Bristol could rival Golden Triangle for biotech innovation, says Unit DX director
Novo Nordisk’s (NOV: N) decision to spend up to $800 million buying the synthetic glucose specialist Ziylo has thrown a spotlight on Unit DX, a biotech incubator based in Bristol, UK.
Ziylo chief executive Harry Destecroix co-founded the startup after struggling to find adequate laboratory space in the city.
After just one year, the facility had reached 60% capacity, hosting 23 hi-tech firms focusing on a range of technologies, including peptide specialist Zentraxa and cell and gene therapy company Cytoseek.
Centre director Ashley Brewer tells The Pharma Letter: “Our mission is to unlock the potential of the world-class research that takes place in the region,” and “help grow the scientific ecosystem in the city.”
Like the site’s founders, Dr Brewer is an alumnus of the University of Bristol, one of the top academic centres in the country and an important focal point for expertise and training.
He says: “In the last 18 months, we have seen an increase in the number of spin-outs from the University of Bristol, and the number of scientific companies based here, and I do believe that we have played an important role in that.”
“We are the first incubator in the country to be opened using angel funding, and we think Unit DX represents a new model for providing this kind of scientific infrastructure to underserved cities.”
Changing R&D model for startups
The growth of incubators is a trend that can be observed on both sides of the Atlantic. In the USA, Mass Innovation Labs boasts that more than 24% of its clients go public, with more than half signing multi-hundred million dollar deals, including financings and partnerships.
While it may be early days for Unit DX, Dr Brewer is hopeful that the headline-grabbing success of Ziylo can be replicated.
He says: “Of course we would love for there to be more deals of this size. There are some companies at Unit DX with incredible technologies, which I think could be extremely valuable.”
“A couple of examples would be companies such as Imophoron, who are developing a vaccine platform that could remove the need for a cold chain, or Vitamica, who are helping to fight antimicrobial resistance by developing a point-of-care antibiotic screening system.”
The exponential growth of biotech startups, fuelled by strong investment in this area, continues to support demand for the kind of flexible R&D support Unit DX offers.
Dr Brewer says: “We find that by providing the facilities and support for companies to get up and running, we take some of the burden of setting up away from them and allow them to focus on their core operations.”
“There are also advantages of operating with companies working in similar areas, with the opportunities to collaborate on projects with people in the same building as you.”
Role of big pharma
For startups, the attraction of a flexible approach to R&D is obvious, but the success of this model is also fuelled by changing priorities for large pharmaceutical companies.
“More and more are looking to buy-in intellectual property from smaller firms and startups, as opposed to conducting all of their research in-house,” Dr Brewer says.
“This allows them to pick and choose from the research with the most use in their field, providing more opportunities for entrepreneurs to commercialise their research. By partnering early on, entrepreneurs can deal with companies that understand their technology, instead of investors who may not.”
Growth in Bristol
In the UK, the focus of attention in the life sciences industry remains the so-called “Golden Triangle,” a cluster of hi-tech groups in and around the academic and industrial centres of Cambridge, London and Oxford.
But the South West, and the city of Bristol - home to over half a million and to a burgeoning academic and industrial sector - could be catching up.
Bristol University recently opened a new faculty of Life Sciences, housed in a brand-new, ￡56 million ($72 million) facility, bringing together multiple disciplines to deliver research at all scales of the life sciences including molecular, cellular, tissue and organ systems.
The region hosts two other major academic centres: the University of Bath and the University of the West of England (UWE). It also benefits from relatively close proximity to London.
Dr Brewer says: “It’s an exciting time to be in the city and we hope one day to rival the Golden Triangle.”
“We have seen a huge increase in the number of small science companies in the city over the past couple of years. Last year the number of spin-outs from the University of Bristol was higher than any previous year by 75%.”
Dr Brewer says this is partly down to an increased focus on funding the commercialisation of research by the Government. He also points to a cultural shift among researchers, who more and more regard the spin-out as “a viable career path.
Against this background, Unit DX may find itself playing an increasingly important role in bringing early stage biotech research to fruition in the city.
The group is already looking at options for expansion as the original building, a retrofitted warehouse, nears capacity.
Dr Brewer says the firm expects to “at least double” its floorspace in the next 12-18 months, adding: “Unit DX now has 26 member companies working in a range of areas from therapeutics to engineering, with a particular focus on biodesign and quantum technologies.”
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Image: University of Bristol