Innovation Companies
The Headington Science Cluster partners support a wide range of innovation companies working in digital health and life sciences in Headington.
Wood Centre for Innovation
Bioarchitech
Co-founder/CEO: Kevin Maskell | |
bioarchitech.com |
Bioarchitech is developing a treatment to enable the body’s own immune system to kill cancer cells. To do this, the team is engineering a virus (a strain of the smallpox vaccine) with unique genes that will encode antibody-like immunotherapy molecules to stimulate an immune response to cancer cells.
DJS Antibodies
Co-founder/Research Director: Joe Illingworth | |
djsantibodies.com |
DJS is developing novel therapeutics to treat chronic inflammatory diseases. Their lead programme is looking to revolutionise the treatment of high mortality fibrotic diseases, such as Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). They have produced the first ever antibody, DJS-002 which targets the disease.
Helio Display Materials
VP Engineering: Dr Valerie Berryman-Bousquet | |
heliodisplaymaterials.com |
A joint Oxford and Cambridge spinout, Helio is delivering the next generation of light-emitting materials and technologies for displays.
Jack Fertility
Co-founder/CEO: Lily Elsner | |
jackfertility.co.uk |
The only mail-in sperm testing company in the UK, start-up Jack Fertility aims to change the conversation about fertility and address a gender imbalance in the lack of fertility testing and support available to men.
Lumai
CEO: Tim Weil | |
lumai.co.uk |
Lumai is developing high performance 3D optical computers. Its technology aims to revolutionise efficiency in multiple industries and unlock the potential of the next generation of AI.
Pictura Bio
CEO: Alex Batchelor | |
pictura.bio |
As a result of six years of research in the University of Oxford’s Department of Physics, PicturaBio is working on a universal testing platform to identify pathogens using single-molecule fluorescent microscopy and machine learning.
RedShiftBio
CEO: Tom O’Lenic | |
redshiftbio.com |
RedShiftBio provides analytical instrumentation for the research, development and manufacturing of protein therapeutic drugs.
Samsara Therapeutics
Executive Chair: Meenu Chhabra Karson | |
samsaratherapeutics.com |
Using its LysoSeeker drug discovery platform, Samsara is developing autophagy-directed therapies to fight currently incurable neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Amytotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
Spintex
Co-Founder/CEO: Alex Greenhalgh | |
spintex.co.uk |
Using a spider-inspired process, Spintex is artificially spinning silk that can be used in sustainable fashion, advanced technical textiles, including lightweight composites for aerospace and automotive industries and biocompatible medical textiles.
Oxford Brookes Enterprise Centre
Sun Bear Biofuture
Founder/CEO: Ben Wilding | |
sunbearbiofuture.com |
Sun Bear Biofuture is combining precision fermentation and molecular biology to produce high value naturally derived fats and oils. Sustainability is at the core of their mission, seeking to produce oils with minimal environmental impact and improved supply chain reliability.
Fermtech
Founder/CEO: Andy Clayton | |
fermtech.co.uk |
Fermtech have developed a new way to produce an abundant source of food protein, harnessing the power of solid-state fermentation technology. The process uses specially-selected microorganisms, grown on spent grains from breweries, and has been optimised to produce extremely high levels of protein
Action Against AMD
CEO: Wen Hwa Lee | |
actionagainstamd.org |
Action against Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has teamed up with The Macular Society for the Foresight project. Using ophthalmology data and harnessing the power of AI and machine learning to identify whether certain people may be at a higher risk of developing AMD. The data can help in develop new treatments to slow disease progression, or potentially halt it altogether.
Oxford Target Therapeutics (OTT)
Co-founder: Victor Bolanos-Garcia | |
ottx.co.uk |
Oxford Target Therapeutics (OTT) is exploring the application of small molecule drugs (specifically Anaphase-Promoting Complex/Cyclosome (APC/C) inhibitors), which exhibit exceptional selectivity and precise targeting capabilities in a range of therapeutic areas including oncology, anti-virals and neurodegeneration.
Oxford Expression Technologies
Co-founder/CEO: Robert Possee | |
oetltd.co.uk |
Oxford Expression Technologies (OET) are world leading experts in Baculovirus protein expression, offering solutions for global pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. OET’s core technology is flashBAC™, a novel one-step, easy-to-use, high throughput Baculovirus-based protein expression platform that enables fast and simultaneous production of multiple recombinant viruses.
Coding Bio
Co-founder/CEO: Simon Bornschein | |
coding.bio |
Coding Bio pioneers machine learning-driven synthetic biology solutions to optimise chimeric antigen receptor therapies (CAR-T). By screening millions of candidates in living cells, they can identify which designs best induce an immune response. Their approach helps them to build best-in-class therapies in a matter of months, enabling a faster move to the clinic.
DSK Innosciences
Vice President / Global Business Development: Ananya Jeshtadi | |
dskinnosciences.com |
DSK Innosciences offers a range of contract chemistry services. From their production site in the Greater Bangalore region of India, they are developing a reputation for delivering innovative solutions to complex chemical production needs for clients worldwide. The company is committed to high ethical, sustainable, and socially responsible practices.
MetaGuideX
Co-founder / CEO: Ryan Pink | |
metaguidex.com |
MetaGuideX work follows two patents; A novel exosome-based blood biopsy for monitoring treatment and disease reoccurrence of multiple cancers (tested breast, colorectal, lung and pancreatic). The second, a metastatic blocker therapeutic. The initial technology is a potential companion diagnostic of the latter.
Sensible Biotechnologies
Co-founder / CEO: Miroslav Gasparek | |
sensible.bio |
Sensible Biotechnologies is combining cell engineering, computational biology and precision fermentation to establish an in vivo-based platform for the scalable manufacture of high quality mRNA vaccines and therapeutics.
Barclays Eagle Labs
Cardiac Tech Ltd
Director: Dan Meese | |
cardiactech.com |
Cardiac Tech is developing a new safety paradigm in temporary cardiac pacing to improve patient outcomes and mortality post-cardiac surgery.
Chilton Computing
Director: Dr Erica Yang | |
chiltoncomputing.co.uk |
Chilton Computing is a specialist applied AI research and software technology company based in Oxford. They support businesses to innovate with AI and data science by building AI platform-based software tools and products.
Ecoconnect Group
Director: Matt Pumfrey | |
ecoconnectgroup.com |
An advisory business set up by sustainability practitioners, Ecoconnect Group supports leading organisations address their climate impact; adopt low carbon technologies; accelerate decarbonisationl; and identify cost saving opportunities.
M&C
Director: Robert Lind | |
marks-clerk.com |
M&C are IP specialists. With patent attorneys, trademark attorneys, commercial lawyers, IP litigators and commercial lawyers, they provide a complete range of intellectual property services.
Moving Maps
Director: Claudia Filsinger | |
moving-maps.com |
Using visual approaches for problem-solving and decision-making, Moving Maps offers in-house and open workshops, 1:1 and group coaching, team days and general consultancy to help clients generate insights and solutions.
Quorbit
Director: Matt Brown | |
quorbit.co.uk |
Quorbit makes workload budgeting simple. They aim to remove the dark art of workload budgeting for clients by creating long-term strategic labour plans based on future customer demand and operational reality. .