Latest UK Life Sciences News

Genflow Biosciences' SLAB clinical trial, evaluating its SIRT6 centenarian gene therapy in 24 aged beagle dogs, has met its primary endpoint of reduced biological age as measured by the GRIM methylation clock. Treated animals showed a clear improvement over saline controls across naked DNA and AAV8 dosing arms, building on earlier positive interim data from February and April 2026. Detailed results, including muscle histology data, will be presented at the Animal Longevity Summit in Toronto on 1-2 October 2026, as the company continues discussions with animal health companies on potential licensing and co-development.

Oxford BioDynamics' EpiSwitch Orion platform has identified shared 3D genome regulatory networks across five distinct fatigue-related conditions — ME/CFS, long COVID, PTSD, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis — in a peer-reviewed study led by the University of East Anglia. Despite almost no overlap at the individual gene level, the conditions converged on common immune, inflammatory, metabolic, and neuroendocrine circuitry, demonstrating Orion's ability to surface biological insights from existing genomic data.

John Innes Centre has secured England's first marketing notice for a precision-bred tomato, approving its biofortified "Sunshine" variety under Defra's Precision Bred Organism framework. Developed by Professor Cathie Martin's team using CRISPR-Cas9 to knock out a gene involved in vitamin D3 breakdown, the tomato accumulates high levels of pro-vitamin D3 in its fruit and leaves; it still needs Food Standards Agency approval before it can reach shops.

Tangram Therapeutics has progressed its MASH candidate TGM-312 into Part B (multiple ascending dose, patient cohorts) of its Phase 1/2 RESTORE-MASH trial, following favourable independent Data Monitoring Committee review and four healthy-volunteer cohorts with no serious or severe adverse events; interim patient data are expected during 2027. The company also appointed Dr Sonya Montgomery, previously Chief Development Officer at OSE Immunotherapeutics and Chief Medical Officer at Evox Therapeutics, as Chief Development Officer to lead its clinical pipeline.

Exonate has renamed itself Foventa Therapeutics, marking its transition from a science-led discovery company into a patient-oriented, clinical-stage business. The company's lead candidate, FOV407, is a topical eye drop targeting the VEGF pathway for non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, with a Phase IIb trial in preparation following a design validated through a Type C meeting with the FDA.

Apollo Therapeutics and Imperial College London have completed enrolment and dosing in a Phase 1 trial of APL-10456, a vaccine candidate targeting rhinovirus, the main cause of the common cold. Initial results from the 144-participant, placebo-controlled study showed a single dose was well tolerated and induced immune responses against all three major rhinovirus species; a second phase is underway with results expected by year-end.

GENinCode's shares rose as much as 23% after an independent study presented at the ESC Congress 2026 showed its CARDIO inCode-Score test reclassified coronary risk in 42.6% of patients tested. The polygenic risk score is designed to improve prediction of coronary artery disease beyond standard clinical risk factors.

Galen, the commercial arm of Almac Group, has launched Galsana, a new global brand bringing its rare metabolic disease products under one identity, unveiled at the SSIEM Annual Symposium in Helsinki. Galsana covers dietary management products for conditions including phenylketonuria, maple syrup urine disease, tyrosinemia and urea cycle disorders, and forms part of Galen's strategy to expand internationally following its 2020 acquisition of Sweden's POA Pharma.