Wellcome Trust and investors back development of new surgical haemostat
Issued by Haemostatix Ltd on 5 November 2010
Haemostatix Ltd, a biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it has received a £409,000 Translation Award from the Wellcome Trust to support development of its innovative haemostat technology. The funding coincides with an additional £459,000 investment from Spark Ventures, Catapult Venture Managers, NESTA, the Lachesis Fund and Leicester University as well as new investor, Mobius Life Sciences Fund.
Haemostats are used by surgeons to manage problematic bleeding and to reduce time in the operating theatre during surgery. The products are applied in the form of sprays, gels or pads, and typically contain the enzyme thrombin, which promotes blood clotting, as the active ingredient.
Haemostatix has developed a new class of active ingredient based on a peptide that binds to another blood clotting protein, fibrinogen, instantly forming a clot.
Dr Ben Nichols, CEO of Haemostatix, commented: “There is a real need for rapid acting, ready-to-use haemostats that are safe and cost-effective, and we believe our technology can deliver these benefits to surgeons and their patients. We have received a lot of interest from pharmaceutical companies, and this Award and the investment, will enable us to generate more data to support the commercialisation process.”
Dr Richard Seabrook, Head of Business Development at the Wellcome Trust, said: “Bleeding is a major cause of mortality during trauma and control of bleeding during surgery is essential to the outcome of procedures. If successful, a new haemostat that bypasses the need for thrombin has the potential to make a huge impact on healthcare and the Wellcome Trust is pleased to support this project.”
Haemostatix is based at BioCity Nottingham, Europe’s largest bioscience business incubator and was originally a spin-out from the University of Leicester.
Dr Glenn Crocker, CEO of BioCity added: “We have provided Haemostatix with a supportive business development environment for several years and recognise the enormous progress the company has made with its new product. Mobius Life Sciences Fund is designed to contribute to this kind of investment opportunity alongside major investors and we look forward to Haemostatix’ further success.”
Ends
For further information please contact:
Ben Nichols Haemostatix Ltd
+44 7 747 714 204
Glenn Crocker, Mobius Life Sciences Fund
+44 (0) 115 912 4200
Louise Third, BioCity Nottingham
+44 (0) 115 912 4350
Jonathan Gee, SPARK Ventures:
+44 (0)20 7851 7777
Annabel O’Connor for SPARK Ventures:
+44 (0)20 7307 5339
Nicola Kane, NESTA
+44 (0)20 7438 2608
Jonathan Earl, Catapult Venture Managers:
+44 (0)870 116 1600
Notes to Editors
About Haemostatix
Based at BioCity, Nottingham, UK, Haemostatix Ltd specialises in the research and development of innovative haemostats for the control of bleeding in surgery and trauma. The Company is developing a pipeline of haemostats based on its new class of active ingredient that will replace thrombin. The company was co-founded in 2003 by Sarah Middleton and Professor Alison Goodall as a spin-out from the University of Leicester. Spark Ventures, Catapult Venture Managers, NESTA and the Lachesis Fund are the major investors. www.haemostatix.com
About the Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. It supports the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. The Trust’s breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. It is independent of both political and commercial interests.
www.wellcome.ac.uk
About BioCity
BioCity Nottingham provides business support, finance, labs & offices to bioscience, pharmaceutical, med-tech & healthcare companies. It operates one of Europe’s largest bioscience business centres, which is currently home to nearly 70 fast-growing companies, including R&D and business support services.
BioCity invests in early stage life science companies through its subsidiary, Mobius Life Sciences (launched in October 2009), which is the first investment fund in the Midlands region dedicated to the life sciences sector. www.mobiuslifesciences.com
