The pharmaceutical industry is a critical element of the Scottish life sciences sector and the country’s national economy. Scotland is a European destination for the life sciences, thanks to a strong talent pool and internationally regarded research institutions.
In addition to a rich academic ecosystem, Edinburgh serves as home base for numerous multinational and regional pharmaceutical companies and manufacturing organizations, which collectively contribute to Scotland’s robust pharmaceutical exports around the world.
Pharmaceutical Companies in Edinburgh
- Macomics
- MI:RNA Diagnostics
- Kynos Therapeutics
- Cytomos
- RoslinCT
Top Pharmaceutical Companies in Edinburgh
Kynos Therapeutics is a research organization in the life sciences sector that focuses on developing diagnostic and therapeutic products for chronic diseases. Its research explores applications for compounds that inhibit the enzyme kynurenine monooxygenase. This enzyme, known as KMO, generates toxic metabolites that are implicated in inflammatory and neurodegenerative disorders. The company’s mission is to facilitate the development of pharmaceutical products to inhibit KMO.
RoslinCT is a CDMO, or contract development and manufacturing organization. These types of businesses work as third parties on behalf of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to produce pharmaceutical and therapeutic products. RoslinCT’s focus is on cell-based therapeutics, which use stem cells and genetically engineered cell materials to create novel therapies.
Cytomos uses microelectronics technology to facilitate single-cell analytics. This process helps researchers analyze individual cells within samples, which allows for far greater precision than is possible in traditional bulk population cell analytics. From there, insights from this work are used in the drug discovery process to create precision pharmaceuticals.
BBI Solutions is a life sciences company that produces immuno-diagnostic reagents. These substances, which include antibodies and antigens, are used in diagnostic processes to identify and quantify specific substances that doctors are looking for in a sample. From observing and measuring the presence of these substances, doctors can assess conditions ranging from cancers to viral infection.
Cumulus Oncology researches and develops novel cancer therapies. Its business model deviates from industry standard in that it functions as an incubator for promising assets. Sourcing and recruiting emerging research from academia and the commercial drug discovery industry, it identifies potential growth opportunities and then funds and supports their growth. To date, the company has launched Nodus Oncology, GIO Therapeutics and NuanBio.
EnteroBiotix is a life sciences company that researches and develops microbiome therapeutics. This work focuses on optimizing the colonies of bacteria in the human gut, which is an emerging field of study within medical science. Research in recent years has revealed the impact of the microbiome on holistic health, with implications for mental health, longevity and quality of life as well as disease.
Macomics is a drug discovery company that researches immuno-oncology treatments. This type of pharmaceutical cancer therapy uses a patient’s existing immune system to fight cancer, using drugs and antibodies. The company’s research focus is on drugs that control macrophages, which are major elements of tumor architecture.
MI:RNA Diagnostics is a veterinary medicine startup that uses microRNA technology to deliver predictive analytics for animal health. Primarily serving companion animals with research into livestock applications, the company develops diagnostic tools to identify genetic markers of conditions such as heart disease in blood samples.
Wobble Genomics is a healthcare research organization that studies long-read RNA sequencing. This process sequences RNA molecules to identify biomarkers for cancers. The company’s goal is to create diagnostic tools that can provide early cancer identification, with implications for effective early pharmaceutical intervention.
Carcinotech is an oncology company that builds products for medical research. To study how to treat tumors pharmaceutically and surgically, the company replicates the microenvironment of a tumor using 3D bioprinting. From there, researchers can use these model tumors to experiment with drug and other therapies without endangering patients.
