Pioneer Group Accelerator Winner Announced: Neurology Start-up Migration Biotherapeutics Receives £50K to develop device to improve treatment for patients with brain cancer
One promising start-up has been announced as the winner of the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network Accelerator Programme, delivered by Pioneer Group. The winning start-up, Migration Biotherapeutics, will receive £50k of business support, including virtual or physical lab or office space for up to 12 months.
Co-founded by Professor Peter Bannister and Dr Davide Danovi, Migration Biotherapeutics are developing a novel medical device that has the potential to revolutionise the treatment of Glioblastoma. Accounting for half of deaths from brain cancer and with an average survival of 18 months, there is no cure for Glioblastoma (GBM), largely due to the highly invasive nature of these cancers, which have typically spread rapidly throughout the brain by the time they are diagnosed. Migration Biotherapeutics are developing a novel medical device compatible with existing treatment pathways, which mimics the behaviour of white matter tracks, allowing tumour stem cells to be directed away from healthy brain tissue to extend survival and improve quality of life for patients.
Dr Glenn Crocker, Pioneer Group Exec. Director of Ventures and Investments said, “Migration Biotherapeutics is addressing a significant issue in oncology with a novel approach. The team used the Accelerator process to its full extent to understand how best to bring the product to market, setting out a clear development pathway. It was great to see how the business had moved on in just a short time, and I look forward to seeing great success in future. Congratulations to the team.”
Prof. Peter Bannister, Migration Biotherapeutics co-founder, said, “The potential of our approach to realise multiple, desperately-needed improvements to the standard of care for Glioblastoma is clear, but as with any innovation in healthcare, a key challenge is to determine a near-term fit with the needs of surgeons, patients as well as life sciences partners.”
Dr Davide Danovi, the co-founder of Migration Biotherapeutics, continued, ‘the Accelerator has been a fantastic experience as it enabled us to integrate real-world insights from numerous interviews into a robust framework and to mature our value proposition. We are very excited about the next steps.”
Julian Patel, Commercial Manager at East Midlands Academic Health Science Network, said: “We are delighted for Migration Biotherapeutics in their success in the 2021 East Midlands Academic Health Science Network Accelerator Programme. This amazing concept around Glioblastoma really demonstrates what we as an AHSN are all about in terms of identifying life-changing innovations and solutions that can really solve key patient issues and deliver savings and benefits to the NHS. We wish Peter, Davide and the team all the best in the future and look forward to continue working with them to get this idea into reality as soon as is possible.”
Delivered by acceleration and scale-up specialists Pioneer Group, the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network ran throughout the Autumn of 2021, working with a cohort of pioneering founders seeking to commercialise scientific innovations.
The Accelerator Programme is an intensive eight-week programme designed to help scientific entrepreneurs launch, grow and scale businesses from their science. Founders learn how to ‘Lean Start-up’, using a set of highly effective tools to evaluate risks and create a business model that stands up to the scrutiny of potential investors, partners and customers. Start-ups work one-to-one with Pioneer Group coaches, attend workshops and complete activities weekly. Founders also receive guidance on growth and scaling challenges from members of the Pioneer Group Expert Network and gain crucial pitching practice during pitch events to Pioneer Group investor expert panels.
Find out more about the Pioneer Group Accelerator Programme and apply for 2022 >>>
About Pioneer Group
Pioneer Group is a platform provider which creates innovation ecosystems at science and technology properties. Providing the environments in which businesses are more likely to succeed. Pioneer Group, integrates start-up and scale-up venture development programmes, VC investment and real-estate, with powerful sector-specific business-focused communities, helping science businesses grow.
Founded in April 2021, following the £120m acquisition of BioCity Group by Trinity Investment Management and Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, Pioneer Group is the UK’s first nationwide life sciences ecosystem. Pioneer Group manages more than 2.6 million square feet of science parks and single assets across nine locations: BioCity Glasgow, BioCity Nottingham, Cardiff Edge, Colworth Science Park, Edinburgh Technopole, Hexagon Tower, MediCity Nottingham, Wilton Centre, Kent Science Park.
With 6oo+ occupying companies across the portfolio, Pioneer Group represents 7.5% of the entire UK innovation ecosystem and the largest community of scientists, technologists, and entrepreneurs in the UK.
Pioneer Groups’ national Accelerators, and commercialisation programmes scale up the existing knowledge and tech transfer between universities and the private sector, creating essential links between academia and industry.
Pioneer Group deliver start-up and scale-up venture development programmes in-house and in partnership with Innovate UK, East Midlands, Oxford Academic Health Science Networks, ONE Aberdeen and Newcastle BioSphere. Over five years, 144 entrepreneurs graduated from a Pioneer Group Accelerator, which raised a combined total of £42M.
For more information about Pioneer Group, visit https://thepioneergroup.com/
Press contact: Gemma Cann | g.cann@thepioneergroup.com
About East Midlands Academic Health Science Network
England’s 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) operate as the innovation arm of the NHS. They collaborate (as the AHSN Network) to quickly spread innovation nationwide, whilst also working in their areas to respond to local health and care priorities. In the East Midlands, we bring together partners from across all sectors involved in health and care including the NHS, social care and public health, patients and the public, research organisations, voluntary groups and industry – to identify, test and spread new technologies and better ways of working. We aim to save the NHS money, generate economic growth, empower health and care staff, and improve the experience and outcomes of patients. For more information about our work visit www.emahsn.org.uk
