In a recent report published by the British Business Bank, Edinburgh, Fife and the Lothians have been named the UK’s most innovation-led cluster outside the “Golden Triangle” of London, Oxford and Cambridge. The report found that between 2011 and the second quarter of 2023, there were 475 equity deals worth £710 million involving technology and IP-related businesses in the region.

At Pioneer Group, we take great pride in the tradition of advancement within the life sciences in Scotland, and the role that Edinburgh Technopole plays.

Our Edinburgh Technopole location is part of the Midlothian Science Zone, a world-leading centre of research excellence in animal health and life sciences. With access to an unrivalled pool of talented University students and a strong established scientific community that is growing significantly, the location provides a complete support network for many innovating businesses in the region. One such example is RoslinCT.

RoslinCT: creating a new type of stem cell

Based at Edinburgh Technopole, RoslinCT was one of the first companies to translate the technology behind Dolly the Sheep. Now, the company is expanding into the gene editing market, accelerating its delivery of therapies to patients.

Kevin Bruce, Chief Technology and Strategy Officer at RoslinCT explains: “The original vision for the RoslinCT was to create a new type of stem cell. Founded off the back of the Dolly the Sheep technology, our aim was to translate the science of making a pluripotent stem cell to a grade that could be manufactured to make therapies.

“Having achieved this, with RoslinCT one of the world’s first to make some of these stem cells, we have now broadened that vision to a whole host of new technologies, such as gene editing.

“Although the science around these therapies has been around for a long time, it’s taken until the last few years to really accelerate and start getting to patients. As the demand is growing and these therapies become successful, it’s more and more important that we’re here to help people get these therapies to patients quicker.”

Making a real difference to patients’ lives

Sophie Glen, Senior Development Scientist at RoslinCT, adds: “The field we work in at Roslin is quite niche; while the cell therapy market is growing, it’s still relatively new. This means that I get to work in a team that is building new processes and therapies that might actually make an impact on real patients’ lives.

“At the moment, a lot of diseases have treatments, but not necessarily cures. Cell therapy treatments particularly could be very useful in offering that cure. They are already being used for diseases like cancer, for example.”

Kevin adds: “We’ve had patients visit us and tell us about the impact on their lives. One of the most striking comments was a patient saying that they now “have a life”. Previously they were struggling to have a job and keep down a normal life; so it’s life changing for these patients.”

A hub for life sciences in Scotland

Sophie says: “Edinburgh Technopole is a life science setting with a really good reputation – this is where Dolly the Sheep was born! Having this many likeminded institutes around us makes us feel part of a science hub.”

A hub for life sciences in Scotland, Edinburgh Technopole offers a range of flexible, specialist laboratory, industrial and office space to support scientists, technologists, engineers and entrepreneurs on every step of the innovation journey from R&D to manufacturing.

Kevin explains: “When we first engaged Pioneer to move here, they really enabled us to rapidly set up. We were able to refit the entire floor with new, quite specialised labs and the different infrastructure needed. The whole process has been painless, which is exactly what you want. RoslinCT is growing as a business quite quickly, and what we need is that responsiveness, adaptability, and flexibility as we grow and change, which is exactly what Pioneer Group, and Edinburgh Technopole, offers.”

You can find out more about the pioneering work that RoslinCT is doing here.

Biobest: animal health and life sciences in Scotland

Also based at Edinburgh Technopole, Biobest Laboratories is one of the UK’s leading full service veterinary laboratories. A specialist veterinary virology, serology and DNA diagnostics business, its strength derives from the team’s expertise in virology and molecular biology, which allows the company to design and validate its own assays.

Driving innovation for animal health and the life sciences in Scotland since 1995, Biobest’s purpose-built facilities at Edinburgh Technopole include cell culture, virus culture, serology, molecular biology and high security laboratories. The company has allied strong academic and technical experience with commercial enthusiasm to be able to offer its customers a unique blend of quality in virology and genetics with excellent service.

Stuart Marshall, Biobest’s Chief Operations Officer, explains: “Biobest is primarily a diagnostic veterinary company; we do diagnostic work for vets in practice, animal owners, farmers, and so forth. We are the only private commercial lab in the UK to offer a lot of the specific testing that we do.

“Over the years, Biobest has not only evolved to offer a full range of veterinary testing, but we’ve also expanded into other areas like stem cell technology.”

Harnessing cell therapies to reduce inflammation in animals

Kieran McDonald, Technical Manager at Biobest, says: “Typically when animals are treated, it is with the aim of reducing the amount of pain suffered. What cell therapies can do is look to actually reduce the inflammation and the associated pain with this.

“Normal medicines have to be given very frequently, while stem cells can be given as infrequently, in our experience, as once every 12 months. It’s therefore potentially a long term benefit for something that would need daily treatment otherwise.”

Edinburgh Technopole: the perfect space for networking

The ideal location for collaboration and opportunity-focused ventures for businesses working in the life sciences in Scotland, Edinburgh Technopole is set against the stunning backdrop of the Pentland Hills. The site has plenty of room to build new, bespoke spaces to meet company requirements and is capable of housing bio-manufacture and research labs for human and animal health innovators.

Stuart continues: “We’re really happy to be at Edinburgh Technopole. it’s a beautiful location, there’s lots of great facilities, and Pioneer Group has always been excellent whenever we’ve asked them for help to expand. Part of the attraction of being here is that we get to mix with other occupants on the site, as well as the wider science zone area. It’s therefore perfect for networking.”

If you’re interested in joining the community for life sciences in Scotland that is a major driving force behind innovation in the region, check out our available lab and office space to rent at Edinburgh Technopole.