A new era of medical innovation in the UK’s second city

A groundbreaking therapy has been taken from laboratory to market in record time, thanks to a template established by the University of Birmingham’s Healthcare Technologies Institute (HTI) and Birmingham Biotech. And that’s just the start: HTI researchers believe they now have a rapid route to commercialisation that can energise a new era of medical innovation and attract investment.

Therapies devised and developed by university research groups can face a battle to reach the public because of the licencing complexities and uncertainties that doom or delay many promising scientific products.

But the pandemic forced a shake-up of processes and created a climate of collaboration which HTI used to accelerate the development of its revolutionary NoriZite™ nasal spray, which combats airborne viruses, in partnership with private company Birmingham Biotech, winner of the Materials Innovation Award at the 2022 Med-Tech Innovation Awards.

“The HTI at the University of Birmingham was set up with the aim of accelerating innovations from basic concept through to the point that they can have a clinical and commercial benefit,” says Professor Liam Grover, HTI’s Founder-Director.

“From licensing to the point of the nasal spray hitting the market was less than 12 months. This rapid movement was enabled by the leanness of Birmingham Biotech, which was much more agile than many of the larger companies we discussed the innovation with.

“[Birmingham Biotech] showed that you could get something to the public rapidly compared with previous development timelines that stretched to 15 years. The company took the risk to invest in manufacturing and distribution and have now struck deals around the world.

“Coming out of the pandemic, we need to work with more people like Birmingham Biotech who are willing to take risks, while universities might have to think a bit differently about how they license their research products to encourage partnerships.”

Professor Grover and his research group have a portfolio of patents that could benefit from agile agreements and flexibility on revenue share between universities and private companies.

The longer-term hope is that this fresh approach will radiate across the country and empower collaborations that tap into a wealth of innovation – UK universities had more than 40,000 active licences for intellectual property and software running during 2021, according to Universities UK.¹

“We are certainly considering this route as a means to move technologies more rapidly to clinical benefit,” adds Professor Grover. “We believe that the collaboration with Birmingham Biotech is a good future model for translating technologies swiftly for both sides.”

He believes that the newly-minted synergy will encourage investors – often daunted by the “Valley of Death” costs and time jeopardy between research and commercialisation – and provide a boost for the NHS.

It will also help de-risk projects for investors who can be deterred by the lack of a coherent and timely pathway from bench to bedside for innovative life sciences products.

“Good innovation, rapidly realised, will help deliver healthcare much more efficiently by keeping people out of hospital and helping them manage conditions themselves,” he adds.

“Modern innovation can take a significant burden off the NHS and is absolutely critical to its stability and resilience and that of the country.”

Birmingham Biotech, which specialises in developing and commercialising cutting-edge healthcare technologies, is expected to move into Birmingham Health Innovation Campus (BHIC), which opens this year, as the region builds on its cluster of 500 med-tech companies.

Its founder and managing director, Michael Hsu, recognised the long-term value of a strong relationship with university and benefits it brings to commercialising products, says Dr Tariq Ali, Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor for Strategic Partnerships at the University of Birmingham.

“We are very keen to get our products out there making an impact and building on our role as a key enabler for societal benefit,” Ali adds. “We are a civic university with a £4 billion positive impact on the economy.

“This collaboration is an example of what can be achieved – the nasal spray is now being marketed around the world – and it is part of our progressive approach to health and life sciences.”

Break-out

Birmingham is revitalising its manufacturing heritage to become a med-tech powerhouse with growing expertise in R&D, health data, clinical trials expertise, biomarker diagnostic development and regulation and policy.

Huge investment is pouring into the West Midlands and the city’s Precision Healthcare Technologies Accelerator – a state-of-the-art incubation and collaboration space for health and life science businesses – will create a crucible of ideas and potential when it opens later this year.

“Birmingham is known as the city of a thousand trades and has a significant expertise in advanced manufacturing,” says Professor Liam Grover, Founder-Director of the Healthcare Technologies Institute at the University of Birmingham.

“The city and the area are primed to become a huge player in med-tech and the entire ecosystem is growing. We are building the infrastructure that will ensure companies want to stay in the West Midlands, rather than migrate to Oxford or Cambridge.

“We have one of the biggest hospitals in Europe that serves a diverse population of five million people and is part of a good, integrated healthcare system that offers a huge amount of potential for scientists, innovators and investors.

“The pandemic has forced us to think slightly differently about innovation and speed of innovation and I am confident that, with such examples as the partnerships with Birmingham Biotech, we can move forwards quickly.”

Dr Ali adds: “We have a unique combination of the private and public sectors coming together at our BHICscience park, which is within walking distance of one of the biggest hospitals in Europe.

“Life sciences and healthcare are becoming a key engine for innovation, productivity and growth in Birmingham and the West Midlands.”