Latest UK Life Sciences News

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.

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.

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.

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.

LifeArc has launched a new £6 million fellowship programme designed to help rare disease research discoveries reach patients faster.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Avacta has reported clinical proof of mechanism for AVA6103, its next-generation pre|CISION® peptide-drug conjugate, in the Phase 1 FOCUS-01 trial. Across the first three dose levels in 19 patients, AVA6103 showed a clean safety profile even at a payload dose 50% above the maximum tolerated dose of conventional exatecan, with pharmacokinetic data closely matching preclinical predictions, and a head-to-head preclinical study found it produced deeper, more durable tumour responses than the marketed ADC Enhertu®. First efficacy data from the trial is expected in H1 2027.

C4X Discovery has established in vivo proof of concept for its oral PAD4 inhibitor, with a lead compound matching the activity of the anti-TNF biologic etanercept in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis at 10mg/kg. The company plans to continue partnering discussions for the programme during the rest of 2026.

ProAxsis has launched an updated version of its ProteaseTag® Active Proteinase 3 Immunoassay (PA008-RUO), a research-use assay for measuring active Proteinase 3 in sputum samples. The update improves sensitivity to detect lower levels of the biomarker, following a similar upgrade to its Active Neutrophil Elastase Immunoassay last year, with an update to its Cathepsin G assay expected later in 2026.

Fios Genomics has been engaged by Niki BioSolutions' subsidiary DiamiR Biosciences to provide bioinformatics and biostatistical analysis in support of Niki's Alzheimer's disease testing programme. Fios will analyse and interpret multi-omics data generated across the programme to help sharpen target and biomarker decisions as Niki advances its Alzheimer's assays through development.

Immunocore has reached its target enrolment of 540 patients in the Phase 3 TEBE-AM trial of KIMMTRAK in previously treated advanced melanoma. Topline overall survival data, the primary endpoint, are expected as early as the end of 2026.

NodThera has changed its name to Rezera and plans to start a Phase 3 registrational trial of its lead NLRP3 inhibitor, ruvonoflast, in peripheral artery disease in the first half of 2027. The company has reached regulatory alignment on the core elements of the trial, following completion of its Phase 2 RESOLVE-1 and RESOLVE-2 studies. Rezera, headquartered in Boston with its R&D base in Cambridge, UK, has also strengthened its leadership team, appointing Geoff McDonough as Chief Executive Officer.

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.

Brainomix and Endeavor BioMedicines have presented results from an AI-driven quantitative analysis of HRCT imaging in Endeavor's Phase 2a trial of taladegib for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Barcelona. The post-hoc analysis using Brainomix 360 e-Lung found significant differences favouring taladegib in lung volume, overall interstitial lung disease burden and total fibrosis extent, and the companies plan to extend the collaboration into further trials.

4basebio has expanded its synthetic DNA offering to supply starting material for personalised mRNA medicines. The expansion runs across its high quality and cGMP operations in Cambridge, adding shortened manufacturing turnaround times, patient-specific batch sizes and rapid batch release for individualised treatment programmes.

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.