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.
ENTECH platform for cell perturbation and AI target discovery
Aparna Bio develops technologies for generating biologically relevant cell-perturbation data to support drug target discovery. Its ENTECH platform is being engineered to deliver experimental perturbation reagents into primary human cells and other disease-relevant models, where conventional delivery methods can be…
Immunometabolism drugs for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
Istesso is a drug discovery and development company working in immunometabolism, developing oral small molecule therapies that reprogram cellular metabolism to treat autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. Its lead candidate is a first-in-class metabolic reprogramming agent for rheumatoid arthritis with a dual…
Clinical-stage biopharma improving nucleoside analogue chemotherapy efficacy
NuCana is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of cancer medicines using proprietary phosphoramidate prodrug chemistry. Its approach transforms established nucleoside analogue chemotherapy agents into modified forms that bypass key tumour resistance mechanisms, delivering higher…
In vitro pharmacology CRO for preclinical drug discovery
Excellerate Bioscience is a contract research organisation specialising in molecular and cellular pharmacology for preclinical drug discovery. The company provides in vitro assay development, biochemical and cell-based screening, target validation, and compound profiling services to pharmaceutical companies,…
Carbohydrate binding molecules targeting the tumour glycome in cancer
Omideon is a Scottish preclinical biotechnology company applying multivalent carbohydrate binding molecule (mCBM) technology to oncology. Spun out from Pneumagen Limited by demerger in 2020, the company uses genetic engineering to develop mCBMs with high affinity for tumour-associated terminal glycans. Its lead…
GPR35 inhibitors for gastrointestinal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease
ThirtyFiveBio is a drug discovery company developing first-in-class small molecule inhibitors of GPR35, a genetically validated G protein-coupled receptor implicated in gastrointestinal disease. The company's approach targets GPR35 antagonism to prevent epithelial cell damage and dysfunction in the gut wall,…
Mass spectrometry proteomics and multi-omics contract research services
Platinum Discovery is a contract research organisation providing large-scale, mass spectrometry-based proteomics and multi-omics research services to pharmaceutical, biotech, and academic clients. Operating from one of the world's largest quantitative proteomics facilities at the University of Dundee, the company…
AI-guided plant biosynthesis platform for novel therapeutic compounds
HotHouse Therapeutics is a drug discovery platform company that engineers plants as sustainable biofactories for pharmaceutical compound production. Using AI to design and optimise biosynthetic pathways, it produces both natural and new-to-nature molecules via transient and stable plant expression systems capable of…
Tissue-based endometriosis models for therapeutic target discovery
Cyclana Bio is a biotechnology company developing human tissue-based models to investigate endometriosis and identify therapeutic targets. Its research combines endometrial tissue biopsies and menstrual fluid samples with molecular profiling and three-dimensional disease models, focusing on extracellular matrix…
KnotBody therapeutics for ion channel and GPCR diseases
Maxion Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing a pipeline of KnotBody therapeutics for diseases driven by ion channel and G protein-coupled receptor dysfunction. The platform combines naturally occurring mini-proteins with antibodies to generate potent, selective and long-acting biologics against target…
High-throughput iPSC reprogramming and stem cell drug discovery services
Oxford StemTech is a contract research company providing induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) reprogramming and drug discovery services using its proprietary platform. The technology enables large-scale, cost-effective generation of patient-derived iPSC lines from blood or skin samples, supporting disease modelling,…
TSG-6 protein therapeutics for inflammatory and degenerative disease
Link Biologics is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company developing protein therapeutics based on TSG-6, an endogenous human protein with anti-inflammatory and tissue-protective properties. Spun out from the University of Manchester in 2021, the company is advancing its lead asset, Link_TSG6, across programmes in…
Therapeutics targeting lysosomal dysfunction in neurodegeneration
Endlyz Therapeutics is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company developing small molecule modulators to restore endo-lysosomal function in Parkinson's disease and related neurodegenerative conditions. Its lead programmes target ATP13A2 and ATP10B, lysosomal transporter enzymes linked to neuronal health and…
Genetic biomarker discovery platform for precision medicine and diagnostics
Population Bio is a genomic discovery company providing genetic biomarker identification services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners. Its platform accelerates the discovery of disease-relevant copy number variants and associated genetic variants, enabling companion diagnostic development, drug repurposing,…
Deep learning platform for small molecule drug discovery
CHARM Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company applying 3D deep learning to small molecule drug discovery. Its proprietary platform uses protein-ligand co-folding algorithms to predict binding interactions and identify candidates against difficult-to-drug targets. CHARM's pipeline focuses primarily on…
T cell-engaging multispecific antibody fragments for solid tumours
Crescendo Biologics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing multispecific therapeutics based on fully human single-domain antibody fragments engineered for enhanced tumour penetration and selective T cell activation within the tumour microenvironment. Its lead programme is in Phase 1b clinical trials…
Oral muscle-sparing small molecule therapies for obesity
Hawkhill Therapeutics is a pre-clinical biotechnology company developing oral, muscle-sparing therapeutics for obesity and metabolic health. Its programme targets a clinically validated mechanism to achieve fat-selective weight loss while preserving muscle mass, addressing a recognised limitation of current GLP-1…
Non-clinical safety testing CRO for pharma, chemical and agrochemical sectors
Sequani is a contract research organisation specialising in non-clinical safety testing for pharmaceutical, chemical and agrochemical clients from a purpose-built GLP-compliant facility. Its services span general and genetic toxicology in rodent and non-rodent species, reproductive and developmental toxicology,…
Cloud-based informatics platform for drug discovery data management
Collaborative Drug Discovery (CDD) is a software company providing a cloud-based informatics platform for drug discovery research. Its flagship product enables scientists to register compounds, manage bioassay and chemical data, track inventory and capture experiments through an integrated electronic laboratory…
RNA therapeutics targeting cellular senescence and age-related disease
Senisca is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company developing oligonucleotide and small molecule therapeutics that reverse cellular senescence by restoring RNA splicing factor activity. Its platform targets the molecular mechanisms of cellular ageing and has broad applicability across multiple age-related diseases.…