Synpromics, a specialist in gene control, announced it has been awarded a £1.9m research and development grant from Scottish Enterprise.
This grant is part of Synpromics’ ambitious £5.4m R&D project, which initially creates 11 new high-skilled jobs. Synpromics will use the grant to expand and further develop its PromPT technology platform and to create novel inducible promoter systems that can be applied across the biotechnology sector.
The funding will support preclinical evaluation studies in a range of disease models, allowing the company to identify the best use of its technology for the treatment of disease using advanced therapeutic regimes such as cell and gene medicine.
Advances in the field of cell and gene medicine have already resulted in revolutionary new therapies for leukaemia and certain types of blindness, with the promise of durable, one-time, curative treatments for a range of diseases.
Synpromics’ proprietary technology provides the control mechanism for cell and gene medicines, enabling safe and efficient delivery of therapies to the target cell or tissue.
The technology is currently being evaluated in more than 25 product development pipelines in pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide, targeting diseases such as Parkinson’s, haemophilia, muscular dystrophies and liver disorders.
Dr Michael Roberts, CSO of Synpromics, said: “We are developing technologies that facilitate the control of cell and gene therapies to be specific to cell and tissue types and responsive to either small molecules, biological environment or other stimuli. With this technology, we enable the development of novel medicines for a range of devastating diseases where the current treatment options are limited or non-existent.”
“This award will help fund Synpromics’ state-of-the-art research and build on the success of gene control technology programmes to date, focused on designing innovative cell and gene therapies for unmet medical needs.”
Rhona Allison, Interim Managing Director at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Synpromics’ work has the potential to transform the lives of millions of people across the globe and this latest project is a fantastic example of the company’s cutting-edge research in the critical field of revolutionary new gene therapies.”
“Innovation and innovative research is key to driving Scotland’s economic growth. Our R&D support not only recognises this project’s importance to Synpromics but also to the Scottish economy and Scotland’s growing global reputation as a hub for life science excellence.”
Synpromics has experienced rapid and sustained growth in the last three years and recently moved into the Roslin Innovation Centre, adjacent to the Roslin Institute, near Edinburgh.
Synpromics is committed to creating a diverse and engaged team to drive innovation and sustainable global business growth and has recently become the 475th company to join the Scottish Business Pledge. This grant will help to facilitate further growth and research.