Issue 08 25/02/13

W: www.bioquarter.com T: 0131 242 9249 e: james.wood@bioquarter.com 1

i nf o r m at i o n f r o m t he b i o q u a r t e r

T his issue, we welcome the news that Rock Spring Ventures will be launching a £50m life sciences venture fund based in Scotland.

This is game-changing news for the Scottish life sciences industry, as for the first time, Scotland has a local venture capital investor able to lead and syndicate early stage biotech investments.

We’re also pleased to welcome new tenants to Nine – our ninth and tenth tenants in the building, as announced recently by Scottish Enterprise and Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond. Finally, please have a look at our feature on the Centre for Regenerative Medicine at BioQuarter (page 2) – an important addition to the global research community, working on therapies for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease and multiple sclerosis.

a Venture for scotLand

rocK sPrinG Ventures Launches £50m Life sciences fund in scotLandRock Spring Ventures has launched

a £50m venture capital fund focusing on early-stage life science

and health technology companies. Based in Scotland, the fund will invest in young companies with novel approaches to unmet needs in the study and treatment of major diseases and technologies designed to advance better healthcare delivery.

The new fund has secured early commitments for more than half of its £50m target from a syndicate of international investors. Initial investors include the European Investment Fund (EIF); Scottish Enterprise through the Scottish Investment Bank; Strathclyde Pension Fund; Rock Spring Ventures LP (RSVUS) and the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. The fund will provide venture capital to the most promising life science technologies, including those spun out from leading universities. Rock Spring

Ventures is led by a sector-specific investment team with significant company building experience. Managing partners Sinclair Dunlop and (Ms) Kyp Sirinakis have managed three US based venture funds during the last fifteen years.

“We are particularly excited to be partnering with a unique investor group that includes three of Scotland’s world class universities to provide the capital needed to realise the full potential of their spin-out companies,” said Sinclair Dunlop.

the new fund has secured early commitments for more than half of its £50m target

Sinclair Dunlop

Issue 08 25/02/13

W: www.bioquarter.com T: 0131 242 9249 e: james.wood@bioquarter.com 2

i nf o r m at i o n f r o m t he b i o q u a r t e r

W ith laboratory and support space for 230 researchers and a GMP facility, the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine represents

a step forward in the development of cell therapies. Based at SCRM and led by Professor Charles

ffrench-Constant, the University of Edinburgh’s MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) works on stem cells, disease and tissue repair for major diseases such as cancer, heart disease, liver failure and multiple sclerosis.

Since 2008, CRM has obtained 15 patents for its technologies, established 30 license agreements and published more than 200 scientific papers. CRM has also established close collaborative links with other research centres of excellence, including the Californian Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and Kyoto University’s Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS).

CRM researchers work closely with Roslin Cells, a company based at the BioQuarter. Roslin Cells focuses on the delivery of commercial cell therapies and operates the GMP facility at SCRM. Dr Mike Capaldi, Commercialisation Director at BioQuarter, said: “Having CRM at BioQuarter is an enormous benefit both to those of us who work here, and to our partners in the global pharma industry. CRM stands at the cutting edge of medical research, working on therapies for medical needs which have remained unmet for too long.”

T hree new companies – Science Squared, R-Biomedical and Marks and Clerks LLP – have joined the growing community of commercial

tenants at BioQuarter’s Nine, a multi-occupancy building at the BioQuarter campus.

First Minister Alex Salmond made the announcement during a visit to the BioQuarter, describing it as “a significant boost for a sector that is growing jobs and economic opportunities in Scotland,” and cited it as further proof of “Scotland’s growing reputation for excellence in life sciences”.

During his visit the First Minister met with representatives of three existing BioQuarter companies – Roslin Cells, i2eye Diagnostics and TPP

– as well as Swedish company Molnlycke, which is expanding after being on-site just six months.

BioQuarter spin-out i2eye Diagnostics (above) has had an outstanding month: closing its second round of investment, securing FDA and CE mark approval for its product and, perhaps best of all, winning “best new company” at the Scottish Life Sciences Awards 2013. For more information, visit the i2eye website at www.i2eyediagnostics.com.

Ten aT nine:SPOTLiGHT: new tenants for bioquarter fLaGshiPthe scottish centre for reGeneratiVe medicine (crm) at bioquarter

“crm stands at the cutting edge of medical research, working on

therapies for medical needs which have remained unmet for too long.”

“scotland’s growing reputation for excellence in life sciences”.

WWW.cRm.ed.ac.uk