In the UK, the South West stands out as a breeding ground for the biotechnology industry.

Growth in the South West’s relatively young biotech sector is accelerating rapidly, with the main entrepreneurial activity focused in three areas: Bristol and Bath; Exeter and Plymouth; and South Wiltshire.

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There are around 45 key companies involved in research and development, with a further 100 companies engaged in support work. The main areas of work are biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics (medical, agrifood and environmental applications) and specialised reagents and instrumentation.

It’s in biopharmaceuticals and drug discovery that the most exciting progress is being made.

In the region is the world-famous Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research (CAMR) that has the UK government’s Department of Health as its primary client. CAMR programmes include vaccine research in HIV, tuberculosis and meningitis. CAMR is particularly suited to the handling of highly infectious agents (for example, Lassa fever, Marburg, smallpox, Ebola and plague) because of its Special Pathogens Diagnosis and Reference Unit, ACDP Category 3 and 4 facilities and secure location.

CAMR hosts the European Collection of Cell Cultures (ECACC). In partnership with industry, CAMR has developed its patented research, notably for the development of therapeutics derived from Clostridial neurotoxins and for vaccine delivery. One notable partnership is with the Battelle Memorial Institute working with the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, on the US anthrax vaccine. CAMR also carries out the UK’s anthrax vaccine work.

On the same site in Wiltshire is the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), which has expertise in microbiological and molecular biology, toxicology and pharmacology relevant to drug evaluation. The laboratory has facilities for microbiological containment, sensing and countermeasures and secure resources for dealing with highly toxic agents.

The UK’s newest medical school, the Peninsula Medical School, is situated next to Tamar Science Park, a major technology centre in Plymouth, and has already initiated major research programmes focusing on diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, stroke and neurological disease. The school integrates molecular genetic testing with clinical work.

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Tripos Receptor Research is a world leader in the manipulation of molecular informatics to accelerate drug discovery research, and is undergoing a major expansion in Cornwall. Following extensive research the company decided that the South West was the best place for expansion, despite stiff competition from other European locations.

The South West has much to offer the biotech industry, with world class facilities and expertise, strong research-based academic institutions, an entrepreneurial skills base and growing clusters of young high-tech enterprises with intellectual property portfolios.

Two of the region’s leading universities in biosciences, Bristol and Bath, were together ranked alongside Oxford and Cambridge for the scale and quality of their research in a UK national survey, the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise.

The South West of England Regional Development Agency is strongly committed to developing and growing the biotech sector in the South West. The agency will provide advice, support and practical help to enable companies to benefit from the many advantages of setting up, growing or relocating a new business to the region. The South West RDA works closely with all the support agencies in the region, Invest UK in London and has overseas offices in North America and Japan.

The South West RDA works in partnership with BioApproaches South West, and other organisations which offer business and professional development help for the South West biotechnology sector.

The south west: other companies of international renown

1 Hunter Fleming, a specialist drug development company focusing on treatments for central nervous system neurodegenerative conditions. It specialises in bridging the gap between worldwide centres of academic research excellence and the international pharmaceutical industry.

2 Molecular Sensing which is developing technologies and instrumentation based on quantitative PCR to enhance the speed, applicability and flexibility of DNA analysis.

3 Mobious Genomics are set to capitalise on the potential of their revolutionary new technique for DNA sequencing, which speeds up the process by up to 365,000 times.

4 G W Pharmaceuticals has a unique portfolio of prescription medicines derived from cannabis that meet patient needs in a wide range of therapeutic indications. The company is conducting phase three clinical trials in cancer pain, spinal cord injury, neuropathic pain and brachial plexus avulsion. The company has taken the first step in the planned establishment of a new research entity – the Cannabinoid Research Institute. The institute will be a distinct division within the company and will allow them to expand from clinical and pre-clinical work into fundamental cannabis research.

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