A leading NHS Scotland spinout will be spotlighting its breakthrough technology in stroke treatment at a premier international life sciences event later this month where it will be invited to share its ‘global strategy insights’

Glasgow-based biopharmaceutical company Aurum Biosciences is set to be part of a panel discussion at the UK Biotech Day gathering taking place at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Centre, close to London’s Heathrow Airport, allowing it to share knowledge collated from its worldwide experiences.

Organisers say UK Biotech Day is an “international premier event for life science leaders, innovators, investors and service providers” offering prime opportunities for “connecting national and global players”.

Aurum CEO, Dr David Brennan, will be speaking on Thursday 28 May during a session entitled ‘Running Clinical Trials in Different Geographic Regions: Assessing Opportunities and Challenges — Global Strategy Insights’ from 11.55-12.20pm.

In February this year, the company was invited to join a Department for Business and Trade (DBT) visit to India which facilitated fresh international connections.

Aurum also appeared at the flagship JP Morgan (JPM) Healthcare Week which took place in San Francisco in January, as well as the LSX World Congress in Lisbon last month.

It continues to connect with potential partners who can help scale the company’s operations and further advance its patented ABL-101 platform technology — a novel, injectable oxygen carrier for therapeutics and multiple diagnostics in significant areas of unmet clinical need including acute stroke.

Dr Brennan said: “Attendees of this UK Biotech Day session will be invited to share in the in-depth knowledge which Aurum has gathered, and continues to accrue, from its many international experiences.

“It’s a privilege to have the opportunity of speaking at the event which unites the UK’s vibrant biotech ecosystem and offers a platform for exciting new strategic alliances as we look to the next stage of development.”

A spinout of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, InnoScot Health, and the University of Glasgow, Aurum believes 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.

ABL-101 has the potential to dramatically change that for the 90% currently missing out during emergencies through its promise to help treat the stroke-related oxygen deprivation which can quickly cause brain damage.

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

ABL-101 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.

It 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 this year, the latter taking place at the Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland – a well-known centre of medical education and research – with regulatory approval secured.

Executive Chair of health innovation leader, InnoScot Health, Graham Watson said: “Aurum continues to share its journey for valuable knowledge exchange, and UK Biotech Day is a true global gateway for bringing that dynamic story to life.

“The inherent ability of ABL-101 to meet unmet needs is clear from the great interest it is commanding, and I expect David will inspire others with its vast potential to play a key role in the next era of biotech success.”