Innovation community news – May

Image: ©Tokamak Energy 

A summary of recent news and announcements from Milton Park-based companies: 

• Evotec advances global health with stem cell testing and new tuberculosis drug discovery 
• Immunocore delivers strong growth and expands global trials from its Milton Park base 
• Lexica acquires Spanswick to enhance digital transformation in health and life science 
• Recursion refines drug pipeline and strengthens AI-driven discovery approach 
• Summit Therapeutics marks major clinical milestones in lung cancer treatments 
• Tokamak Energy recognised in Tokyo for fusion and superconducting innovations 

Evotec secures Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grants to advance stem cell testing and new tuberculosis drugs 

Evotec has secured two major grants, each worth $2.5 million (approx. £2m), from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support cutting-edge drug development platforms aimed at improving global health. The first project focuses on a stem cell-based testing system that uses human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)* to more accurately predict the effects of new drugs on embryos in women of childbearing age.  

*iPSCs are a type of stem cell that is created by reprogramming adult somatic cells, such as skin or blood cells, back into an embryonic-like pluripotent state. This means they regain the ability to develop into nearly any type of cell in the body, similar to embryonic stem cells. 

Dr. Cord Dohrmann, Evotec’s Chief Scientific Officer, noted: “Our high-throughput in vitro platformme for teratogenicity testing in a human model holds potential to de-risk drug discovery programmes across many indications much earlier than with conventional in vivo methods.” 

Evotec’s second initiative targets the global tuberculosis (TB) crisis. With growing concerns around drug-resistance, Evotec is using its advanced screening and disease modelling tools to discover and develop next-generation treatments. 

Dr. Dohrmann continued: “We are honoured to receive this new grant from GF, which reinforces our shared commitment to advancing better treatment options for tuberculosis. Through our ongoing partnership, we have made important contributions to the identification of promising new regimens, and this grant enables us to continue that work.” 

Immunocore expands global trials from Milton Park base 

Milton Park-based Immunocore has reported a robust start to 2025, with a 33% year-on-year revenue increase driven by global sales of its flagship cancer therapy, KIMMTRAK®.  

Highlighted in Milton Park’s recent FDA approvals article, the therapy, now approved in 39 countries, brought in nearly $94 million (£75m) in Q1 alone.  

CEO Bahija Jallal said: “This reflects our unwavering dedication to making KIMMTRAK® accessible to patients who need it.”  

Encouraging clinical progress was also shared across several Phase 3 trials targeting melanoma and infectious diseases like HIV. Notably, early results from Immunocore’s HIV programme showed promise for achieving a functional cure. The company reported a net income of $5 million (£4m) and continues to invest heavily in R&D with over $56 million (£45m) spent this quarter.  

Lexica acquires Spanswick to enhance digital transformation 

Lexica has acquired Spanswick Limited to support its digital transformation capabilities within the health and life sciences sectors. This strategic move combines Lexica’s decade of consultancy expertise with Spanswick’s leadership in digital strategy and transformation, aiming to deliver enhanced services to clients. 

Tina Nolan, Lexica’s Managing Director, stated: “This acquisition brings us another step forward in achieving our strategic vision and commitment to delivering outstanding expertise to our clients.”  

Jon Reeve, Director of Spanswick, added: “The Spanswick team is delighted to be joining Lexica, enabling us to integrate into a wider range of capabilities and to strengthen our digital offering to existing and new clients.”  

The merger is set to provide clients with a more comprehensive suite of services, combining strategic planning with advanced digital solutions to meet the evolving demands of the healthcare industry. 

Recursion refines drug pipeline and strengthens AI-driven discovery approach 

Q1 2025 results from Recursion, a tech-enabled biotech with offices at Milton Park and in the US, show a strategic R&D focus on its most promising drug programmes in oncology and rare disease, together with its decade-long investment in AI. 

The occupier is advancing with five high-potential clinical and preclinical programmes, while deprioritising those less promising following a review driven by data.  

CEO Chris Gibson, said: “We are prioritising high-potential programmes to accelerate better treatments to patients, building on our platform’s unique ability to learn and lead this transformative shift in drug discovery.” 

Recursion has also reached a fourth milestone in its partnership with Sanofi and projects a cash runway until mid-2027. 

Summit Therapeutics marks major clinical milestones 

Milton Park occupier Summit Therapeutics has reported its clinical trial partnership with Pfizer will assess various antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) used in conjunction with ivonescimab in distinct solid tumour cases. 

A spokesperson explained: “The studies combining ivonescimab with Pfizer’s vedotin ADCs are planned to begin later this year. We plan to review the data generated from these clinical trials as a part of our consideration for advancing our clinical development for ivonescimab beyond non-small cell lung cancer.” 

Tokamak Energy recognised in Tokyo for fusion and superconducting innovations 

Tokamak Energy has been selected by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for its Green Transformation (GX) Foreign Company Entry Support Programme. This award acknowledges Tokamak Energy’s advancements in fusion energy and high-temperature superconducting (HTS) technologies.  

Ross Morgan, Director of Strategic Partnerships, stated: “Tokyo is the perfect city for developing both our fusion energy and high temperature superconducting (HTS) technology, and we look forward to exploring the range of exciting opportunities being part of this new collaboration will bring on our mission towards a future of clean, limitless energy.”  

The company has established a subsidiary in Japan and is collaborating with partners like Furukawa Electric, the University of Tokyo, Kyoto Fusioneering and Sumitomo Corporation. Tokamak Energy is also part of Japan’s FAST (Fusion by Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) project, aiming to demonstrate fusion-based electricity generation in the 2030s. 

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