A leading NHS spinout will be taking the stage at an inaugural conference in Glasgow to discuss opportunities aimed at further enhancing Scotland's multi-billion-pound life sciences sector

Aurum Biosciences is appearing at the BioInsight conference, taking place at the Health Innovation Hub – part of the Glasgow Riverside Innovation District (GRID) – on Wednesday 2 September.

Organisers say the event will be “bringing together the life sciences community of Scotland and beyond to share insights, technological and business developments, and forge valuable new connections”.

At BioInsight, Aurum CEO David Brennan will be part of a ‘Looking Ahead Panel’ chaired by Vicky Young, Business Development Executive at the University of Edinburgh, starting at 3.35pm.

He will be sharing his thoughts on Scotland’s vast opportunity to scale its deep innovation know-how through improved support for promising early-stage prospects.

The company’s ABL-101 technology represents a world-leading innovation in stroke treatment – both a therapy and a diagnostic which is capable of delivering oxygen where blood cannot – and David has gained significant knowledge from its development as well as Aurum’s global investor experiences.

He said: “Scotland offers a tremendous wellspring of life science innovation, particularly at university/NHS level, so there is undoubtedly a strong pipeline of great ideas and exceptional talent that can be tapped into. However, the real opportunity lies in effectively harnessing that abundance to ensure optimal scaling and the true maximising of potential.

“Accelerating grassroots support must therefore be a priority for the impactful building of both national and international networks. At BioInsight I’ll be discussing my thoughts on how best to achieve that amid Scotland’s 10-year life sciences strategy and its ambition to reach £25 billion in sector turnover by 2035.

“I’m grateful to be invited to speak and look forward to being part of this burgeoning event with the chance to form strategic collaborations. I expect BioInsight to be a great platform for continuing to discuss pertinent issues around Scottish ambitions in future.”

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The event’s keynote speaker will be former Scottish Government Minister for Business, Richard Lochhead. Also speaking will be Ruth McLaughlin, Programme Director for the Living Laboratory of University of Glasgow, and Mark Cook, Co-Chair of the Life Sciences Industrial Leadership Group in Scotland.

A spinout of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, InnoScot Health, and the University of Glasgow, Aurum continues to develop ABL-101 in significant areas of unmet clinical need including acute stroke.

Two Phase 2 trials are underway, supported by Wellcome Trust and a growing international network of clinical collaborators, helped by Aurum’s recent selection for a Department for Business and Trade (DBT) visit to India.

The Glasgow-based company 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 says 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 slip past blockages and carry oxygen directly to the tissue that is dying.

Executive Chair of InnoScot Health, Graham Watson said: “Aurum’s commitment to sharing knowledge and collectively boosting Scotland’s life sciences growth aims is commendable and we are proud to be supporting those endeavours.

“BioInsight is a great platform to exchange ideas across industry, academia, and the wider innovation ecosystem. It is exciting to see so many leading names from the sector uniting at GRID for this new conference which encourages a shared vision for both now and the future with Aurum making a meaningful contribution thanks to its undoubted expertise.”