A Scottish spinout is aiming to put the country’s leading innovation in stroke treatment on the international map when it showcases its breakthrough technology in San Francisco next week

Biopharmaceutical company Aurum Biosciences will be furthering its global growth ambitions when it appears at the flagship JP Morgan (JPM) Healthcare Week, taking place from 12-15 January.

The week is considered “the largest and most informative healthcare investment symposium in the industry” for connecting global industry leaders, emerging fast-growth companies, innovative technology creators, and members of the investment community.

A spinout of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, InnoScot Health, and the University of Glasgow, Aurum continues to develop a novel drug for therapeutics and multiple diagnostics in significant areas of unmet clinical need including acute stroke.

Glasgow-based Aurum recognises that only about 10% of patients suffering from acute stroke — the world’s second biggest killer and leading cause of disability — are able to access current therapeutics, significantly impacting their outcomes in time-critical situations.

Aurum’s patented ABL-101 platform technology has the potential to dramatically change that for the overwhelming 90% of patients currently missing out during emergencies through its promise to help treat the stroke-related oxygen deprivation which can quickly cause brain damage.

During JPM Healthcare Week, Aurum aims to connect with international partners who can help scale the company’s operations and further advance ABL-101 with its potential to offer major advancements in the management of acute stroke.

Aurum CEO David Brennan and CSO/CMO Dr Celestine Santosh have been invited to a reception on Monday 12 organised by The UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and Office for Life Sciences (OLS), in partnership with the BioIndustry Association (BIA).

This will allow Aurum to network with the UK delegation and other businesses to “stimulate new collaborations with the UK’s vibrant life sciences and health research ecosystem,” according to organisers. It will also help Aurum to forge new connections with global investors who have an interest in advanced technologies being developed in the UK.

Amongst other JPM Healthcare Week gatherings, the company has further been invited to a Scottish Innovation Showcase on Wednesday 14 where it will have an opportunity to introduce its technology.

Organisers including Banc of California, Scottish Development International (SDI), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), and Scottish Enterprise (SE) are inviting investors to “discover Scotland’s most promising healthcare companies”.

Aurum is also featured in a JPM Week ‘innovator lookbook’ — a strategic catalogue distributed to key global investors, venture capital firms, and US health systems, encouraging investment and partnership opportunities.

Aurum say that for every minute of ischemic stroke, 1.9 million neurons and 14 billion synapses are lost, but ABL-101 — an injectable oxygen carrier that is up to 45 times smaller than red blood cells — can bypass the blockage or move through collateral vessels when red blood cells cannot.

It can also work as an acute stroke diagnostic, identifying salvageable tissues, and when used in conjunction with specialised MRI techniques, can visualise regions of inflammation.

ABL-101 has undergone significant pre-clinical development and has completed early phase 1 and 2a human studies. Phase 2 trials in stroke and inflammation imaging are planned for 2026, underlining its huge promise.

Dr Brennan said: “It’s a privilege to be invited to one of the world’s largest healthcare gatherings, affording an excellent platform for empowering Scottish innovation.

“We’re proud to have the opportunity of showcasing our technology stateside and to explore partnership opportunities, following on from recent international efforts to promote Scotland’s MedTech and life sciences expertise.

“It’s also a chance for us to demonstrate the vast potential inherent within our ABL-101 technology to target a wide range of serious healthcare challenges.”

Executive Chair of InnoScot Health, Graham Watson said: “We are delighted that Aurum is already commanding interest at the prestigious JPM Healthcare Week which is well-known for attracting global leaders looking for promising innovations.

“The event represents another significant step up in ambitions and a great platform to progress the company’s technology.”