Fast-growing life sciences start-up Scottish Brain Sciences is the first anchor tenant at the £40 million One BioHub innovation hub in Aberdeen.
Opportunity North East chairman Sir Ian Wood said he hopes the decision to move into the “market-leading facility” will encourage other “pioneering companies to follow suit”.
One BioHub, on the hospital campus at Foresterhill, is expected to take life sciences in the north-east to another level.
It will provide support and infrastructure to help grow businesses, nurture commercialisation opportunities, and connect academics and health researchers to industry.
Scottish Brain Sciences Alzheimer’s research
Opportunity North East (One) is on a mission to double the number of companies in the region’s life sciences cluster by 2027.
Scottish Brain Sciences, headquartered in Edinburgh, has chosen One BioHub as the home of its clinical trials centre comprising of offices, a laboratory and consulting rooms.
Founder and chief executive, Professor Craig Ritchie, said there is a “thriving neuroscience and life sciences community” in the north-east.
Founded in 2022, Scottish Brain Sciences is accelerating the development and implementation of new diagnostics and therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease and other related conditions.
The team will work with the local universities, the NHS and the broader life sciences community to recruit people from the region into its IONA longitudinal cohort study.
Mr Ritchie said: “The establishment of Scottish Brain Sciences at One BioHub goes way beyond a simple tenancy.
“We are delighted to join a thriving neuroscience and life sciences community in the north-east of Scotland.
“As well as being able to offer cutting-edge research to the local population, we look forward to strengthening our relationship with the universities, NHS, and other life sciences companies in the area.”
One BioHub ‘ecosytem for life sciences’
Other BioHub partners include Aberdeen University, NHS Grampian, and the Aberdeen City Region Deal.
The project secured £20m of capital funding from the UK and Scottish governments through the city region deal, a partnership between both governments, Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council and One.
Sir Ian said: “The vision for One BioHub is to foster an ecosystem for life sciences entrepreneurs to thrive and turn innovation and research into world-class companies that will accelerate the diversification of the regional economy.
“I welcome the decision by Scottish Brain Sciences to locate their clinical trials centre in this market-leading facility, which will encourage other pioneering companies to follow suit.
“The move also underlines the impact of the private and public sectors partnering and investing to drive economic transformation and once again demonstrates this region’s ability to deliver meaningful economic change, impact and value.”
More new tenants to be announced
Deborah O’Neil, chairwoman of the One life sciences board and One BioHub, is hopeful the inclusion of Scottish Brain Sciences will lead to further interest in space within the centre.
She said: “It is fantastic to welcome the Scottish Brain Sciences team to One BioHub.
“It’s an exciting, high-profile company and reflects the region’s strengths and focus on tackling modern epidemics, including Alzheimer’s disease.
“This is the first of a series of tenant announcements we expect to make during 2024 and today’s news will catalyse further interest in lab and office space within One BioHub.
“One also continues to work with partners to stimulate and support the home-grown pipeline of spinouts and startups from the universities, NHS and wider life sciences community to achieve the region’s growth ambition.”
One has committed up to £5.6m to deliver its ambitions and Scottish Enterprise is contributing £2m.
BioHub, which opened in May last year, was built on a fixed price contract but the construction project, led by Robertson Group, suffered delays due to Covid, supply chain issues and two subcontractors going bust.
North-east life sciences firms, including the likes of Novabiotics, Elasmogen, EnteroBiotix and TauRx, employ about 2,500 people.