Shining a light on the life sciences
The OBN Awards struck an optimistic tone as the best of the UK’s life sciences industry was celebrated
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.
ENDS
Note to Editors:
OBN Awards Ceremony
For a high-resolution image please contact Zyme Communications.
For further information please contact:
Event enquiries: Jane O’Driscoll, Executive Director & Head of Events, OBN – jane.odriscoll@obn.org.uk
Picture requests: Sophie Beech, Marketing and Communications Manager, OBN – sophie.beech@obn.org.uk
Zyme Communications
Jake Brown
Tel: +44 (0) 7759 162 147
Email: jake.brown@zymecommunications.com
To opt-out from receiving press releases from Zyme Communications please e-mail info@zymecommunications.com. To view our privacy policy, please click here
About the OBN Awards – www.obn-awards.com
The OBN Awards, now in its 16th year, celebrates innovation and outstanding achievement across all corners of the industry. We are proud that the awards remain independent with categories that cover Biotech, Medtech, and Digital Health and recognises achievements from emerging R&D companies to large pharma and life sciences investors.
To view the full list of finalists across all 2024 categories, please click here.
OBN Awards 2024 Independent Judging Panel:
About OBN
OBN is the not-for-profit UK membership organisation that catalyses success in life sciences. Our 500+ member companies are located throughout the UK and benefit from our networking, partnering, purchasing, advising and advocacy activities.
OBN deliver over 50 events for the Life Sciences industry each year, including:
BIOSEED – a fast-paced one-day pitching event, exclusively for early-stage life sciences R&D companies, across biotech, medtech and digital health, who are actively seeking seed stage funding and active life sciences investors looking for new funding opportunities across a range of technology areas (etc. venues County Hall, London on 20 January 2025). www.bioseed.co.uk
BIOTRINITY – a highly regarded Biopartnering and Investment Life Sciences conference with a core mission of inspiring growth and creating opportunity for all who attend (Convene 133 Houndsditch, London, on 1 & 2 April 2025). www.biotrinity.com
Further information about OBN’s tailored networking and partnering events, purchasing consortium, advice, consultancy services and advocacy activities is available on OBN’s website www.obn.org.uk
