A new project led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) will enable the seamless translation of innovative vaccine and drug research into new medicines to prevent disease, save lives and boost the regional economy.
BRITE, a cross-sector partnership which includes universities and industry, has been awarded close to £5m by Research England’s University Commercialisation Ecosystem fund to develop essential capacity to grow the regional and national biologics ecosystem, addressing challenges in their manufacture and commercial scale-up.
Biologics are complex medical products derived from living organisms, designed to prevent or treat a diverse range of infections and diseases, including emerging infectious diseases, cancer and antimicrobial resistance.
The UK is renowned for its biologics expertise, accounting for around 25% of the UK’s pharmaceutical markets and valued at £46bn annually. Despite this, gaps remain in infrastructure to turn world-class academic discoveries into new medicines.
Liverpool City Region is well-placed to address these challenges, as the UK’s first Health and Life Sciences Investment Zone. It’s home to world-leading universities conducting sector-leading scientific research, inpatient and outpatient clinical trial infrastructure and over 300 life sciences businesses generating £850m in Gross Value Added (GVA).
BRITE, a partnership between local academic research institutions LSTM, University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and Edge Hill University, civic partners including the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, and leading industry players including AstraZeneca and Unilever, seeks to plug these gaps, establishing the region as a global leader in biologics innovation and manufacturing.
BRITE will help identify and tackle barriers to effective commercialisation to address the shortage of local biomanufacturing facilities and build scale-up capability within the Liverpool City Region.
Science Minister Lord Vallance said: “The UK is home to some of the world’s best universities, and we have deep strengths from life sciences to cutting-edge fields like quantum and engineering biology.
“But we can and must do more to unlock scientific research’s vast economic potential, and to help our innovators world-leading public sector labs turn brilliant ideas into businesses that attract investment and sustain jobs.”
BRITE is a partnership led by LSTM, and including University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University and Edge Hill University.
