LightOx wins Innovate UK’s flagship Biomedical Catalyst Grant
Summary
The LightOx team will work closely with partners to deliver a chair-side treatment for patients suffering from early-stage cancers. The scheme is designed to deliver effective support for the leading life science companies arising in the UK, enabling businesses and clinical academics to speed-up the translation of scientific ideas into commercial reality.Dr Sam Whitehouse, Chief Executive Officer of LightOx Ltd, said:We are delighted to have been successful in winning the BioMedical Catalyst grant from Innovate. Our technologies, manufacturing processes, route to market and commercial development plans have all been scrutinised through the scheme and we are delighted that Innovate and the reviewers agree with our strategies. We feel that this is a great endorsement of LightOxs world-class research in the area, and our plans to help oral cancer sufferers using new drugs and techniques. This is the next step in our journey to the wide-scale treatment of the disease where there is currently no medical intervention other than surgery.Prof Carrie Ambler, Chief Scientific Officer of LightOx Ltd, said:This BioMedical Catalyst grant allows LightOx to accelerate our drug development programme through the final pre-clinical phases whilst providing the financial capacity to work with our clinical and patient partners to develop a unique therapeutic solution for patients who suffer from mouth cancers and pre-cancers.Dr Caroline McCarthy and Professor Richard Shaw, at the Liverpool Head and Neck Centre say:We are delighted to be collaborating with LightOx on this project which seeks to develop a novel approach for the treatment of oral epithelial dysplasia.