Small molecule drug companies develop low-molecular-weight medicines designed to interact with specific biological targets. These compounds can often enter cells and may be formulated as oral or other conventional dosage forms across a wide range of therapeutic areas.
This category includes companies working on:
Browse 221 UK small molecule drug companies below.
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,…
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…
Single-pill fixed-dose combinations for cardiometabolic disease
George Medicines is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative single-pill, fixed-dose combination therapies for cardiometabolic diseases. Rather than pursuing early drug discovery, the company reformulates established best-in-class small molecules into novel proprietary low-dose combinations…
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…
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…
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…
Neuroactive therapeutics through genetic engineering of fungi and plants
Empyrean Neuroscience is a biopharma company that uses genetic engineering of fungi and plants to develop small molecule therapeutics for neuropsychiatric and neurologic disorders. Using CRISPR/Cas9 and proprietary transformation technologies, the platform enables precise modulation of neuroactive compound production.…
Preclinical CRO delivering integrated drug discovery and development services
Selvita is a contract research organisation providing integrated drug discovery and development services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The company supports projects from target validation through preclinical candidate nomination, with expertise in medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, DMPK and protein…
Medicinal and computational chemistry services for drug discovery
Sandexis Medicinal Chemistry is a specialist consultancy providing medicinal and computational chemistry services for small-molecule drug discovery. Its scientists support hit identification, molecular design, virtual screening, docking, chemical database interrogation, project evaluation and lead optimisation.…
AI-driven drug discovery targeting necrosis and age-related disease
LinkGevity is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company developing anti-necrotic therapeutics for age-related and degenerative diseases. Founded in 2023 and based at Babraham Research Campus, the company's proprietary Blueprint Theory of Ageing identifies necrosis as a key driver of biological decline, informing its…
Small-molecule anti-biofilm add-on therapy for antibiotic-resistant urinary tract infections
BioTryp Therapeutics is a UK-based drug discovery company developing small-molecule therapies that inhibit bacterial biofilm formation. The company's lead programme is an oral add-on therapy designed to be used alongside existing antibiotics, targeting a bacterial protein conserved across more than 85 species to…
Small molecule therapies for keratin-related skin disorders
Mariposa Therapeutics is a Welsh preclinical biopharma company developing disease-modifying treatments for epidermolysis bullosa simplex and other keratin-related skin disorders. Its lead compound, MP5219, is a synthetic analogue of ajoene that activates surrogate keratin expression to compensate for the underlying…
Global biopharma with UK R&D hub in Hertfordshire
Roche Products is the UK pharmaceutical arm of F. Hoffmann-La Roche, headquartered at Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire. The site employs over 1,900 people and serves as a primary hub for early-stage drug discovery, clinical development, computational sciences, and commercial operations. The UK operation contributes…
AI-guided synthetic lethality drug discovery for oncology
Evariste is a drug discovery company developing small-molecule inhibitors of synthetic lethal targets in cancer. Its computational platform combines machine learning, multimodal biological data and molecular modelling to identify therapeutic targets, design candidate compounds and prioritise laboratory testing. The…
AI platform engineering molecular glue drugs for undruggable targets
Ternary Therapeutics is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company developing an AI-driven platform for the rational design of molecular glue therapeutics. Molecular glues are small molecules that induce proximity between two proteins, enabling targeted degradation or modulation of disease-driving targets that lack…
Circadian hormone therapeutics for rare endocrine conditions
Neurocrine UK is the European operations of Neurocrine Biosciences, a Cardiff-headquartered specialty pharmaceutical company developing and commercialising hormone therapeutics for rare and chronic endocrine conditions. The company's scientific approach centres on circadian-based formulation technology, designed to…
Galectin-3 targeted small molecule therapeutics for cancer and fibrosis
Galytx is a University of Liverpool spin-out developing small molecule therapeutic drugs that target galectin-3, a protein closely associated with cancer, fibrosis and inflammatory disease. The company's portfolio includes a repurposed clinical-stage asset with an established safety record, alongside pre-clinical…
Precision oncology biotech targeting synthetic lethality in cancer
Tessellate Bio is a precision oncology company developing small molecule drugs that exploit synthetic lethality, the principle that certain genetic vulnerabilities in cancer cells can be targeted to selectively kill tumour cells. The company's lead programme targets the FANCM complex in cancers relying on Alternative…
Integrated drug discovery CRO from target to clinical candidate
Sygnature Discovery is a UK-headquartered integrated drug discovery contract research organisation. Operating from sites in Nottingham, Alderley Park, and Glasgow, the company provides end-to-end drug discovery services spanning target identification, medicinal chemistry, in vitro bioscience, structural biology,…