Innovation Community News – January 2026

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

• Evotec reaches milestone in fight against Alport Syndrome 

• LIO featured in The Sunday Times 100 Tech 2026 

• Nium launches new deep-tech materials platform, LAYRR 

• Recursion reports positive trial data for FAP treatment 

• Tokamak Energy takes another step forward towards fusion  

Evotec reaches an important milestone in fight against Alport Syndrome 

Evotec, an occupier pioneering the future of drug discovery and preclinical development, has reached an important milestone in its fight against Alport Syndrome, with its first patient having received treatment in its Phase 2 clinical trial alongside its partner, Bayer. 

The life science company’s trial, which commenced in December 2025, is investigating potential treatments for Alport Syndrome, a rare genetic condition characterised by kidney disease, hearing loss and eye abnormalities.  

With most affected individuals experiencing progressive loss of kidney function, which can lead to end-stage kidney disease, the trial marks an important step in finding a life-changing treatment for the condition. 

Dr Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec, commented: “We are very pleased that our jointly developed antibody, BAY 3401016, for the treatment of Alport syndrome has advanced into Phase 2 of clinical development.  

“The initiation of this study represents an important and hopeful step forward. We congratulate Bayer on the Phase 2 launch and are proud to support the advancement of this program. 

LIO featured in The Sunday Times 100 Tech 2026 list 

LIO, which use monitoring and observational technology for mental health care, has been named in The Sunday Times’ list of the UK’s fastest growing private tech companies. 

Based here at Milton Park, the occupier ranked number 34 in the UK the Hardware/other category, reporting 48.6% annual sales growth over the last three years. 

Coinciding with the award, the occupier also hit a significant company milestone, surpassing 100 million hours of inpatient mental health care across its partner facilities. 

Nium launches new deep-tech materials platform, LAYRR 

Nium, a Milton Park occupier researching the decarbonisation and decentralisation of the global ammonia supply chain using nanotechnology, has launched a new deep-tech materials platform, LAYRR. 

The platform will enable atomic-level surface engineering, turning “impossible” materials that have only existed in AI simulations into reality.  

LAYRR’s atomic surface engineering will support the development of a vast range of technologies, including magnets, batteries, high entropy alloys and additive manufacturing. 

Recursion reports positive trial data for FAP treatment 

AI drug discovery company, Recursion (formerly Exscientia), has announced positive data from its TUPELO trial, which is investigating therapies for familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). 

FAP is one of the most clinically significant hereditary bowel cancer syndromes. If left untreated, it carries a near 100% risk of developing colorectal cancer before the age of 40. 

In the Phase 2 portion of the study, the inhibitor (REC-4881) demonstrated rapid and durable reductions in polyp burden, a significant step forward in FAP treatment. 

Chris Gibson, Co-Founder and CEO of Recursion, commented: “This is a powerful example of how even the earliest versions of the Recursion OS can uncover therapeutic opportunities in diseases with no approved pharmacotherapy options. And since this discovery, we’ve only added to the breadth, depth, and power of the Recursion OS; we believe this is the first of many potential medicines that will advance as our flywheel of discovery accelerates.” 

Tokamak Energy takes another step forward towards fusion  

Tokamak Energy, an occupier working on the development and delivery of fusion energy, has taken another step towards making the technology a reality, after successfully generating Radio Frequency (RF) power using its gyrotron. 

A gyrotron works by accelerating a beam of electrons through an interaction region where they emit microwave radiation, which is transmitted through a waveguide into the plasma. 

This is the first time all systems have operated together, validating the huge effort to integrate the complex electrical, control and water systems. 

Once fully commissioned on the world’s highest field spherical tokamak, the gyrotron will generate 1 MW of RF power to heat the plasma and drive its current.