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Latest UK Life Sciences News

Follow the latest UK life sciences company news, including biotech funding rounds, pharma partnerships, product launches, clinical updates, infrastructure projects and commercial announcements.

Showing 1–24 of 129 updates
LatestCompany News1 Oct 2026
Mironid

Mironid Doses First Cohorts in Phase 1 Trial of LoAc Candidate for ADPKD

Mironid has dosed the initial cohorts in its Phase 1 trial of its first-in-class LoAc small molecule for Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease, marking its transition to a clinical-stage company. The dose-escalation study in healthy volunteers is evaluating safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics, with its single ascending dose part designed to enrol up to 48 participants across six cohorts.
View CompanySource: GlobeNewswire (Mironid press release)
Company News12
Company News30 Sept 2026
Laverock Therapeutics

Laverock Therapeutics Launches In Vivo Programmes in Oncology and Genetic Medicine

Laverock Therapeutics has added in vivo programmes to its pipeline, extending its programmable gene control platform beyond ex vivo cell therapies. The programmes target in vivo CAR-T for solid tumours and in vivo gene silencing in genetic medicine, with an initial focus on nervous system disorders and metabolic disease.
View CompanySource: Laverock Therapeutics press release (via Cambridge Network)
Company News30 Sept 2026
GitLife Biotech

GitLife Biotech Announces Closure, With IP and Technology Moving to New Ownership

GitLife Biotech has announced it is closing, with its IP and technology moving to new ownership. The company developed CellRepo and genetic barcoding tools to bring version control and traceability to engineered biology.
View CompanySource: GitLife Biotech (LinkedIn)
Company News30 Sept 2026
Rezera

Rezera Reports Phase 1 Results for Brain-Penetrant NLRP3 Inhibitor Trabzanoflast

Rezera, the company formerly known as NodThera, has reported topline Phase 1 results for trabzanoflast, its oral, brain-penetrant NLRP3 inhibitor for neuroinflammatory diseases, showing the drug was generally well tolerated in healthy volunteers. Continuous cerebrospinal fluid sampling confirmed high central nervous system exposure, and the company said the results support continued clinical development.
View CompanySource: GlobeNewswire (Rezera press release)
Company News29 Sept 2026
LifeArc

LifeArc Launches £6m Rare Disease Fellowship Programme

LifeArc has launched a new £6 million fellowship programme designed to help rare disease research discoveries reach patients faster.
View CompanySource: LifeArc news release
Company News28 Sept 2026
Tiziana Life Sciences

Tiziana Doses First Participants in Phase 2a BANYAN ALS Trial

Tiziana Life Sciences has dosed the first three participants in BANYAN, a Phase 2a trial of intranasal foralumab in ALS run within the Healey ALS MyMatch programme at Mass General Brigham. The 44-patient, placebo-controlled study is co-funded by the ALS Association and will assess safety and tolerability alongside biomarkers of regulatory T-cell activity.
View CompanySource: GlobeNewswire (via Yahoo Finance)
Company News28 Sept 2026
Redx Pharma

Redx Pharma Unveils Design of ROCKETEER Phase 2 Trial of RXC008 in Fibrostenotic Crohn's Disease

Redx Pharma has unveiled the design of ROCKETEER, a Phase 2 trial of its GI-restricted pan-ROCK inhibitor RXC008 in fibrostenotic Crohn's disease, with first patient enrolment expected in 2026. The randomised, placebo-controlled trial will enrol around 180 patients across North America, Europe and the UK, with a primary endpoint of change in stricture length on magnetic resonance enterography at week 24, an endpoint shaped by FDA input.
View CompanySource: Redx Pharma press release
Company News25 Sept 2026
Tropic

Tropic's Non-Browning Banana Confirmed as Precision Bred by Defra

Tropic has received Defra confirmation that its gene-edited non-browning banana is precision bred under the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023. The banana, edited with CRISPR-Cas9 to reduce polyphenol oxidase, still requires Food Standards Agency authorisation before it can be sold in England, and Tropic is targeting commercial introduction from 2027.
View CompanySource: GOV.UK (Defra precision breeding register)
Company News24 Sept 2026
Poolbeg Pharma

Poolbeg Pharma's TOPICAL Trial Cleared to Continue After Interim Safety Review

Poolbeg Pharma has received an independent interim safety review recommending its TOPICAL trial of POLB 001 continue without changes to the study protocol. POLB 001 is an oral drug designed to prevent cytokine release syndrome, a common and potentially dangerous side effect of bispecific antibody and CAR-T cancer therapies that currently has no approved preventative treatment; the review covers safety only and does not establish efficacy. Patient recruitment continues across UK sites including The Christie, The Royal Marsden and University College London Hospitals, with additional centres to be activated.
View CompanySource: Investing.com (RNS)
Company News23 Sept 2026
John Innes Centre

John Innes Centre Maps Cereal Immune Receptors Against Blast Fungus

John Innes Centre researchers, working with Kobe University, have mapped at molecular level how a newly discovered class of plant immune receptors called tandem kinase proteins (TKPs) recognise and defend against blast fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae), the most destructive fungal disease of cereal crops worldwide. Using structural analysis, the team bioengineered TKP receptors with dual specificity against both wheat and barley pathogens, demonstrating the class is amenable to engineering and opening a path toward more durable, custom disease resistance in cereals. The study, published in Science Advances, was funded by UKRI/BBSRC.
View CompanySource: John Innes Centre (press release)
Company News22 Sept 2026
Nuclera

Nuclera Appoints Carl Raimond as CEO, Michael Chen Becomes Chief Scientific and Business Officer

Nuclera has appointed Carl Raimond as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately, with co-founder and former CEO Dr Michael Chen transitioning to the newly created role of Chief Scientific and Business Officer. Raimond joins from Thermo Fisher Scientific, where he served as President of Proteomic Sciences, having previously been President of Olink Proteomics and helped lead its $3.1 billion acquisition by Thermo Fisher in 2023. The leadership change marks the next phase of Nuclera's growth as the company, known for its cell-free protein synthesis and digital microfluidics platform, sharpens its focus on commercial execution and customer adoption.
View CompanySource: Nuclera (press release)
Company News21 Sept 2026
Tiziana Life Sciences

Tiziana Completes Last Patient Visit in Phase 2a INFORM-MS Trial

Tiziana Life Sciences has completed the last patient visit in its 48-patient Phase 2a INFORM-MS trial of intranasal foralumab in non-active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. The company expects to release 12-week topline data in October.
View CompanySource: GlobeNewswire
Company News21 Sept 2026
Beacon Therapeutics

Beacon Therapeutics' XLRP Gene Therapy Meets Primary Endpoint in Phase 3 VISTA Trial

Beacon Therapeutics has reported that its gene therapy laru-zova met the primary endpoint in the Phase 3 VISTA trial for X-linked retinitis pigmentosa, with 31% of high-dose patients achieving a 15-letter or greater improvement in low-luminance visual acuity versus none in the untreated control group. The company plans to begin a rolling US biologics licence application later this year.
View CompanySource: Reuters
People3
People30 Sept 2026
Tangram Therapeutics

Tangram Therapeutics Appoints Dr Laura Roca-Alonso as CEO and Board Director

Tangram Therapeutics has appointed Dr Laura Roca-Alonso as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Board, confirming her in the role after serving as Interim CEO since March 2026. Roca-Alonso, Chief Operating and Business Officer since 2020, will lead the company as it works towards clinical data on its co-lead RNAi programmes, TGM-312 for MASH and TGM-148 for bleeding disorders, over the next 12 months.
View CompanySource: Tangram Therapeutics press release
People29 Sept 2026
Medicines Discovery Catapult

Medicines Discovery Catapult Appoints Dr Mike Strange as CEO

Medicines Discovery Catapult has appointed Dr Mike Strange as Chief Executive Officer, confirming him in the role after serving as Interim CEO since February 2026. Strange joined MDC as its first Managing Director in 2025, having previously led a £100 million global health programme at LifeArc and spent more than two decades at GSK.
View CompanySource: Medicines Discovery Catapult press release
People22 Sept 2026
SkinBioTherapeutics

SkinBioTherapeutics Confirms Rachel Parsonage as CEO and Alyson Levett as Chair

SkinBioTherapeutics has appointed Rachel Parsonage as permanent Chief Executive and Alyson Levett as permanent Non-Executive Chair, having held both roles on an interim basis. Parsonage joined in March 2026 and Levett in June, following an investigation into the conduct of the former chief executive.
View CompanySource: ADVFN (RNS)
Deals & Funding6
Deals & Funding30 Sept 2026
Arecor Therapeutics

Arecor Therapeutics Raises £5m in Placing to Extend Cash Runway to December 2027

Arecor Therapeutics has raised approximately £5.0 million through a placing of 7,352,941 new shares at 68 pence each with institutional and other professional investors. The proceeds extend its cash runway to December 2027 and fund its insulin development programme while it continues advanced-stage negotiations with multiple insulin pump companies.
View CompanySource: Investegate (RNS)
Deals & Funding29 Sept 2026
Nanomerics

Nanomerics Closes Series A Led by German Strategic Investor

Nanomerics has closed its Series A round, led by an unnamed German strategic investor with participation from the Silverstein Dream Foundation. The amount was not disclosed. The funding will advance its MET and METfect delivery platforms and its eye-drop pipeline, including clinical-stage OC134 for allergic conjunctivitis and dry eye disease.
View CompanySource: ACCESS Newswire (Nanomerics press release)
Deals & Funding24 Sept 2026
Scancell

Scancell Signs Up to $25m BlackRock Loan Facility for Phase 3 Melanoma Trial

Scancell has entered a loan agreement with BlackRock-managed funds for up to $25 million to support the Phase 3 trial of its melanoma immunotherapy iSCIB1+. The facility is available in four tranches, with an initial $7 million subject to shareholder approval at an EGM expected in October 2026, alongside its planned merger with Neuphoria Therapeutics.
View CompanySource: GlobeNewswire
Deals & Funding23 Sept 2026
Basecamp Research

Basecamp Research Raises $140M Series C to Advance AI-Designed Therapeutics

Basecamp Research has raised a $140M Series C led by S32, with participation from NVIDIA, Menlo Ventures' Anthology Fund, the NATO Innovation Fund and The Rockefeller Foundation, among others. The funding will train a new generation of its EDEN biological foundation models and advance a pipeline of AI-designed therapeutics towards the clinic, starting with in vivo cell therapy. S32 General Partner Andy Conrad joins the board, and former Biogen executive Richard Pearce has been appointed Chief Business Officer.
View CompanySource: PR Newswire (Basecamp Research press release)
Deals & Funding23 Sept 2026
Scarlet Therapeutics

Scarlet Therapeutics Secures DARPA Agreement Worth Up to $14 Million

Scarlet Therapeutics has entered into an agreement with DARPA worth up to $14 million to develop adaptive smart red blood cells (SRBCs), engineered to sense physiological changes and adjust their activity in response. Scarlet will lead a multidisciplinary consortium including the University of Bristol, Northwestern University and Unicorn Biotechnologies, building on its existing platform for engineering red blood cells to carry therapeutic proteins.
View CompanySource: Scarlet Therapeutics (press release)
Deals & Funding18 Sept 2026
Big Picture Bio

Big Picture Bio Emerges from Stealth with €2.55m to Develop AI-Designed Cancer Drug Combinations

Big Picture Bio has emerged from stealth with €2.55 million (£2.2 million) in combined funding to develop AI-designed combination therapies for cancer. The round comprises a €1.75 million pre-seed co-led by Kadmos Capital and Exceptional Ventures, alongside €815k in non-dilutive support from Innovate UK's Investor Partnerships Programme. Founded by former Deep Science Ventures leaders Dr Kerstin Papenfuss and Dr Mark Hammond, the company has built a generative "world model" simulating tumour, immune cell and tissue interactions to predict which drug combinations and sequences are most likely to overcome cancer resistance, and will use the funding to move its first designed combinations from computational models into the lab.
View CompanySource: EU-Startups
Infrastructure2
Infrastructure17 Sept 2026
Croda

Croda Opens Global Biotechnology Centre at Sci-Tech Daresbury

Croda International has officially opened new biotechnology R&D laboratories at Sci-Tech Daresbury, designating the site its global centre for biotechnology research. The facility, formally opened by Minister for Reindustrialisation Blair McDougall MP and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram, is expected to support future job creation both at Daresbury and Croda's other four UK sites, and has already produced KeraBio K31, a biotech-derived keratin ingredient now being commercialised globally.
View CompanySource: Croda (press release)
Infrastructure17 Sept 2026
Upperton Pharma Solutions

Upperton Secures MHRA Approval for New Sterile Manufacturing Facility

Upperton has secured MHRA approval to bring its new Annex 1-aligned sterile manufacturing facility at Trent Gateway, Nottingham, within the scope of its existing MIA(IMP) licence, allowing it to begin GMP manufacture of sterile investigational medicinal products. The 7,000 sq ft facility, designed for small-scale aseptic and terminally sterilised drug product manufacture, sits alongside Upperton's existing 50,000 sq ft development and clinical manufacturing site, extending its offering to include sterile fill-finish for early-phase clinical programmes.
View CompanySource: Upperton (press release)