Drug discovery companies identify, validate and develop new therapeutic candidates for the prevention and treatment of disease. The sector combines biology, chemistry, data science and clinical expertise to bring new medicines from concept to clinic.
This category includes companies working on:
Browse 495 UK drug discovery companies below.
Synthetic glycan-targeted small molecules for next-generation immunotherapy
Anomer Bio is a biotechnology company developing synthetic monosaccharides and small molecule drugs that target glycans, the sugars coating cell surfaces that influence immune responses and disease. Its platform combines multi-omics data and machine learning to model how cells process sugars, enabling the design of…
Cocrystal drug repurposing for oncology supportive care and fibrosis
Nuformix is a pharmaceutical development company using proprietary cocrystal technology to repurpose existing drugs for unmet medical needs in fibrosis and oncology. By reengineering a drug's crystal form, the company improves properties such as dissolution and absorption, creating differentiated, patentable products…
Precision therapeutics targeting fibrosis using multi-omics
Forth Therapeutics develops precision medicines intended to target the cellular mechanisms driving organ fibrosis. Its discovery platform combines single-cell and spatial genomics with patient-derived tissue data, including a large human liver disease dataset. These insights help identify disease-associated cells and…
Small molecule therapeutics targeting PDE4 enzymes in kidney disease
Mironid is a company developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, one of the most common hereditary kidney disorders. Its lead programme targets long-form PDE4 enzymes to modulate cyclic AMP signalling, the central driver of cyst growth across all disease…
CRISPR genome editing and engineered cell models for research
Prime.io is a contract research organisation providing genome editing services and reagents for drug discovery and functional genomics. Its work includes CRISPR knock-in and knock-out cell line generation, gene editing design, pooled screening and sequencing-based validation. The company develops engineered cellular…
AI-native virtual scientist platform for drug discovery
Kiin Bio is a software company developing an AI-native platform that integrates virtual scientist agents with laboratory databases, modelling software and analysis tools to streamline drug discovery workflows. The platform coordinates tasks spanning literature review, experimental design, bioinformatics and…
Preclinical in vitro bioassay CRO for drug discovery programmes
Cellomatics Biosciences is a UK-based contract research organisation providing bespoke preclinical in vitro bioassay services to biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients. The company specialises in cell-based assays, phenotypic screening, target validation, and toxicity profiling across oncology, immuno-oncology,…
End-to-end antibody discovery and development services for global biopharma
FairJourney Biologics is a contract research organisation providing integrated antibody discovery, engineering, production and characterisation services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide. The company combines phage display and mammalian display technologies across immune and naïve antibody…
RNA-targeted drug discovery platform using machine learning
RevoNA Bio is a biotechnology company developing a high-throughput RNA biological platform for RNA-targeted drug discovery. The platform generates comprehensive RNA structural and functional datasets that feed a machine learning predictive engine, supporting hit identification, structure-activity relationship…
Targeted therapies against extrachromosomal DNA in cancer
Econic Biosciences is a drug discovery biotech developing therapies that target extrachromosomal DNA, a circular form of DNA found outside normal chromosomes that drives oncogene amplification, tumour evolution, and treatment resistance across multiple cancer types. The company uses AI to identify and characterise…
Bispecific antibody-drug conjugates for hard-to-treat solid tumours
Valink Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing next-generation bispecific antibody-drug conjugates and multispecific antibody therapeutics for oncology. Its proprietary discovery platform enables modular assembly of complex antibody formats combining multispecificity, multivalency, and drug conjugation,…
Computational chemistry software and consulting for small molecule discovery
Cresset Biomolecular Discovery is a UK software and consulting company providing computational chemistry solutions for small molecule drug discovery and design. Its patented field technology evaluates molecules using surface properties rather than 2D structural similarity, enabling virtual screening, scaffold hopping,…
Global pharma company in oncology, immunology, and neuroscience
Johnson & Johnson is a multinational pharmaceutical company with UK operations spanning commercial, medical affairs, and innovation activities. Its Innovative Medicine division covers oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and infectious disease. The company operates an EMEA Innovation Centre in London focused on…
Confocal ophthalmoscope for preclinical retinal imaging in small animals
Vox Imaging Technology is a UK-based developer of laboratory imaging instruments for preclinical eye research. The company's benchtop confocal Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope is designed for retinal imaging in small animals, built to overcome limitations of existing research instruments identified through consultation…
AI-designed extended-expression RNA therapeutics for cardio-metabolic disease
ScionxBio, formerly Eleven Therapeutics, is a biotechnology company developing xRNA, a chemically expanded RNA modality engineered to extend protein expression from days to months. Combinatorial chemistry and deep learning are combined to design molecules with enhanced stability and reduced immune sensing, enabling…
Small molecule neuromodulators for neuropsychiatric disorders
Draig Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotech developing small molecule drugs that modulate the glutamate and GABA neurotransmitter pathways to treat neuropsychiatric disorders. Its lead candidate DT-101 is an AMPA receptor positive allosteric modulator in Phase 2 development for major depressive disorder. The…
Dendritic cell biology platform for cancer and autoimmune therapies
Adendra Therapeutics is a discovery-stage biotechnology company developing small molecule and biologic medicines targeting dendritic cell biology for the treatment of solid tumours and autoimmune diseases. The company's approach is based on research into how dendritic cells regulate adaptive immune responses to cell…
Academic cancer research institute and drug discoverer
The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) is an independent research institute and member institution of the University of London, specialising in cancer biology, drug discovery, genetics, and precision radiotherapy. Working closely with the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, the ICR has discovered cancer medicines…
3D cell culture scaffolds and human tissue services for drug research
REPROCELL is a life science company combining proprietary 3D cell culture products with ex vivo human tissue testing services for the pharmaceutical industry. Its scaffold enables cells to grow in three-dimensional structures that more closely replicate in vivo tissue behaviour, supporting drug safety, efficacy, and…
Small-molecule drugs targeting cellular ageing and senescence
Five Alarm Bio Limited is a biotechnology company discovering small-molecule therapies for diseases associated with ageing. Its research targets chemical damage that accumulates inside cells, aiming to reinforce protective mechanisms and delay cellular senescence rather than destroy senescent cells. Candidate…