Commercial Activities
To realise the full potential of the LMB’s research, we undertake a range of commercial activities to translate our discoveries and innovations into medical applications and interventions.
LMB discoveries help fuel the UK’s life sciences industry – the third largest contributor to economic growth.
5
new spin-out companies since 2020
£1bn
income generated to date
5/10
best-selling drugs based on monoclonal antibody technology in 2024
Licensing Technology
Licensing innovations developed by LMB scientists and technical specialists to industry accelerates their real-world application by leveraging industrial infrastructure and expertise.
The licensing of Greg Winter’s work on human antibodies to Cambridge Antibody Technology led to the development of Humira®, a key drug in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Further ExamplesHide Further Examples
Anti-IL-25 receptor monoclonal
Humanised anti-IL-25 receptor monoclonal antibody, licensed to SinoMab, has produced promising results in a Phase 1b clinical trial for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (Andrew McKenzie)
Gold UltrAuFoil® and HexAuFoil®
Electron microscopy support grids that eliminate specimen movement during cryo-EM imaging, licensed to Quantifoil Micro Tools GmbH (Chris Russo and Lori Passmore)
Evolution of enzymes using in vitro compartmentalisation
Enabling high-throughput screening of proteins, peptides or functional RNAs with desired characteristics (Philipp Holliger)
Self-inactivating Rabies virus (SiR)
A tool to study neural networks without causing neuronal death (Ernesto Ciabatti and Marco Tripodi)
Choroid plexus 3D organoid model
A system that allows reliable study of cerebrospinal fluid secretion and brain barrier permeability (Madeline Lancaster)
MORPHEUS® screens
Unlocking novel protein crystal structures with a minimal amount of sample (Fabrice Gorrec)
Transgenic mice expressing human P301S tau protein
A mouse model of early-onset neurodegeneration that enables testing of potential new therapies for neurodegenerative disorders (Michel Goedert)
The following are freely available for academic use via completion of a material transfer agreement (MTA). Enquiries by commercial/for-profit organisations should be sent to james.richards@lgcgroup.com at LGC.
Spin-out Companies
We support and encourage the creation of spin-out companies where this is the strongest route to translate LMB science and technology into benefits for people.
Launched in 2022 to scale and commercialise the ground-breaking synthetic biology research of Jason Chin, Constructive.Bio aims to reprogramme the genetic code to build the biomolecules of the future.
More Spin‑outsHide Additional Spin‑outs
To date, the LMB has supported the creation of over 15 successful spin-out companies. These include:
TRIMTECH Therapeutics (2024)
Advancing targeted protein degradation pipelines for treatment of neurodegenerative conditions (Leo James)
RNAvate (2023)
Developing novel RNA medicines (Venki Ramakrishnan)
Sortera Bio (2023)
Realising the therapeutic potential of deep screening technology developed at the LMB (Philipp Holliger)
Constructive.Bio (2022)
Assembling DNA at the genome scale and engineering cells to create sustainable new materials and therapeutics (Jason Chin)
PepGen (2018)
Developing cell-penetrating peptides for the treatment of rare genetic disorders (Mike Gait)
Bicycle Therapeutics (2009)
Developing a novel technology platform for the creation of a new generation of biotherapeutics (Greg Winter)
Heptares Therapeutics (2007)
Discovering new medicines targeting G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) (Chris Tate and Richard Henderson), acquired by Sosei Group in 2015, known as Nxera Pharma UK from 2024
Domantis (2000)
Developing human single-domain antibody therapies (Greg Winter and Iain Tomlinson), acquired by GlaxoSmithKline in 2007
Cambridge Antibody Technology (1989)
Developing antibody therapeutics using phage display technology (Greg Winter), acquired by AstraZeneca in 2006
Industry Collaborations
Establishing collaborations with industry creates mutually beneficial partnerships, bridging the gap between academic and industrial research and technology development.
The LMB has a number of industrial collaborations including the Cambridge Pharmaceutical Cryo-EM Consortium formed by FEI, five pharmaceutical companies, the LMB and the University of Cambridge, and the Blue Sky Collaboration with AstraZeneca, our neighbour on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Further individual industrial collaborations are set up where they are mutually beneficial.
Working together to improve our understanding of fundamental biology and disease.
Supporting a range of pre-clinical research projects through joint funding.
Sharing knowledge and technologies to encourage innovative scientific thinking.
Commercial activities are managed by the LMB’s Research Office working together with LGC Group, the MRC’s exclusive technology transfer agent, to facilitate knowledge transfer in close collaboration with LMB scientists and technical specialists.
For any query related to LMB commercial activities, please contact the Research Office.
