and a BSc in Cell and Molecular Biology both from the University of St Andrews.
Peter has held senior corporate roles including CEO of Provalis plc and Senior Vice President of Roche Diabetes Care. Peter is also Chairman of group company Molecular Vision. He is a member of the UK Institute of Directors and the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
University Involvement
Abingdon Health is closely involved with the University of Birmingham through a number of its group companies. In addition, its newest group company Molecular Vision is a spinout from Imperial College London and operates from the Imperial College Incubator, an office and lab space specifically designed to meet the needs of high technology start up companies.
www.abingdon-health.com
Prama HouseBanbury Road
OxfordOX2 7HT
FundingAbingdon was founded in 2008 by Dr Chris Hand and Dr Brett Pollard to address the $40 billion worldwide diagnostics market.
In March 2012, the company raised £3 million investment in a round led by Imperial Innovations. These funds were used in part to acquire a controlling stake in Imperial Innovations portfolio company Molecular Vision.
Development and distribution of state-of-the-art medical diagnostic tools and services
CompanyAutifony Therapeutics Ltd is developing novel treatments for hearing disorders including hearing loss and tinnitus.The company was formed in 2011 and is currently developing a range of preclinical assets first identified within GSK. The company will work closely with the UCL Ear Institute, and in particular Professor David McAlpine and Jennifer Linden, leading experts in the field of auditory neuroscience.
A significant need for therapeutics targeting hearing disorders exists globally: at present there are no pharmacological treatments for either tinnitus or hearing loss. A report by Action on Hearing Loss indicates there are close to 19 million tinnitus sufferers in the US and Europe, for whom treatment options are limited to devices, such as hearing aids and masking devices, or interventions such as cognitive behaviour therapy or tinnitus retraining therapy.
Autifony is developing pharmaceuticals that target voltage-gated ion channels, the modulation of which has the potential to treat both hearing loss and tinnitus.
Quick Facts
Recent Articles
Therapeutic approach to the treatment of hearing disorders
FundingAutifony was founded in 2011, as a spinout from GSK. It attracted a £10 million Series A funding round from SV Life Sciences and Imperial Innovations, which both invested £5 million in the company. GSK is a founder shareholder in the company.
The series A funding is being used to accelerate the preclinical development phase, with plans to commence trials in humans in early 2013.
GSK Invests in UK biotech start up22nd August 2011
InPharm Autifony Therapeutics’s £10 million boost
22nd August 2011London Evening Standard
£10 million raised for GSK hearing disorder spin-out
23rd August 2011Pharma Times
Autifony attracts £10 million for hearing loss treatment
23rd August 2011Growth Business
Employees 4Founded 2011Location London & Verona
www.autifony.com
Via Fleming 4 37135 Verona, Italy
John Berriman Chairman
John was formerly a director of Abingworth asset management ltd, an international healthcare venture capital fund. Prior to this, he spent 14 years at Celltech Group plc, where he was a board member. He has extensive experience at board level in pharmaceutical companies, including as chairman of Heptares Therapeutics, Pronata NV, MicroMet Inc and Algeta.
Founders & Management Team
Charles Large Chief Operating Officer
Prior to founding Autifony, Charles was Director of Molecular and Cell biology at GlaxoSmithKline, and has extensive experience in the field of ion channel modulators in the area of neuroscience.
Giuseppe AlvaroHead of Preclinical Drug Discovery
Allan BaxterNon-executive Director
Giuseppe was previously chemistry leader within the Neuroscience division of GlaxoSmithKline, and has more than 14 years’ experience in medicinal chemistry.
Allan was previously Senior Vice President Medicines Development at GSK, where he had worldwide responsibility for GSK’s early stage portfolio. Prior to this, he was head of the Centres of Excellence for Drug Discovery at GSK, and has more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry.
Therapeutic approach to the treatment of hearing disorders
University Involvement
Autifony is collaborating with the UCL Ear Institute to develop its products.
The UCL Ear Institute was founded in 2000 following a grant from the Wellcome Foundation. Professor Da-vid McAlpine, who is collaborating with Autifony in the development of their therapeutics, is the head of the Institute.
www.autifony.com
Via Fleming 4 37135 Verona, Italy
CompanyCell Medica develops, manufactures and markets cell therapies comprised of antigen-specific T cells for the treatment of infectious diseases and cancer.
Cell Medica’s lead product, Cytovir CMV, is under development to provide a safe and effective treatment for patients with life-threatening cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections following bone marrow transplant, a procedure often undertaken for people with leukaemia and other haematological malignancies. The company is currently sponsoring two randomised controlled clinical trials addressing the clinical and pharmaco-economic benefit of using Cytovir CMV relative to conventional antiviral drug treatment. The European Medicines Agency has classified Cytovir CMV as a minimally manipulated cell therapy which significantly streamlines the regulatory requirements for commercialisation.
In 2012, Cell Medica will launch the clinical development of Cytovir ADV for the treatment of adenovirus (ADV) infections in paediatric patients undergoing bone marrow transplants. The Cytovir ADV Phase I clinical trial is being undertaken in collaboration with the UCL Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust and funded in part by the UK Technology Strategy Board
In addition, the company is developing Cytorex EBV for the treatment of cancer associated with the oncogenic Epstein Barr virus (EBV). Cytorex EBV is comprised of activated and expanded antigen-specific T lymphocytes that recognise and kill malignant cells expressing EBV antigens. Cell Medica is developing this cell therapy in collaboration with the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine (CAGT).
Quick Facts
Clinical stage cellular therapeutics
www.cellmedica.co.uk
27 Fitzroy Square London
W1T 6ES
Employees 14Founded 2006Location LondonProducts Cytovir CMVPipeline Cytovir ADV
Cytorex EBV
www.cellmedica.co.uk
27 Fitzroy Square London
W1T 6ES
Clinical stage cellular therapeutics
University Involvement
Cell Medica was founded by an Imperial College London alumni, Gregg Sando, who recognised the significant progress taking place in the field of cellular immunotherapy following the completion of his MSc in Immunology. In its early stages, the company was supported by Imperial Innovations, which remains an investor and has a director on Cell Medica’s board.
The company’s scientific and clinical strategy has been deeply informed by university research involvement. The company’s Scientific Advisory Board features leading academics from a number of UK & US universities and research centres, including:
• Professor Gavin Screaton, Head of Department of Medicine at Imperial College London
• Professor Hans Stauss, Professor of Tumour Immunology at University College London
• Professor Charles Pusey, Professor of Medicine and Head of Renal section at Imperial College London
• Professor Stephen Mackinnon, Professor of Haematology at University College London
• Professor Paul Moss, Professor of Haematology at the University of Birmingham
• Professor Cliona Rooney, Professor of Pathology and Immunology at the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine (US)
• Professor Stanley Riddell, Professor of Medicine at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (US)
• Dr Mark Lowdell, Senior Lecturer, Department of Haematology, University College London
Cell Medica collaborates with a number of academic institutions in research and development projects aimed at new therapeutic applications as well as the design and implementation of advanced cell therapy manufacturing systems.
Cell Medica is working with the Baylor College of Medicine Center for Cell and Gene Therapy (BCM-CAGT) for the development of Cytorex EBV as an innovative treatment for cancers associated with the oncogenic Epstein Barr Virus (EBV). BCM-CAGT are the leaders in clinical research investigating EBV cytotoxic T lymphocytes for the treatment of lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma with over 300 patients treated to date in Phase I/II trials. Cell Medica and BCM-CAGT are working together on designing a pivotal trial to achieve regulatory approval for Cytorex EBV to treat patients with advanced lymphoma who have no other therapeutic options.
Cell Medica is working with the UCL Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust to investigate Cytovir ADV for the treatment of adenovirus infections in paediatric patients following bone marrow transplant. The ASPIRE Phase I clinical trial will launch in September 2012 and is funded by the UK Technology Strategy Board.
Cell Medica, University of Birmingham, NHS Blood & Transplant, and Leukaemia Lymphoma Research are collaborating on the ongoing execution of the CMV~ACE/ASPECT trial, designed to demonstrate the efficacy of Cytovir CMV in preventing the recurrence of CMV infections in immunocompromised patients who have undergone bone marrow transplant. The Chief Investigator for this study is Dr. Karl Peggs, a leading UK specialist bone marrow transplantation at University College Hospital. The study is recruiting at nine teaching hospitals in the UK and will complete at the end of 2012. Dr. Peggs is also Chief Investigator for Cell Medica’s Phase III study, CMV~IMPACT, looking at the use of Cytovir CMV in a prophylactic protocol for this patients group. The IMPACT trial includes 14 of the largest transplant centres in the UK and is being funded by the Wellcome Trust.
Gregg Sando, Founder and CEO
Gregg Sando is the founder and CEO of Cell Medica. After a career in investment banking based both in London and New York, he completed his Immunology MSc degree at the medical school of Imperial College. Recognizing the significant progress taking place in the field of cellular immunotherapy, Gregg formed Cell Medica in cooperation with a small group of the leading clinicians and immunologists who were pioneering this new mode of medical treatment.
Founders & Management Team
Nigel Burns, Chairman
Thomas Hecht, Director
Karen Hodgkin, Head of Clinical Development
Nigel was a member of the senior management team at Cambridge Antibody Technology and brings over 20 years experience in the biotech sector to Cell Medica. At CAT, he was responsible for strategic alliances and led negotiations of significant transactions with other pharmaceutical and biotech companies including the early discussions with Astra Zeneca, which acquired CAT in 2006. He also chaired CAT’s Product Steering Committee, responsible for product management strategy and pipeline. (BSc Biochemistry PhD, Imperial College)
Thomas is an experienced biotechnology professional with a clinical background in haematology and internal medicine. He was a member of the team which helped build Amgen’s European operations where he held various executive positions including Vice President – Marketing for Hematology and Oncology. (MD., University of Freiburg).
Karen’s extensive experience spans a range of therapeutic applications which she acquired in roles with both big pharma and biotech companies. She has managed and advised on Phase I/II clinical studies across Europe and the United States. (BSc Pharmacology, Leeds University; MSc Biopharmacy, King’s College London; Diploma in Clinical Science, UWIST Cardiff)
Rainer Knaus, Senior VP
Rainer has 12 years of commercial experience in cell and gene therapy GMP manufacturing. As General Manager of MainGen (GmbH), he successfully established one of the first GMP cell manufacturing facilities in Germany and secured manufacturing authorizations for a variety of cell and gene based therapies. Thereafter, Rainer joined Miltenyi Biotec as Business Manager of the Cellular Products Division and managed production and regulatory operations with local, national and European authorities. Rainer introduced the first commercial stem cell product on the market in Germany. (BSc, PhD (Hons) University of Heidelberg)
www.cellmedica.co.uk
27 Fitzroy Square London
W1T 6ES
Clinical stage cellular therapeutics
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
www.cellmedica.co.uk
27 Fitzroy Square London
W1T 6ES
Clinical stage cellular therapeutics
History and HighlightsThe company was founded in 2006 and launched in 2007 with funding from Imperial Innovations and the Wellcome Trust. The company has raised a total of £4.5m in equity and convertible debt investment capital. Imperial Innovations holds a 41.1% stake in the company at a cost of £1.2m.
Initially the Wellcome Trust supported both the product development and the clinical research leading to the launch of the CMV IMACT study in 2008. This study is on track for its last patient recruitment at the end of 2012.
In September 2009, the company raised a total of £1.95m in a round led by Innovations, which invested £1.16m. Also in September 2009, the company secured its first funding from the Technology Strategy Board, a project run in collaboration with UCL and eXmoor pharma to scale-out Cell Medica’s production process.
In March 2010, Cell Medica agreed to collaborate with University of Birmingham and NHS Blood and Transplant to conduct the ACE/ASPECT Trial supported by Leukaemia Lymphoma Research,
In January 2011, Cell Medical signed an exlusive licence agreement and research collaboration with the Centre for Cell and Gene Therapy (CAGT), Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, US, to accelerate the launch of a cell-based treatment for cancers associated with the Epstein Barr Virus (EBV).
In September 2011 the company received further funding from the Wellcome Trust for Cell Medica’s randomised controlled study to investigate the use of Cytovir CMV
In August 2011, first patents were filed relating to improved process and equipment
In January, 2012, Cell Medica received notice of grant funding from the Technology Strategy Board for a Phase I/IIclinical trial - ASPIRE (Adenovirus-Specific Paediatric Immune Reconstitution) in collaboration with the UCL Institute of Child Health / Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust.
Company
Circassia is a speciality biopharmaceutical company focused on developing world-class medicines designed to cure allergies.
The global allergy market is currently underserved, despite the huge numbers of sufferers. It is estimated that allergies affect 25% of the population in the US and Europe, and this figure is growing by 2.5% each year.
Circassia was founded to develop and commercialise a range of allergy T-cell vaccines based on the Company’s proprietary ToleroMune® technology, which has the potential to transform current treatment. With its portfolio of allergy T-cell vaccines progressing rapidly through clinical development, Circassia has broadened its pipeline into other areas of immunotherapy. These include treatments for autoimmune diseases, with the Company initially focusing on rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.
Quick Facts
Recent Articles
Circassia’s Ragweed Allergy Therapy Achieves Positive Phase II Clinical Results
7th March 2012PR Newswire (US)
Circassia’s Hay Fever Treatment Improves Patients’ Allergy Symptoms in Phase II
Clinical Trial27th September 2011
PR Newswire (US)
Circassia raises £60m19th April 2011
InPharm
www.circassia.co.uk
+44 (0)1865 784574
Magdalen CentreRobert Robinson AvenueThe Oxford Science Park
Oxford, OX4 4GA
University Involvement
Circassia’s founding scientists, Professors Kay and Larche were both members of staff at Imperial College London when the company was formed, initially through a small amount of seed funding from the University Challenge Seed Fund, backed by the UK Government, the Wellcome Trust and Imperial College.
Did you know?
25% of the UK population have some form of allergy?
Circassia’s Head Office, Oxford Science Park
Employees 15Founded 2006Location Oxford
Steven Harris Chief Executive Officer
Founders & Management Team
Dr Rod HafnerVice President Research and
DevelopmentCharles Swingland
Deputy Chair and General Counsel
Rod Hafner has over 20 years international experience in the life science industry, gained in both multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
Rod is an inventor and has more than 20 granted patents and patent application. Since joining Circassia in 2007, Rod has been responsible for the progression of Circassia’s four lead programmes.
Charles Swingland has over 30 years of corporate legal experience. He practised as a corporate lawyer in the City of London for 17 years before joining PowderJect Pharmaceuticals as Executive Director, General Counsel and Company Secretary.
He managed he sale of PowderJect and then joined Zeneus Pharma as Director and General Counsel He co-founded Circassia with Steven Harris.
Sir Richard SykesNon-Executive Chairman
Sir Richard is Chairman of The Royal Institution of Great Britain and also Vice-Chairman at Lonza Group. In addition he is Chair of the UK Stem Cell Foundation, and the Careers Research and Advisory Centre, Non-Exec Chair of Omnicyte, Executive Chair of Toumaz Holdings plc, and an Advisory member of the boards of Siemens Holdings PLC and the Virgin Group Advisory Board.
He has previously been Chairman of NHS London, Rector of Imperial College London, Senior Independent Director of Rio Tinto and has more than 30 years’ experience within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries having been Chief Executive and Chairman of GlaxoWellcome from 1995 to 2000 and subsequently Chairman of GlaxoSmithKline until 2002.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Society and Academic of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Imperial College School of Medicine and King’s College London.
www.circassia.co.uk
+44 (0)1865 784574
Magdalen CentreRobert Robinson Avenue
Oxford Science ParkOxford, OX4 4GA
Steve Harris is a successful bioscience entrepreneur with extensive experience of founding and leading biotechnology and speciality pharmaceutical companies
Prior to co-founding Circassia, Steve was a founding member
of the management team that grew Zeneus Pharma into a leading speciality pharma company. As CFO, Steve played a key role in refocusing and turning the business around, and subsequently as CEO managed the company’s acqusition by Cephalon for $390m.
Prior to Zeneus, Steve spent seven years at PowerderJect Pharmaceuticals Plc as CFO, overseeing the financial management of PowerJect’s subsequent acqusition by Chiron for $1 billion.
www.circassia.co.uk
+44 (0)1865 784574
Magdalen CentreRobert Robinson Avenue
Oxford Science ParkOxford, OX4 4GA
FundingCircassia has made rapid progress since its establishment in 2006, and several of its products are currently mid-to late stage development, having successfully completed a number of phase II clinical studies.
The company is well funded, having raised a total of £105 million to date. It has completed four successful funding round with a syndicate of high quality institutional investors and venture capital firms alongside Imperial Innovations. In April 2011, it raised £60m in a funding round led by Imperial Innovations, and including investments from other existing shareholders including Invesco Perpetual. At the time of the announcement, the investment was the second largest fundraising to a privately-held European biopharmaceutical company in 2011, and the third largest in more than 15 years. At the time of the second tranche of this funding
Circassia’s proprietary position was strengthened by an agreement with Heska Corporation, under which Circassia was granted an exclusive world-wide license to certain right under Heskas broad patent portfolio covering various cat allergens. The company is also strenthened with its proven out-sourcing business model, working closely with a range of world-class life science companies and service providers.
www.circassia.co.uk
+44 (0)1865 784574
Magdalen CentreRobert Robinson Avenue
Oxford Science ParkOxford, OX4 4GA
Did you know?
50% of asthmatic children are allergic to cats
Key Milestones
2012
Founded 2006
2007 Raised
£7m
Raised
£11m
Raised
£15m
Raised
£60m
Raised
£12m
JulySir Richard Sykes appointed as Chairman
JanuaryRaises £7m in first funding round
NovemberCompletes anti-allergy IP in-licensing
2008
JanuaryRaises a further £11m in fundraising
FebruaryInitiates first phase II clinical trial
SeptemberSuccessful first results with ToleroMune anti-allergy technology
2009
AprilBegins allergy therapy trials in asthma patients
MayInitiates Ragweed allergy therapy phase II trials
NovemberSuccessful phase II results for ToleroMune cat allergy trial
DecemberRaises £15m in oversubscribed funding round
2011
FebruaryCat ToleroMune T-cell vaccine significantly reduces symptoms
MarchPositive Ragweed allergy therapy trial results
AprilCompletes £60m fundraising for final development of allergy products
MarchObservational study confirms phase III trial design for cat allergy vaccine
JuneToleroMune cat shown to maintain effect for 12 months
AprilDraws 2nd tranche of £60m funding and raises further £12m
OctoberStarts phase II House Dust Mite allergy trial
2010
JanuaryCommences Phase II trials against House Dust Mite and Cat allergies
FebruarySuccessful results with Ragweed allergy T-cell vaccine
AugustCat allergy T-cell vaccine study meets primary endpoint
SeptemberStarts phase II Grass and Ragweed trials; plans phase III cat trial
NovemberHouse Dust Mite T-cell vaccine achieves major reduction of symptomsin phase II trial
CompanyIXICO is a leading provider of Imaging Solutions for clinical trials, research studies and diagnostics in the pharmaceutical and medical devices industries. IXICO aims to accelerate product development to bring patients earlier access to safe and effective treatments. Further, IXICO increases sensitivity to precisely quantify treatment effects and therefore enables better decision making throughout the drug development pipeline.
IXICO’s core therapeutic area expertise covers neurodegenerative diseases, oncology, and musculoskeletal disorders. IXICO has industry leading technology for quantifying neurodegeneration from structural MRI. This technology, widely applied to natural history studies and clinical trials, can select patients at risk of developing dementia, and monitor their disease progression.
IXICO’s Trial Services business focuses on the use of technology and know-how to manage the imaging portion of multi-site clinical trials and research studies, working with trials from phase 0 - phase III as well as major natural history studies and gathering image data from many hundreds of clinical sites around the world.
In addition to image management, IXICO’s Trial Services include world-leading image analysis technology developed by its founders in their research groups and integrated as part of a workflow system for
rapid configuration to customer requirements.
IXICO offers two tools for image management, TrialTracker and TrialWire. TrialTracker provides study teams with a web-based interface, giving them instant visibility of the imaging trial progress in real time, and enabling the tracking of imaging information against predefined study milestones such as study compliance or image quality.
TrialWire is designed to quickly and efficiently transfer DICOM data, and is pre-configured as part of IXICO’s Trial Services system to the specifications of individual trials, meaning that it carries out automated metadata checks before data leaves the site, ensuring compliance with protocols, and significantly reducing data queries due to acquisition and transfer errors.
Quick Facts
Founded: 2004Location: London Bioscience Innovation Centre
Imaging solutions for clinical trials, research studies and diagnostics
FundingIXICO was founded in 2004 by academics from the three leading London Academic institutions, Imperial, UCL and Kings.
IXICO has raised a total of £4.2m from its investors, which include Imperial Innovations and the Capital Fund.
Innovations holds an 18% stake in the business.
www.ixico.com
Professor Derek Hill Founder & CEO
Professor Daniel RueckertFounder
Professor David HawkesFounder
Professor Jo HajnalFounder
Dr Andy RichardsChairman
Derek Hill is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of IXICO. Under his leadership, IXICO has developed from a start-up company into a major supplier of imaging solutions to the global pharmaceutical industry and academic institutions, collecting medical imaging data from many hundreds of sites around the globe. Derek also holds an academic appointment as Full Professor at University College London.
Daniel is a co-founder of IXICO. He has been at the Department of Computing at Imperial College London since 1999, becoming Professor in 2005. Prior to this he completed a PhD at Imperial in 1997 before conducting post-doctoral research at King’s as part of an EPSRC funded project. He published more than 60 journal and conference articles during his doctoral and post-doctoral research, and acts as a referee for a number of international journals and conferences on medical imaging.
David has decades of experience in medical imaging, having obtained his PhD in X-ray computed tomography in 1981 following a degree in Natural Sciences at Oxford. He has worked at hospitals throughout the UK and since 2005 has been Director of the Centre for Medical Image Computing (MedIC) at University College London. David has more than 180 publications in medical imaging.
Jo Hajnal is Head of the Imaging Physics and Engineering Group, Head of the Robert Steiner MR Unit and of the Imaging Sciences Department at the Hammersmith Hospital Campus of Imperial College, as well as Chairman of the In Vivo Imaging Section of the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre. He has invented and pioneered techniques that are now widely used in the medical imaging industry, published over a hundred papers in peer reviewed journals and is currently holder of nine grants from a variety of funding organisations.
Dr Andy Richards is a serial entrepreneur and has founded or invested in more than 25 new lifescience companies, many of which he has played an active role in. He is currently Chairman of Altacor, IXICO and Novacta and is a director of Vectura plc, Summit plc, Theradeas, Cancer Research Technology (commercial arm of CR-UK) and Babraham Bioscience Technology.
Founders & Management Team
www.ixico.com
University Involvement
IXICO was founded by academics from a number of London universities with leading expertise in imaging technologies. Their intention was to bring together the best possible imaging technologies and deliver these to the healthcare and R&D sectors with the goal of improving understanding of disease and bringing patients earlier access to effective and safe treatments.
Imaging solutions for clinical trials, research studies and diagnostics
CompanyMISSION Therapeutics is a specialist pharmaceutical company whose aim is to translate new molecular understandings of human cell biology into drugs that will markedly improve the management of life-threatening diseases, particularly cancer.
The company holds and will maintain world-leadership in DNA repair and associated molecular pathways. MISSION Therapeutics will use its knowledge and proven expertise in targeting these pathways for small-molecule drug discovery to develop new therapeutic agents with wide market potential. These drugs will mainly target “Achilles heels” of diseased tissues by exploiting the concept of synthetic-lethality.
Quick Facts
Recent Articles
Cancer therapeutics based on molecular understanding of human cell biology
FundingMISSION was founded in 2011 and raised its first roundof funding in August 2011, a Series A round of £6 million.
MISSION is backed by a strong venture capital syndicate including Imperial Innovations, Sofinnova Partners, an independent venture capital firm based in France and the US, SR One, the corporate venture capital arm of GlaxoSmithKline, and Roche Venture Fund, an early stage biotech and diagnostics fund.
Imperial Innovations invested a total of £1.3m in the round, taking a 15.7% stake in the company.
Synthetic lethality pioneers spin out an oncology company targeting DNA repair through interruption of ubiquitin pathways
7th March 2012Nature Biotechnology
Mission possible as £6m cancer spin-out eyes rapid growth
26th August 2011Business Weekly
Cambridge, UK, spin-out MISSION Therapeutics gets £6 million funding
25th August 2011The Pharma Letter
www.missiontherapeutics.com
Meditrina (Building 260)Babraham Research Campus
CambridgeCB22 3AT
Employees 11Founded 2011Location Babraham
Research
Campus
Professor Steve Jackson Founder
Professor Steve Jackson is a world expert on the DNA damage response. Steve is Head of Cancer Research UK Laboratories at the Gurdon Institute, Cambridge, and is also the University’s Frederick james Quick Professor Biology. Some of Steve’s earlier research went into KuDOS Pharmaceuticals, which developed Olaparib, and was acquired by AztraZeneca
Founders & Management Team
Dr Niall Martin Chief Operating Officer
Dr Martin has many years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, and was Director of Drug Discovery at KuDOS Pharmaceuticals from 1999 until 2008, when he became head of KuDOS, until the closure of the KuDOS site by AstraZeneca in 2010. During this time he directed the programmes that yielded Olaparib, a promising anti-cancer therapeutic.
Dr Xavier Jacq Head of Biology
Dr Keith Menear Head of Chemistry
Dr Jacq has over ten years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having held posts at Sanofi-Synthelab, Hybrigenics SA and Lectus Therapeutics. In 2008, he joined KuDOS Therapeutics as a team and project leader in the field of DNA damage response.
Dr Menear held positions at Ciba-GEIGY and Novartis, managing chemistry teams. He joined KuDOS Therapeutics in 2001 as Head of Chemistry, and remained there until 2008, before setting up a consultancy.
www.missiontherapeutics.com
Meditrina (Building 260)Babraham Research Campus
CambridgeCB22 3AT
Cancer therapeutics based on molecular understanding of human cell biology
University Involvement
MISSION’s founder, Professor Steve Jackson, and a team including founding Head of Biology Xavier Jacq, generated the technology MISSION is developing in Professor Jackson’s lab (Cancer Research UK Laboratory) at the Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge.
The majority of work at the lab is funded by Cancer Research UK, though funding is received from the European Research Council and the European Union.
All of the founding scientists at MISSION were key members of KuDOS Pharmaceuticals, another phamaceutical company founded by Professor Jackson. At the point of its acquisition by AstraZeneca, KuDOS employed 75 people at two sites in Cambridge and Horsham. The technology behind the company was developed at Professor Jackson’s laboratory, and in 2004 an agreement was signed between the company, Cambridge University and Cancer Research Technology to ensure continued access to technology generated by Professor Jackson.
Knowledge and experience gained by Professor Jackson and the rest of the MISSION team through their time at KuDOS has clearly played a part in the formation of MISSION, as well as establishing their reputation sufficiently to ensure access to start-up capital from a syndicate of high quality investors. This demonstrates an often un-noticed aspect of the value of university spinouts, in that the experience gained by academic innovators can lead to the formation of further innovative companies with the potential to grow quickly, create jobs, and develop technology which is beneficial to society as a whole.
Company & TechnologyOxford Immunotec is a medical diagnostics company developing novel tests for various diseases based on its patented T-cell measurement technology. The company is based in the US and UK, but has a global outlook including the US, Europe, China and Japan.
Oxford Immunotec has developed a platform technology based on measuring effector T-cells which is applicable to a broad range of different diseases and can be used for diagnostic, prognostic and therapy response purposes.
The company’s initial product is a diagnostic test for latent tuberculosis infection. This product, the T-SPOT®TB test can identify with great specificity and sensitivity patients who are suffering from latent tuberculosis (TB) infection. The test has regulatory approval in the US, China, Europe and many other significant jurisdictions. The biggest market for the product is in the US, where a number of professions must undergo annual TB screenings. More than 50 million TB screenings take place yearly throughout the world.
Most current screenings for TB are undertaken using the Tuberculin Skin Test (TST). This involves an intradermal
injection of the patient with PPD, a substance derived from dead TB bacteria. If the patient is infected with TB, they will mount an immune response that will result in a bump around the area of injection. The injection site is measured 72 hours following administration of the TST and if there is a bump of a certain diameter the patient is considered to be infected with the TB bacteria.
The TST has been in clinical use for more than 90 years an is described by the World Health Organisation as ‘problematic’ as it suffers from frequent false-negatives and false-positives, in addition to the fact that it is ineffective in immunosuppressed patients and those who are young or elderly.
Oxford Immunotec’s T-SPOT.TB test works by enumerating effector T-cells that have been sensitised by the TB bacterium. Through this method it can identify patients who are currently infected with the TB bacteria with specificity and sensitivity of over 95%. It is the only available test which can offer this degree of accuracy.
Quick Facts
Employees 150Founded 2002Location Oxford, UK;
Boston, US; Memphis, Us
Novel medical diagnostics based on patented T-cell measurement technology
www.oxfordimmunotec.com
In addition to benefits in terms of the accuracy of the test, the T-SPOT.TB test is much more convenient both for patients and for test administrators. Whereas the standard TST requires patients to return after 72 hours and requires those who administer the test to undergo special training to improve the accuracy of results, the T-SPOT.TB test requires only one simple blood sample to be taken. This sample is then passed on to Oxford Immunotec, which will analyse it at the CLIA lab facilities run by its service subsidiary Oxford Diagnostic Laboratories and return the results within 36 hours of receipt.
Oxford Immunotec estimate the potential market in the US for their T-SPOT.TB test to be around 17 million tests per annum, and the company is currently undergoing considerable growth in all of its initial target market segments.
Company & Technology University Involvement
Oxford Immunotec was founded in 2002 based on world-leading research undertaken at the University of Oxford by Professor Ajit Lalvani (now of Imperial College London).
FundingOxford Immunotec received initial seed funding of £0.4m in 2002 and has gone on to raise $110 million across five funding rounds. Its investors include Imperial Innovations, Invesco Perpetual, Oxford University, Spark Ventures, DFJEsprit, Dow Chemicals, Clarus Ventures, Wellington Partners, National Technology Enterprise Company, New Leaf Ventures and Kaiser Permanente Ventures.
www.oxfordimmunotec.com
Recent Company NewsImperial Innovations leads $28 million funding round for Oxford Immunotec
18th June 2012imperialinnovations.co.uk
Oxford Diagnostic Laboratories opens new state-of-the-art laboratory in Memphis, TN
28th February 2012oxfordimmunotec.com
Novel medical diagnostics based on patented T-cell measurement technology
Peter Wrighton-SmithChief Executive Officer
Peter founded OI following 5 years at PowderJect Pharmaceuticals (now part of Novartis) where he became Special Projects Director. Previously, he was CEO of PowderJect Diagnostics, a subsidiary of PowderJect which developed cellular immune based diagnostics. He has held further scientific, business development and project management roles at major companies in the fields of healthcare and engineering. Peter has a Masters in Engineering, Economics and Management and a DPhil in Medical Engineering from Oxford University.
Founders & Management Team
Richard AltieriChief Financial Officer
Dr Peter Edwardson,General Manager, UK
Jeff Schroeder,President, North America
Richard joined OI from Salient Surgical, a medical device company, where he was CFO during a period when sales increased from $17 million to >$100 million. He has substantial private financing experience and he prepared to take the company public before it was sold to Medtronic for $525m. Previously, Rick was CFO of Straumann USA, a public medical device company and CFO of Mitek Surgical systems. Richard is a CPA and has a BS degree in Accounting from Northwestern University, and an MBA from Babson College.
Peter joined OI from Prometic Biosciences where he was VP, Medical Technologies and also on the board of their joint venture with the American Red Cross. Peter has over 20 years’ experience in the medical device area; including developing and gaining approval for many highly complex products. Peter is the author of numerous scientific publications and international patents and has a PhD from Cambridge University.
Jeff joined OI from Cytyc where he was VP, Marketing and VP, Sales, responsible for changing medical practise to replace the established pap smear with Cytyc’s newer, more expensive screening test. Prior to that Jeff was VP, Sales & Marketing at Cytologix and spent 15 years with Abbott Diagnostics, ultimately as Director, Worldwide Marketing.
www.oxfordimmunotec.com
Novel medical diagnostics based on patented T-cell measurement technology
CompanyPolyTherics provides solutions to the pharmaceutical industry to enable the development of better biopharmaceuticals. A key focus is on the improvement of therapeutic proteins and peptides through the application of its technologies:
• Optimisation of the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics
• Protein/antibody drug conjugates• Novel heterodimeric and bispecific products• Targeted drug delivery via glycopolymers
PolyTherics has proprietary conjugation chemistries (TheraPEG™, HiPEG™ & CyPEG™) for attachment of polymers such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) or its own low-viscosity PolyPEG™ polymer as well as in combination with the GlycoPol™ targeting polymer for enhanced therapeutic efficacy.
The market for therapeutic proteins is expected to grow to $160.1 billion by 2013. Polytherics has positioned its business to work in partnership with biopharmaceutical
Quick Facts
Recent Articles
Offering proprietary technologies for the optimisation of protein and peptide therapeutics to extend the duration of action of proteins and peptides being developed for therapeutics use
PolyTherics announces a research collaboration with Spirogen to develop novel antibody -drug conjugates for the treatement of cancer
2nd April 2012Polytherics.co.uk
PolyTherics acquires Warwick Effect Polymers and expands technology portfolio to enable the development of better biopharmaceuticals
20th January 2012Polytherics.co.uk
Nuron exercises option for a licence to PolyTheric’ TheraPEG™ technology to develop a long-acting human interferon beta-1b biopharmaceuticals
13th December 2011Polytherics.co.uk
PolyTherics raises further funding to enable commercialisation of technologies for development of better biopharmaceuticals
7th September, 2011Polytherics.co.uk
www.polytherics.co.uk
The London BioScience Innovation Centre2 Royal College Street
London NW1 0NH
companies to produce better products to capitalise on the use of its technologies within this expanding market.
Employees 34Founded 2002Location London
John Burt Chief Executive Officer
Founders & Management Team
Dr Ken Cunningham Chairman
Professor Steve BrocchiniCo-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer
Dr Sally WatermanChief Operating Officer and Company
Secretary
www.polytherics.co.uk
The London BioScience Innovation Centre2 Royal College Street
London NW1 0NH
Offering proprietary technologies for the optimisation of protein and peptide therapeutics to extend the duration of action of proteins and peptides being developed for therapeutics use
John joined PolyTherics in 2010 and became CEO in May 2011. Prior to joining he co-founded and led Thiakis through a £10 million fund-raising and its sale to Wyeth in December 2008. He previously led medical and life sciences technology trans-
Sally joined Polytherics in Oc-tober 2009. Her previous roles include Director of R&D at Pro-therics (now part of BTG) and KS Biomedix, VP non-clinical development at Vernalis and Director of Scientific Opera-tions at Pharmakopius. Her
Steve co-founded PolyTherics in 2001 and has since been in-volved in the development of the company’s technologies. Steve is Professor of Chemical Pharmaceutics at the School of Pharmacy, University of Lon-don. Steve previously worked
Ken has over 20 years’ experi-ence in pharmaceutical indus-try. He has held previous CEO positions at SkyePharma and Arakis, as well as working for Alza Corporation, Sequus Inc, GlaxoWellcome plc and Warn-er-Lambert. He is also a Non-
fer at Imperial Innovations and held various finance, business and corporate development roles at Vernalis and GlaxoSmithKline. He was awarded a DPhil from the University of Oxford, following his first degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, and is also a qualified chartered management accountant.
early career was spent with GD Searle, Wyeth and Ster-ling Winthrop. Sally has been a member of a number of board including Discerna. She holds a BSc in Biological Sciences and a PhD from the University of Reading.
as a medicinal chemist at Xenova. He has a BA and PhD in synthetic chemistry from Reed College and the Uni-versity of Michigan, and undertook postdoctoral work at Emory University.
Executive director of Prosonix and Xention. Ken holds a medical degree from St Mary’s at Imperial College Lon-don.
www.polytherics.co.uk
The London BioScience Innovation Centre2 Royal College Street
London NW1 0NH
University Involvement
PolyTherics was formed around technologies developed at Imperial College London and the London School of Pharmacy (now part of University College London). PolyTherics acquired Warwick Effect Polymers in 2012, and that company was based around technology developed in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Warwick.
One of PolyTherics’ three founding scientists, Professor Steve Brocchnini, remains as the company’s Chief Scientific Officer, and another, Anthony Goodman, is Director of Science and Technology. Professor David Haddleton (University of Warwick) is a director of PolyTherics’ subsidiary Warwick Effect Polymers, and an advisor to the company.
FundingThe initial seed funding was provided by the Bloomsbury Bioseed Fund and The Wellcome Trust’s Catalyst Biomedica.
Polytherics has raised a total of £8.1 million across a number of funding rounds from investors including Imperial Innovations, the Wellcome Trust, Bloomsbury Bioseed Fund, Longbow Capital, the Capital Fund, ProVen Health VCT PLC, Oxford Technology VCTs, Catapult Venture Managers and the Mercia Funds. Imperial Innovation holds a stake in the business at an aggregate cost of £4.1m.
In 2011, the company raised £2.5m funding from a syndicate of existing investors - Imperial Innovations and The Capital Fund - alongside new investor ProVen Health VCT PLC, and further funding was raised in January 2012 from former shareholders of Warwick Effect Polymers in connection with that company’s acquisition by PolyTherics
Offering proprietary technologies for the optimisation of protein and peptide therapeutics to extend the duration of action of proteins and peptides being developed for therapeutics use
Company
PsiOxus Therapeutics Ltd is an Oxford-based development stage biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics for serious diseases.
The company’s approach is to combine different elements including small molecules, viruses, polymers and other macro-molecules to produce novel, patent-protected therapeutics. PsiOxus targets diseases that result in or are associated with significant global morbidity and mortality, with a particular focus on cancer.
PsiOxus was formed through the merger of two UK biotech companies: Myotec Therapeutics Ltd and Hybrid Biosystems. Myotec had been spun out of Imperial College London in 2006, and had completed a £3.0 million ($4.6 million) series A round in that year, while Hybrid Biosystems had been spun out of Birmingham University in 2002.
Quick Facts
Recent Articles
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www.psioxus.com
Psioxus Therapeutics Ltd154B Milton Park, Abingdon,
Oxfordshire, OX14 4SD
Smart Science ............. for Serious Disease
The company’s most advanced product is MT-102, a small-molecule treatment for cachexia, the wasting syndrome associated with cancers and other serious chronic diseases. A multinational Phase II clinical trial with MT-102 is currently underway, and will look at the impact of MT-102 on weight change, body composition, physical performance and quality of life in cancer patients. Data are expected early in 2013.
In addition, PsiOxus is developing ColoAd1, a virus capable of destroying cancer cells at exceptionally low concentration but which does not replicate in normal human cells. Psioxus will start a multinational Phase I/II clinical trial with ColoAd1 for metastatic colorectal cancer in 2012. The company is also developing two platform technologies: PolySTAR, which aims to make viral vaccines safer and more effective, and PolyMAP, which is a potent adjuvant to enhance the effectiveness of vaccines.
Products
Employees 17Founded 2006Location Oxfordshire
Dr John Beadle Chief Executive Officer
Founders & Management Team
Dr Michael MooreChairman
Dr Paolo Paoletti Non Executive Director
Following an academic research career, Dr Michael Moore became Chief Scientific Officer and director of Xenova Group in 1994 and in 2003 he became Chief Executive Officer of Piramed Limited. As well as Psioxus, Michael is Chairman of Trillium Therapeutics Inc, Asterion
Limited, and Oxford BioTherapeutics. He retains a post as Professor Associate in the Department of Cancer Genetics and Pharmacogenomics in the Brunel Institute.
Dr Paoletti is President of GSK oncology, leading an organisation of over 800 professionals worldwide. Under his leadership, GSK Oncology has achieved high levels of success in advancing cancer care, with EU and US approvals for a wide range of drugs targeting various
cancers. Dr Paoletti’s team is currently researching innovative areas such as cancer stem cell research, epigenetics and cancer metabolism. Prior to GSK, Dr Paoletti was VP Clinical Development at Lilly Oncology. He has a medical degree from the University of Pisa and has a postgraduate qualification in Pulmonary Diseases and Nuclear Medicines.
Dr John Beadle was Entrepreneur in Residence at Imperial College London, where he helped to establish Myotec Therapeutics as a spin-out business. He became CEO of Myotec in 2008 while also acting as CEO of Hybrid Biosystems. In 2010, John’s leadership of
these two private companies led to their combination to form PsiOxus Therapeutics Limited. John has previously a co-founder of Powdermed and held senior roles at PowderJect, Pfizer and Glaxo SmithKline where he was most recently VP of Global Medical Operations.
Smart Science ............. for Serious Disease
www.psioxus.com
Psioxus Therapeutics Ltd154B Milton Park, Abingdon,
Oxfordshire, OX14 4SD
University Involvement
The Chief Executive Officer of PsiOxus, Dr John Beadle, was an Entrepreneur in Residence at Imperial Innovations. It was from here that he became involved in the two companies which merged to form PsiOxus, helping establish Myotec Therapeutics as a spin-out business from Imperial College London, and later becoming Executive Chairman and CEO of Hybrid Biosystems.
PsiOxus is demonstrative of the synergies that can exist among university spinouts, and it now incorporates the research findings of leading scientists from a number of universities, including Imperial College London, The University of Birmingham and the University of Oxford.
Funding
The formation of PsiOxus through the merger of Myotec and Hybrid attracted £3.6 million in additional funding from existing investors in a round led by Imperial Innovations and Invesco Perpetual. The merger was supported by all the major investors in the two predecessor companies, including the Mercia Fund, Cancer Research UK’s Cancer Research Technology and the University of Birmingham.
Smart Science ............. for Serious Disease
www.psioxus.com
Psioxus Therapeutics Ltd154B Milton Park, Abingdon,
Oxfordshire, OX14 4SD
CompanyRespiVert is a biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and development of new medicines for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and severe asthma. The company focuses on areas of high unmet need in which there is a lack of effective treatment options for physicians. In particular, RespiVert is focused on small molecule discovery for inhaled delivery to maximise target efficacy and minimise side-effects.
RespiVert has targetted COPD and Severe Asthma as a result of the growing treatment gap caused by unresponsiveness of patients to inhaled corticosteroids.
COPD usually describes two diseases, emphysema and brnochitis and is characterised by an irreversible loss of lung function in conjunction with progressive inflammation. COPD sufferers are insensitive to corticosteroids, which are usually the only treatment.
COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the US, and is projected to become the third leading cause of death worldwide by 2020. The estimated cost of COPD in the US in 2004 was $37.2 billion, and in 2000 the disease was responsible for 726,000 hospitalisations. Between 1985 and 1995 the number of US physician visits as a result of COPD increased from 9.3 million to 16 million. R
RespiVert has discovered novel Narrow Spectrum Kinase Inhibitors (NSKIs) that offer a therapeutic approach for the management of the severe inflammation associated with COPD. These compounds also have potential in the treatment of Severe Asthma. While most patients with Asthma respons well to corticosteroids, at least 10% of those with a severe form of the disease do not respond at all to even very high doses of inhaled corticosteroids.
RespiVert is progressing two discrete programmes; its lead programme entered clinical development in 2010 and has completed four clinical studies (phase I - phase IIa).
RespiVert has made 36 patent applications, with 24 since it was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2010, iand has 11 published patent applications.
Quick Facts
Recent Articles
New medicines for the treatment of severe asthma and COPD
SkyePharma and RespiVert ink second feasibility pact
11 April 2012Contract Pharma
J&J’s Centocor buys RespiVert
1st June 2010Fierce Biotech
Imperial Innovations sells RespiVert for £9.5 million
1st June 2010Proactive Investors
Imperial College Incubator,Imperial College London
South Kensington,London SW7 2AZ
www.respivert.com
Founded 2007Location London
Garth RapeportManaging Director & Founder
Peter StrongHead of Drug Discovery
Dr Rapeport is the Managing Director and Founder of RespiVert. He is also a visiting Professor at the National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College School of Medicine in London. Dr Rapeport graduated in Medicine and underwent further training at the Universities of Glasgow and Oxford. He previously worked at Pfizer Central Research and at GlaxoWellcome (GW). At the merger of GlaxoSmithkline, Dr Rapeport was appointed Head (SVP) of the CEDD for Respiratory and Inflammatory Diseases. In this role, Dr Rapeport developed significant expertise in the discovery and development of candidate molecules by the inhaled and intra-nasal routes of administration.
Pete has a degree in biochemistry from the University of York and a PhD from the biochemistry department at Leeds University. He has over30 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having joined Glaxo in 1980. He continued at Glaxo through its mergers, taking a leadership role within the respiratory diseases therapy area before playing a pivotal role in the inception of the Respiratory Diseases CEDD.
Founders & Management Team
New medicines for the treatment of severe asthma and COPD
Imperial College Incubator,Imperial College London
South Kensington,London SW7 2AZ
www.respivert.com
FundingRespiVert was founded in 2007 and received its first and only round of VC funding the same year, raising £13 million from Imperial Innovations, SV Life Sciences, Advent Venture Partners and Fidelity Biosciences.
Imperial Innovations invested a total of £2m in the business, which was sold to Centocor Ortho Biotech, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson in 2010. Innovations realised a 4.7x return on its investment as part of the deal.
Following its acquisition, RespiVert remains in the Imperial College Incubator, and has been supported through an additional $100 million in funding from J&J.
University Involvement
RespiVert’s original target discovery campaign was based upon the research of Dr Kaz Ito and Professor Peter Barnes at the National Heart and Lung Institute, part of Imperial College Medical School.
Professor Barnes leads a renowned and internationally recognised research group, and is himself the most highly cited clinical respiratory researcher in the world.
CompanyStanmore Implants Worldwide is a specialist in the design and manufacture of patient-specific implants for complex orthopaedic reconstructions.
Stanmore has a number of novel orthopaedic solutions for patients who require limb salvage, complex joint replacements, prosthethes or revision of joint replacements. The company’s technology offering is covered by three internal divisions:
Extreme OrthopaedicsThe original part of the Company’s business has built a global reputation for its expertise in designing and manufacturing custom implants for patients with severe limb-threatening orthopaedic problems, particularly bone cancer. Extreme Orthopaedics is also recognised as a leading developer of solutions in skeletal reconstruction, with its JTS extendible prosthesis and the METS modular massive implant system both designed to avoid limb amputation. This business unit is in the process of extending its market focus to include complex revision surgery of failed standard joint replacements.
A key differentiator of the company is its customer-company interface with the design team alongside the sales team fronting the company providing the first point of contact. This matches the need in the limb sparing and complex joint reconstruction sectors for the surgeon to liaise frequently with the design engineers. This expert-to-expert interface enables a rapid appreciation of the surgeons reconstruction needs and provides the customer with a high degree of comfort. This ‘working as a part of the team’ in these complex reconstructions has led to close working relationships with a number of major units globally and is considered to be one of the most important factors in customer retention. With
Specialist design and manufacture of patient-specific orthopaedics
210 Centennial Avenue Centennial Park
ElstreeWD6 3SJ
www.stanmoreimplants.com
the increasing number of customer surgeons globally, emphasis is placed on clear communication to ensure that the interaction provides the surgeon with clear communication throughout the process from initial contact through to post-surgical follow-up, irrespective of their location.
Savile RowA system which provides the world’s first fully personalised early knee replacement surgery system, aimed at younger and more active patients for whom long-term performance of an implant is a key consideration. This system is built upon technology developed at Imperial College London and commercialised through the spinout company Acrobot, which was acquired by Stanmore in 2010.
ITAPA novel approach to prostheses, which enables the direct attachment of an exoprosthesis to the skeleton of an amputee
The market for Stanmore’s technology is growing quickly due to an increasing need for orthopaedic interventions in otherwise healthy patients. Increasing life expectancy, obesity, and the desire of people to remain active in old age all act as drivers for this market, which is estimated at $19.2 billion and which datamonitor predicts will grow at 7.4% a year for five years to 2013.
Brian SteerExecutive Chairman
Brian Steer has more than forty years of experience in the healthcare industry, including twenty years with Baxter Healthcare, where he held several positions in the internal division, including President of Europe. He spent ten years as president of Zimmer International before becoming Executive chairman of Gyrus.
Founders & Management Team
Dr Paul Unwin Chief Technical Officer and Managing
Director of Extreme Orthopaedics
Paul has been at Stanmore since 1996 and is an authority on limb salvage implants, and a board member of the International Society on Limb Salvage. Prior to joining Stanmore, he worked at AEA Technology, and holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from University College London.
Eric Dodd Chief Financial Officer
Eric has 20 years experience in financial positions at major companies including GSK. Eric has a BEng in Manufacturing Engineering and Management from Loughborough University and an MBA from the London Business School.
Specialist design and manufacture of patient-specific orthopaedics
210 Centennial Avenue Centennial Park
ElstreeWD6 3SJ
www.stanmoreimplants.com
Funding & University Involvement
Stanmore Implants was founded in 1996 by University College London, though it can trace its roots back considerably further - to 1944 and the foundation of the Institute of Orthopaedics at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore.
The company was acquired by a Venture Capital consortium in 2008.
Imperial Innovations’ involvement in the company began in 2010, when Stanmore acquired a former Imperial Innovations portfolio company, Acrobot, and simultaneously took a global exclusive licence for a patient-specific knee implant technology developed at Imperial College London. Acrobot developed a range of robotic surgical guides to enable surgeons to undertake joint replacement operations in a way that spared healthy bone and tissue, and this technology along with the patient-specific knee implant form part of Stanmore’s Savile Row system.
In July 2011, Imperial Innovations invested £4 million in the company to support the development of the Savile Row System, the world’s first fully personalised early knee replacement system, which was first used in patients in July 2011.
Recent Articles
World’s first personalised ‘Savile Row’ knee replacement system
12th January 2012Stanmore Implants
Imperial injects £4 million in Stamore Implants
22nd July 2011GrowthBusiness
CompanyTopiVert is a new start-up company which has licensed intellectual property from the COPD drug discovery company RespiVert, which was formerly part of the Imperial Innovations portfolio of companies and was acquired by Janssen Biotech in 2010.
TopiVert has licensed from RespiVert NSKI (narrow spectrum kinase inhibitor) related intellectual property and will develop this technology for inflammatory diseases of the eye and gut. In addition, the Company has entered into an exclusive drug discovery collaboration with RespiVert aimed at identifying novel NSKIs. TopiVert retains exclusive rights over those newly discovered NSKIs which have application in the treatment of inflammatory eye and gut diseases such as uveitis and inflammatory bowel disease, while RespiVert retains a global exclusive rights over NSKIs with application in the treatment of Asthma, COPD and Cystic Fibrosis and other inflammatory diseases of the lungs.
Uveitis is an inflammation of the intermediate layer of the eye, the Uvea. Uveitis can lead to serious complications if not treated quickly, including loss of vision in the affected eye. Usually, steriods are used in the treatment of the disease, but resistance is common, and steriods can’t be used in the presence of a number of pre-
Quick Facts
Topical medicines for the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the eyes and gut
Imperial College Incubator Bessemer Building
Imperial College London SW7 2AZ
existing conditions. In addition, steroid treatments can lead to glaucoma and cataracts. TopiVert aims to meet the needs of patients affected by uveitis by developing medicines based on NSKIs which have an equivalent level of efficacy to steroids, without the negative side effects and potential resistance.
Inflammatory bowel disease refers to a group of inflammatory conditions that affect the colon and the small intestine, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Existing anti-inflammatory medicines for IBD are generally not satisfactory, and a high percentage of patients with either Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis require major surgery due to the failure of medication to control the disease.
Both IBD and uveitis use steroids as a standard therapy, and numerous patients are either resistant to these therapies or develop a gradual resistance to them over time. The combined clinical need from both indications for TopiVert’s research programme is therefore significant. The market for inflammatory bowel disease in the major markets (US, Japan and EU) will reach $5.9 billion by 2019 according to Datamonitor, and Global data predict the global market for uveitis will reach $1.6 billion by 2017.
TopiVert currently operates alongside RespiVert in the Imperial College Incubator.
Employees 8Founded 2011Location London
Dr Allan BaxterChairman
Dr Baxter has extensive experience in pharma, having spent a 30 year career in roles including SVP/Global Head of the Centres for Excellence for Drug Discovery and Global Head of Medicines Development at GlaxoSmithKline. He holds a PhD in Biochemistry.
Founders & Management Team
University Involvement
Dr Steve WebberChief Scientific Officer
Dr Webber joined TopiVert from Almirall, a spanish pharma company, where he was Senior Discovery Director. Prior to this, he was Vice President of Respiratory Biology for the Respiratory and Inflammation Centre of Excellence for Drug Discovery at GlaxoSmithKline. Steve has a PhD in Pharmacology from University College London and undertook postdoctoral training at St George’s Hospital Medical School.
Dr Matthew FyfeHead of Chemistry
Dr Fyfe has over 12 years’ experience in drug discovery gained at OSI Pharmaceuticals, where he was Principal Research Chemist, Prosidion Limited where he was Director or Medicinal Chemistry and Oryzon, where he was Director of Drug Discovery. Matthew has a PhD. Chemistry from the University of Birmingham and a Postdoctoral diploma in Chemistry from UCLA.
Topical medicines for the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the eyes and gut
Recent Articles
FundingTopiVert was founded in 2011 and recieved initial funding in the same year from Imperial Innovations Group plc and SV Life Sciences, which between them committed £8 million. Both investors had previously supported RespiVert, the company from which TopiVert takes its license for NSKI-related intellectual property.
£8m funding for new Imperial start-up TopiVert
8th December 2011Science Business
Imperial and SV Life Sciences inject £8m into TopiVert
6th December 2011Unquote.com
New Start-up TopiVert gets $12.5 million funding
6th December 2011The Pharma Letter
TopiVert is developing further technology originally discovered at RespiVert, a spinout from Imperial College London based on the research of Professor Peter Barnes of the NHLI.
Imperial College Incubator Bessemer Building
Imperial College London SW7 2AZ
CompanyVascular disease caused by restricted blood flow to critical organs is one of the most common causes of death, resulting in nearly 150,000 deaths each year. Veryan Medical is developing innovative solutions for this disease using the principles of biomimicry. This involves studying nature’s best ideas and imitating these designs and processes to solve human problems.
The company is using its advanced understanding of the physics of blood flow to develop a range of cutting edge products to address vascular disease in areas with strong unmet clinical needs. This is the BioMimics 3D™ solution. Veryan’s first Biomimics stents are for the arteries of the leg.
Veryan’s goal is to improve the performance of existing vascular stents using a complex array of engineering skills. Its aim is to improve the clinical performance of stents by creating an optimal shape to mix the blood more effectively and improve the mechanical characteristics of the stent to accommodate the natural movement of the artery during everyday activities.
Veryan’s technology taps into a large unmet market. For example, the BioMimics 3D™ stent is initially targeted at the market for peripheral stents, which exceeds £1 billion per year.
Quick Facts
Recent Articles
Imperial Innovations co-leads £5M funding round for Veryan Medical
27th October 2011Science Business
Both surgeons and sportsmen rely on engineering innovations
5th May 2011The Daily Telegraph
Veryan’s swirly blood stents attract funding11th April 2009The Telegraph
www.veryanmed.com
Units 5/17, City Business CentreBrighton Road
HorshamRH13 5BB
Developing innovative solutions for vascular disease using the principles of biomimicry
Results from recent studies have indicated that the excellent preclinical results thus far for Veryan’s stents may be transferred to human clinical experience. Veryan has completed the enrolment of patients in its European study. This brings the company a step closer to using their innovative solutions in the treatment of vascular disease.
Employees 17Founded 2003Location City Business
Centre, Horsham
Chas Taylor Chief Executive Officer
Founders & Management Team
Paul GilsonChief Scientific Officer
Chas and Paul have over 20 years’ experience each in the medical devices industry at senior levels in multi-national corporations.
In 1996, they co-founded MedNova, which developed a range of products for carotid stenting procedures and was acquired by Abbott in 2005 after successfully receiving FDA approval for these novel therapeutic intravascular devices. They have been involved in three successful start-up companies and have raised in excess of £60 million in venture capital funding.
Dr Geoffrey VernonChairman
Professor Colin CaroTechnical Consultant and Founder
Geoffrey has extensive experience in corporate governance in public and private companies and was the first Director in the UK to attain the qualification of Chartered Director. He is a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors.
Colin Caro is a founder of Veryan and Emeritus Professor of Physiological Mechanics in the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London. His research into arterial flow is the basis for Veryan’s technology
Developing innovative solutions for vascular disease using the principles of biomimicry
University Involvement
Professor Colin Caro is an Emeritus Professor at Imperial College and his pioneering research into arterial blood flow provides the basis for Veryan’s novel technology, demonstrating the value of investigative university research for developing companies.
Veryan is an example of how ideas generated from experience in academic environments can lead to valuable university spinouts. These spinouts have the potential to grow and develop technologies which will benefit society.
www.veryanmed.com
Units 5/17, City Business CentreBrighton Road
HorshamRH13 5BB
FundingVeryan Medical was founded with University Challenge Seed Funds in 2003 by Imperial Innovations and Professor Colin Caro of Imperial College London. The formation of Veryan Medical has allowed scientific and management team to raise sufficient funding to carry out extensive trials of innovative technologies and secure IS09001 accreditation. Recent fundraising has allowed Veryan Medical to commence human clinical studies.
Veryan has raised total funding to date of £12.4m, from investors Oxford Capital Partners, Seroba Kernel Life Sciences and NESTA, alongside Imperial Innovations