Scotland's life science sector leaders revealed

The winners of the prestigious Scottish Enterprise Life Sciences Awards 2013 have been revealed.

Held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre last night (Thursday 7^th February), the annual awards ceremony was attended by over 700 people from the global life sciences community.

The awards recognise the success and achievements of Scotland’s internationally renowned life sciences sector in areas including innovation, investment, community engagement and collaboration. The awards also focus on the ongoing work of Scottish Enterprise and its partners to grow and develop a sustainable, globally competitive life sciences sector in Scotland.

Scotland's life sciences industry already contributes more than £3 billion a year to the Scottish economy with over 650 organisations employing in excess of 32,000 people. It is globally recognised for its high levels of innovation – translating ideas and research into novel treatments and world-leading therapies.

Rhona Allison, senior director of life sciences at Scottish Enterprise said: "Congratulations to this year’s winners. The quality of candidates for these awards continues to go from strength to strength with each successive year and is testament to Scotland’s reputation as an international hub of life sciences expertise.

“Our three new award categories in investment, collaboration and community engagement reflect the importance of these themes in Scotland’s industry-led life sciences strategy. Furthermore they highlight the increasing contribution that the life sciences sector makes to the Scottish economy.”

The winners of this year’s awards are:

Best new life science company in Scotland

i2Eye Diagnostics Ltd, based at Nine, Edinburgh BioQuarter

Having developed the world's first visual field analyser for patient groups whose visual field was previously impossible to test, i2Eye is targeting an immediate market estimated at £500 million and looking to exploit further market potential of £15 billion. The company has already started shipping products to customers less than ten months after starting commercial operations. i2Eye Diagnostics Ltd is a Scottish Enterprise High Growth Support Unit assisted company and is one of 12 companies that won a Scottish Enterprise supported place on the prestigious Entrepreneurship Development Programme at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. i2Eye’s chief executive was on the winning pitching team last week from a cohort of over 100 chief executives from around the world.

Innovation award

DySIS Medical Ltd, based at the Alba Innovation Centre, Livingston

Tackling cervical cancer, the second biggest killer of woman, DySIS Medical is the epitomey of Scottish innovation. The company’s new colposcope technology uses a proprietary patented technology called Dynamic Spectral Imaging to help clinicians highlight any areas of concern by mapping out the condition of a patient’s cervix. In clinical trials, it has been shown to significantly boost detection of cervical cancer in its earliest stages.

Life Sciences Business Leadership (2012)

Brian Bathgate, Charles River Laboratories, based in Tranent.

having made a significant contribution to the life sciences sector in Scotland, Dr Bathgate is a key member of the Charles River Laboratories team. Under his leadership, the company’s revenues have remained stable and are projected to grow significantly in 2013 due to the improved pipeline of work and also as a result of a major contract recently secured as sole provider of CRO services for Astra Zeneca. For more than 60 years, Charles River has been helping global partners accelerate drug discovery and development by providing them with high-quality research models and preclinical and clinical support services.

Investment of the Year (2012)

Joint winners NuCana BioMed Limited and GlasxoSmithKline

NuCana BioMed Limited, based in Edinburgh

NuCana is in clinical studies with a new anti-cancer medicine that’s been developed using its ground-breaking, patented ProTide technology. The company secured the largest equity financing into a life sciences company in Scotland in over five years with £7 million of inward investment from leading venture capital companies in Europe and America alongside investment from the Scottish Investment Bank and Alida Capital International.

GlaxoSmithKline, based in Irvine & Montrose

GlaxoSmithKline is to invest £100 million across its two Scottish sites and create around new 100 jobs including 65 high value jobs. The investment will be used to make the Irvine site a centre of excellence for the production of antibiotics, as well as backing the development of respiratory medicines and vaccines in Montrose and increasing the firm’s move to sustainable green energy production.

Commercial Collaboration

Advanced Pest Solutions Ltd / Branston Abernethy – APS based in Dundee, Branston based in Perth

Branston initiated collaboration with Dundee-based Advanced Pest Solutions (APS) in 2010, with the aim of developing an effective alternative to the use of chemical products in potato packing industry. The result was a new level of technological innovation, Biolyse which applies APS’ bacteriophage technology to address the potato spoilage issue.

Community Engagement

LifeScan Scotland Ltd, based in Inverness

Johnson & Johnson company, LifeScan is a leading medical device company, which employs around 1,100 people at its centre of excellence in Inverness. Strengthening the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths agenda in secondary schools, its Bridge to Employment programme works with pupils and teachers from schools in LifeScan Scotland’s vast travel to work area.

Scottish Health Innovation Limited (SHIL)

Aurum and its Gold Technology - Celestine Santosh & Dave Brennan, Greater Glasgow Health Board

Gold is a novel oxygen carrier and proprietary software for use with MRI, initially for Acute Ischaemic Stroke known as AIS. Currently in preclinical development Gold simultaneously provides improved imaging of damaged brain tissue and delivers oxygen to prevent further tissue damage and tissue death.