Spin-out successes recognised in OBN 2015 Awards

2nd October 2015

Outstanding achievement in the UK Life Sciences sector is celebrated in the annual OBN Awards ceremony. Five spin-outs from Oxford featured in this year’s awards, presented on 1st October.

Summit Therapeutics, originally spun-out in 2003 and listed on NASDAQ earlier this year, won the Best New UK Biotech Development Programme category for the development of small molecule treatments for muscular dystrophy and the treatment of C.difficile infections (www.summitplc.com)

Adaptimmune, which traces its roots to Oxford University Innovation spin-out Avidex from 1999 and completed an IPO this year, was awarded Best Emerging UK Biotech Fundraiser for securing funding for the development of modified T-cells carrying affinity enhanced TCRs to target specific cancers (www.adaptimmune.com)

OxSonics, spun-out in 2014, won Best Emerging UK Medtech Company for developing and commercialising ground-breaking therapeutic ultrasound advancements (www.oxsonics.com)

Oxford Nanopore Technologies, formed in 2005,  was awarded Best Emerging UK Medtech Fundraiser for the development of electronic based systems for the analysis of DNA, RNA and protein. (www.nanoporetech.com)

Oxitec, which spun-out in 2002 and sold to Intrexon Corporation this year for $160m, won Best Emerging UK SynBio Company for developing pioneering solutions to control insects that spread human disease and damage crops (www.oxitec.com)

Adam Stoten, Head of Technology Transfer (Life Sciences) at Oxford University Innovation, commented, “We are delighted to see the success, and potential, of these spin-outs being recognised in this way. The progression of innovative science from the lab to full commercial operation, making a real difference to the lives of patients, takes many years, and these companies are all pushing the boundaries of medical technology.”

Full details of the OBN Award winners can be found here.

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