Innovation Community News – February 2026

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

• Corteva Agriscience’s joint venture to create biofuel from feedstock  

• Replimune secures loan agreement for over $120 million 

• Summit Therapeutics announces FDA update for Ivonescimab 

• Wild Bioscience partners with Dyson Farming and KWS for precision-bred wheat 

Corteva Agriscience launches biofuel feedstock joint venture with BP

Corteva Agriscience, an occupier specialising in seed technology and agricultural innovation, has launched Etlas, a new joint venture with BP to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel from crops. 

The partnership combines Corteva’s crop expertise with BP’s fuel refining capabilities. 

Etlas aims to produce one million metric tonnes of feedstock per year by the mid-2030s. With initial supply scheduled to begin in 2027, the joint venture could produce over 800,000 tonnes of biofuel. 

The crops, which include canola, mustard and sunflower, will be grown on existing farmland between main cropping seasons, improving soil health and giving farmers a new revenue stream. 

Ignacio Conti, Global Business Development Director at Corteva and Etlas CEO, said: “As the aviation industry looks for reliable, sustainable and cost-competitive sources of SAF, it is clear farmers have a critical role to play. 

“Etlas brings together global leaders in agriculture innovation and energy production to harness this demand by leveraging technological expertise and trusted relationships with farmers around the world to help scale production and boost supply while offering farmers new revenue streams.”

Replimune secures loan agreement for over $120 million

Replimune, a Milton Park occupier developing new oncolytic immunotherapies for cancer treatment, has improved its financial position by amending its loan agreement with Hercules Capital Inc. 

Replimune has drawn down $35 million, with the option to access another $120 million after reaching approval milestones. 

The agreement extends debt repayment from 2026 to 2027, giving the company more flexibility as it prepares to commercialise its melanoma drug RP1, pending FDA approval. 

The financing, alongside existing funds, will extend the company’s cash runway into early 2027. 

Summit Therapeutics receives FDA acceptance for Ivonescimab BLA application

Summit Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company based at Milton Park, has received acceptance from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for a Biologics License Application (BLA).   

The application from the Milton Park-based biopharmaceutical company seeks approval for Ivonescimab, to be used in combination with chemotherapy. If approved, the drug could begin to be rolled out to patients. 

The treatment is for patients with a specific type of advanced lung cancer who have already tried other therapies, with the FDA set to make a formal decision later in the year. 

The application was submitted following results in September 2025 from the Phase III HARMONi trial. 

Summit Therapeutics has also partnered with GSK to test Ivonescimab in combination with GSK’s antibody drug in multiple cancer types, including small cell lung cancer. The study starts mid-2026. 

Robert W. Duggan and Dr Maky Zanganeh, Co-Chief Executive Officers of Summit Therapeutics commented:“We believe exploring new mechanisms and combinations with the potential to surpass current options for patients and physicians will have the most profound impact on those battling the toughest cancer challenges today.”

Wild Bioscience forms consortium with Dyson Farming and KWS for precision-bred wheat

Wild Bioscience, an agricultural biotechnology spinout from the University of Oxford, based at Milton Park, has formed a consortium of UK agriculture businesses to develop new precision-bred wheat varieties designed to increase yield and resilience. 

The occupier specialises in crop improvement by combining AI-driven discovery with evolutionary biology to generate new genetic traits. 

The consortium includes KWS, the largest supplier of wheat varieties in the UK and Dyson Farming, the UK’s largest commercial farming operation. Wild Bioscience will work with KWS to integrate wheat traits into leading varieties, while Dyson Farming will deploy these seeds to generate real-world performance data. 

The consortium has been awarded £1.13 million from Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme and Innovate UK to accelerate the work. 

Sam Gattis, CTO of Wild Bioscience, said: “By uniting AI-enabled trait discovery, leading seed expertise and large-scale UK farming networks, we hope to deliver the benefits of precision breeding to growers far faster than working independently.”