The latest Business updates from the science industry


by Heather Hobbs US Institute to build major Campus in Oxford


The Oxford Science Park (TOSP), a leading European location for science and technology companies has agreed to sell a 150-year lease on a 3.5 acre site in the park to facilitate expansion by the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative Medicine which plans to establish a major presence in Oxford.


The site connects directly with the adjacent 5.9-acre Littlemore House site that the Ellison Institute acquired in December 2021.


The Ellison Institute’s Oxford campus will provide a permanent home to research laboratories, a patient clinic, offi ces and collaborative spaces supporting Ellison Institute projects, including the Global Health Security Consortium’s work on pandemic preparedness.


It will also enable extensive collaboration with organisations and companies located across the park, including expansion of its existing partnership with Oxford Nanopore Technologies.


Rory Maw, CEO of The Oxford Science Park, said, ‘We’re delighted to welcome the Ellison Institute to the Park and look forward to working with the team to help deliver their vision for the new


Oxford campus. This commitment will reinforce the ground-breaking research and development already taking place on the Park, delivering benefi ts and opportunities for our occupiers and the wider Oxford innovation ecosystem.’


Dinah Rose QC, President of Magdalen College, said, “Following closely on from our strategic partnership with GIC, the Singapore sovereign


wealth fund, this is an exciting next step in the evolution of the Park. We look forward to developing a close long-term relationship with the Ellison Institute and to enhancing further Oxford’s enormous contribution to addressing global health challenges.’


‘We look forward to continuing the development of our Oxford presence and partnerships,’ said


Dr David Agus, founding director and CEO of the Ellison Institute. ‘These acquisitions give us greater capacity to undertake critical biomedical research as well as the educational initiatives of the Institute in collaboration with Oxford University.’


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Rory Maw


Dinah Rose


David Agus


Technology breathes efficiency into Medicines Delivery


Acu-Flow, a University of Glasgow spinout has secured a £1 million grant from Innovate UK to advance development of its nebuliser technology which uses an innovative surface acoustic wave technique to deliver medicines into patients’ lungs.


Over the next two years the grant, one of 17 projects funded by the Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst programme, will support the Acu-Flow team, along with its research partners at the University of Glasgow and the NIHR Devices for Dignity Med-tech Co-operative, to develop a fully-integrated nebuliser ready to take to large-scale manufacture.


Current devices are limited in their ability to nebulise different types of formulation, while controlling the aerosol droplet size within the optimum range for effi cient inhalation drug delivery. To compensate, patients might have to use their nebuliser for longer times than is comfortable, as long as 20 minutes and up to 6 times per day.


The company’s Nebu~Flow technology is based on delivery


of droplets from a wide range of formulations including new nanomedicines and vaccines, that are capable of reaching the patient’s lungs at maximum treatment effectiveness, thus reducing dosage delivery time.


Dr Elijah Nazarzadeh, Acu-Flow Ltd’s CEO and a co-founder, said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded this signifi cant grant from Innovate UK, which will allow us to accelerate our research and development over the next two years, helping us to bring our innovative and potentially life-changing technology to market.


“Respiratory diseases are the world’s leading causes of disability and death. Collectively, they add a huge burden to global health services. The COVID-19 pandemic has made us all aware of respiratory disease and the importance of new treatments to alleviate their effects.”


“While treatments for some of these diseases have advanced Elijah Nazarzadeh


signifi cantly in recent years, there are still signifi cant challenges to overcome the effi cient delivery of drugs directly to patients’ lungs. Our new technology will not only improve the amount of drug reaching the lung, but will enable new drug formulations, helping pharmaceutical companies to develop the next generation of life- changing treatments.


Professor Jonathan Cooper of the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering, a co-founder of the company, added: “We are delighted to support the University’s spin-out progress, enabling their products to better deliver inhaled drugs.


Nebu-Flow team (l-r): K.K Wopat, Julien Reboud, Elijah Nazarzadeh and Christian Witte (Credit: Stewart Attwood)


“In addition to the benefi ts for patients, Acu-Flow’s methods also greatly reduce the associated carbon footprint with respiratory disorders, helping contribute to sustainability targets within healthcare, as we all strive to meet net zero.”


As part of the project, NIHR Devices for Dignity will also collect data to demonstrate the effectiveness of the nebuliser and ensure the designs are fi t for purpose. They will gather evidence from patients and families to build a better understanding of how the new nebuliser technology can help to improve individuals’ adherence to medication schedules, as well as other aspects of living with a respiratory condition.


Professor Wendy Tindale, NIHR Devices for Dignity’s Clinical Director, said: “We believe that Acu-Flow’s technology has the potential to deliver a user-friendly nebuliser, enhancing the patient’s adherence to medication, and we will work with the team to ensure that voice of patients is heard and integrated into the designs, as a co-creation effort.”


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