The outstanding companies and leaders of the North’s life sciences sector were honoured at the 17th annual Bionow Awards. The awards, which recognise excellence, outstanding achievement and enterprise in a sector that is worth more than £13bn to the North’s economy, were sponsored by Manchester Science Partnerships, Alderley Park, Appleyard Lees, DLA Piper and World Courier.
Entertained by writer, comedian and actor Robin Ince, more than 300 people attended the awards dinner in Cheshire, which saw medical technology companies, Blueberry Therapeutics, C4X Discovery, Zilico and LightOx all win prizes for the application of their cutting edge technologies to the life sciences sector.
Following a remarkable year, Blueberry Therapeutics received the sought-after Company of the Year award. Blueberry is applying nanotechnology to the delivery of medicines for difficult-to-treat skin and nail infections.
C4X Discovery celebrated the only double win on the night, achieving the Bionow Project of the Year award for the development of Orexin-1 Receptor Antagonists for the Treatment of Addiction, while its Lead Software Developer Phil Muwanga won in the prestigious Promising Technologist of the Year category.
Med-tech company Zilico won the Investment Deal of the Year after raising £13.5m to roll-out the sales of its device ZedScan which detects life- threatening cervical cancer much earlier than current products on the market.
Having developed a unique range of molecular tools for use as biological fluorescent probes for cell imaging and targeted light-based therapeutics aimed at treating conditions such as skin and colorectal cancers, LightOx won in the Start-Up category.
"Despite the current uncertainty our innovative and adaptable community will continue to find ways to grow" - Geoff Davison, chief executive, Bionow.
Entrepreneur Alby Pattison took the Outstanding Contribution Award on the night. Alby founded Hart Biologics in 2002 and during the last 15 years the business has grown into an award-winning medical diagnostics company which exports to 39 countries and is now a team of 43.
The judges said he had “demonstrated a level of dedication to the sector that goes above and beyond the call of duty, in addition to being a leader in their field, Alby has also given a significant amount back to business and the community.”
Geoff Davison, chief executive of Bionow said: “Congratulations to all our winners and to those shortlisted - the 2018 Awards reflect the superb efforts by companies in the Life Sciences sector in the North to innovate and commercialise great ideas and IP into new medicines and treatments.”
He added: “Despite the current uncertainty in the market place regarding the nature and form of Brexit, and scarcity of funding in the North, I believe our innovative and adaptable community will continue to find ways to grow.
"Analysing recent Government figures, we found that the North’s life sciences economy grew from £9.2 billion in 2016 to £13.6 billion in 2017, representing an increase of 48% over the previous year which is 4.8% higher than the national average. I look forward to reporting on continued growth next year.”
The winners in full
Bionow Start Up of the Year - Sponsored by RSM: LightOx Ltd - LightOx Ltd is a light-based therapeutics company that is developing new drugs that can be activated using light sources to kill targeted cell types. These new chemical entities will be formulated into new drugs to treat conditions such as skin and colorectal cancers
Bionow Healthcare Project of the Year - Sponsored by TRUSTECH: The Northern Health Science Alliance - Project: Connected Health Cities – Connected Health Cities is a global programme harnessing the power of data to implement Learning Health Systems; to deliver improvements in systems, for patients. Using the innovative ‘CHC Method’ across multiple therapeutic areas to diagnose, treat and deliver care, the impact of CHC can now be measured in lives saved.
Bionow Project of the Year – Sponsored by Waters Corporation: C4X Discovery Ltd - Project: Development of Orexin-1 Receptor Antagonists for the Treatment of Addiction - C4XD has identified C4X3256, a novel, potent and selective oral Orexin-1 antagonist for the treatment of addiction. C4X3256 has demonstrated excellent efficacy and tolerability in preclinical models of nicotine addiction, which has resulted in this project being licensed to Indivior who will continue the development of C4X3256 in the clinic.
Bionow Product of the Year – Sponsored by Innovation Agency: Femeda Ltd - Product: Pelviva – Pelvic Floor muscle re-trainer – Pelviva is an innovative, clinically proven solution to the common problem of incontinence, delivering 84% improvement in bladder control in 90 days. It uniquely brings together two new innovative technologies, a patented waveform which is incorporated into a home treatment device that is highly acceptable to the female user.
Bionow Technical Service – Sponsored by Gateley Plc: Seda Pharmaceutical Development Services – Technical Service: Integrated Pharmaceutical Development and Clinical Pharmacology Services - Seda is an integrated Pharmaceutical Development and Clinical Pharmacology Services company that maximises value build. Seda has successfully provided small biotechs, investors and large Pharma companies with integrated development expertise ensuring that drug products have been developed to support clinical programs ranging from early to late stage development.
Bionow Promising Technologist of the Year – Sponsored by Seqirus: Phil Muwanga, Lead Software Developer, C4X Discovery Ltd - Phil has brought his computer games industry experience to C4XD where he has been instrumental in developing a collaborative, highly intuitive, Virtual Reality molecular design software suite, 4Sight. This has revolutionised the way chemists visualise and design new molecules, by providing novel insights to enhance the drug discovery process.
Bionow Investment Deal of the Year – Sponsored by QIAGEN: Zilico Ltd - Deal: Investment and Strategic Partnership - The investment and strategic partnership deal was a triparty deal between Deepbridge Capital, MaxHealth Medicine Group (China) and Zilico. The investment element was from both Deepbridge (understand patient capital) & Maxhealth (strategic partner for the fastest growing market). Maxhealth has the rights to deploy ZedScan, Zilico’s flagship product across China. The investment and partnership aligns the interests of the two businesses.
Bionow Outstanding Contribution – Sponsored by Sci-Tech Daresbury: Alby Pattison, Managing Director, Hart Biologicals Ltd - Entrepreneur Alby Pattison founded Hart Biologics in 2002 with just three staff and began manufacturing reagents used to investigate the blood clotting function in patients taking blood thinning drugs. During the last 15 years the business has grown into an award-winning medical diagnostics company which exports to 39 countries and is now a team of 43.
Bionow Company of the Year – Sponsored by AstraZeneca: Blueberry Therapeutics Ltd - Blueberry Therapeutics is a drug discovery and development company focused on developing innovative nanomedicines for difficult to treat skin and nail infections. Blueberry has had a remarkable year, including its BB2603 Phase I/II trial of 46 patients trial successfully meeting its primary endpoint in patients with both onychomycosis (fungal nail infection) and concomitant tinea pedis (athletes foot), as well as completing its £10m series B Fundraising.
A not-for-profit membership organisation, Bionow supports the North of England’s burgeoning life sciences sector, which currently includes some 1,100 science and healthcare companies with a combined turnover of around £13.6bn. Its member base includes start-ups and spin-outs as well as well-established businesses. The services it offers to firms include dedicated business support programmes, shared procurement schemes, insurance, recruitment and a comprehensive events programme.
Bionow: the place for business support
Bionow is an award-winning specialist business development and services company serving the life sciences sector in the North of England. We provide our members with the tools and support to become the most competitive in the industry through our range of specialist products and services.
Our core mission is to support and be part of a growing Northern Life Sciences and Healthcare community, a mission closely aligned with the goals and values of our Sponsor Companies and Universities.
By working closely with our University Sponsors, our dedicated team facilitates the relationships, creates the links, and initiates opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaboration between Academia and Industry interested in new and developing technologies. Strong engagement between our University Sponsors and Multinational Enterprises, with our growing and vibrant SME community sparks innovation and creates sustained and increased employment within the sector across the North, and the UK as a whole.
Northern Universities embody world class strengths in research and teaching in the biomedical sciences, chemistry, physics, engineering, IT, mathematics and statistics.
Most of our sponsoring Universities offer the opportunity to engage a student to work on a defined project. There are opportunities across various departments and faculties, including Business Schools and the project may involve remote working at the company’s premises or be carried out within the University. The project might be paid or be part of the course.
A core strand of our support is the facilitation of student placements within sector companies and organisations. This brings tremendous benefit to the students themselves through gaining valuable work experience and for business it is an opportunity to engage an undergraduate or postgraduate student.
Universities who offer degrees with a compulsory year in industry usually have relationships in place to deliver these 12-month placements. However, there is always the need to source additional capacity and Bionow is keen to bring this opportunity to the attention of Members and other companies in the sector who may be able to support and benefit in this way.
Through our relationships with our University Sponsors – Liverpool, Manchester, Lancaster, Newcastle and Durham – we can fast-track the recruitment of students with the appropriate skills and ambitions to suit your business. Industrial placements are on a salaried basis and the student maintains contact with their academic department throughout the placement.
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool has, since 1881, worked for the advancement of learning and ennoblement of life. This remains our mission today and will give focus to all our efforts in the coming years as we strive to achieve our ambitions and aspirations, tackle the grand challenges of the age and make our vision a reality. We have laid down this explicit challenge of where we want to be in 10 years' time, and now we must be just as clear on how we will get there.
We start from a position of strength. As a connected, global University with multiple physical and virtual campuses – Liverpool, London, Suzhou, Singapore and online – our worldwide influence and impact is unrivalled in higher education. Over the next decade we will build on our internationally recognised strengths in research and scholarship and increase collaborative and inter-disciplinary working.
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a truly global institution, with a reputation for education and innovation that resonates across the world. International businesses, charities, governments and universities turn to Manchester for our expertise.
Whether it’s leading the European renaissance in industrial biotechnology or helping to train midwives in developing countries, we provide the spark for positive change.
Our research engages with the world’s biggest questions – that’s why we bring together the best people in these fields to help us to find the answers. We’ve a history of attracting world-leading minds to work with us, from Niels Bohr and Arthur Lewis to our latest Nobel laureates Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov, whose pioneering work with the one-atom thick wonder material graphene has established Manchester not just as the centre of research into its application.
Lancaster University
Lancaster University has risen to become one of Britain's top universities, with over 12,000 students and 2,500 employees within the Bailrigg campus that is now almost a small town in its own right.
Lancaster University has been named University of the Year by The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2018. It has also taken the top spot for Best Campus University and Best University in the North West.
Lancaster's success depends on the talented, creative and committed people who work hard to make this University so special and distinctive. Our vision for the future is to be a sustainable and academically excellent institution recognised as one of the leading universities in the world.
Newcastle University
Newcastle University is a world-leading university, advancing knowledge, providing creative solutions, and addressing global problems.
We aspire to be a people focused university that harnesses academic excellence, innovation and creativity to provide benefits to individuals, to organisations and to society as a whole. Newcastle University exists for the public benefit to advance education, learning and research.
Our objective is to build on this core purpose and, in doing so, provide new knowledge and creative solutions that make a positive impact. We aim to work collaboratively with our many external partners to shape brighter futures, grow the economy and champion social justice.
Durham University
Durham University has a long-established commitment to research and research-led teaching. Research shapes and inspires the disciplinary structure of our departments, as well as our college communities.
It directly informs our teaching of both undergraduates and postgraduates, and creates multidisciplinary programmes through our research centres and institutes. In partnership with policy-makers, industry, the public sector, and communities around the world, Durham’s cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural research shapes local, national and international agendas.
Can create an exclusive sponsorship package and opportunity that perfectly aligns with your organisation’s objectives. Opportunities include, but are not limited to:
- The facilitation of student placements within our sector companies and organisations
- Access to a large SME community
- Access to academic research groups across the North of England
- Expertise in designing and developing bespoke conference programmes and networking events
- Promotion of events through targeted marketing
- Raising organisations profile through sponsorship of Bionow events