The OBN Awards struck an optimistic tone as the best of the UK’s life sciences industry was celebrated
Abingdon, UK, 21 November 2024: – OBN (UK) Ltd is thrilled to announce the winners of the prestigious OBN Awards 2024. This was the 16th year of the Awards, which OBN (UK) Ltd, the not-for-profit membership organisation that catalyses growth for the life sciences industry, established to celebrate innovation and outstanding achievement across the industry.
Speaking at the event, held at the Royal Lancaster, London, on 20th November, OBN’s CEO, Stuart Rose, was upbeat saying:
“The UK life sciences sector is recognised globally for its research and innovation. With inflation decreasing year on year and significant investment in the sector, particularly in 2024, the future is promising. The government’s recognition of the sector’s value, coupled with the innovation from small companies suggests a bright outlook for the UK’s life sciences.”
The optimism flowed throughout a celebratory night in which the following winners were announced.
The Best Start-Up Biotech Company Award, sponsored by Milton Park, went to Ambrose Healthcare, a pharmaceutical start-up addressing the global need for rare disease treatments.
The Best Early Stage Medtech Company Award, sponsored by Penningtons Manches Cooper was collected by Novai, whose mission is to combat blindness and disability with pioneering early detection and intervention for eye and brain diseases.
Venner Shipley presented the Most Transformative Healthtech Company Award to Brainomix. This company has developed e-Stroke, an AI software that supports doctors interpreting stroke brain scans to facilitate faster correct treatment.
Presented by Ipsen, the most Impactful CRO was Oxford Biomedica, which has a mission to enable its clients to deliver life-changing cell and gene therapies globally.
The judges awarded the BioSeed 'One to Watch', sponsored by Partners&, to Vitarka Therapeutics, which has engineered a drug delivery technology, EndoPore for intracellular targets in oncology, neuroscience pain and neurodegenerative diseases.
Presented by Bruntwood SciTech, the Emerging Life Sciences Entrepreneur of the Year Award went to Dr Chris Jones. Dr Jones has devoted two decades to designing and employing innovative assays to provide new insights into platelet dysfunction.
The Most Impactful Industry Collaboration Award, sponsored by Mills & Reeve, was scooped by CF-AMR Syndicate, a cross-sector initiative bringing together leading experts in CF/AMR.
The Best Industry Support Partner Award, sponsored by EBD, went to First Create the Media, a communications strategy and content agency working with life science innovators.
Sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific, the Best Emerging Biotech Company Award went to EyeBio, an ophthalmology biotech company dedicated to developing and delivering a new generation of therapies to protect, restore and improve vision in patients with sight-threatening eye diseases.
The Best Established Medtech Company Award, sponsored by Barclays, was won by Perspectum, which delivers advanced imaging solutions to help clinicians care for patients with liver disease, diabetes and cancer.
The Best Established Biotech Company Award, sponsored by Precision for Medicine, went to Adaptimmune, a commercial-stage cell therapy company working to redefine the treatment of solid tumour cancers.
And the evening climaxed with the Special Recognition Award. It was awarded by OBN chairman Paul Edwards, to Dr David Brown. Over an illustrious career spanning half a century, he has worked with four leading pharmaceutical companies. His many achievements include improving access to medicines in less advantaged countries, sponsoring a global challenge to find innovative treatments of sepsis, and becoming an entrepreneur coach at Cambridge University Business School.
OBN warmly congratulates the winners and everyone shortlisted for their remarkable innovation and spirit of discovery.
