Is the North West UK leading the way in drug development?
Over recent years the UK, in particular the North West, has been leading the life sciences charge. Lu Rahman highlights how the region is looking to become a global leader for the sector
The North West of England has a history of groundbreaking enterprise. From its cotton mills to playing an integral role in the development of the computer and aerospace sectors, the region has a solid track record of industry and innovation.
More recently the pharmaceutical sector has been benefitting from the area’s scientific expertise. Add to this its excellent road, rail and air links as well as the proliferation of academia, and the North West could become a life science hub to rival the Oxford, Cambridge, London triangle. Some estimates say the sector is worth £50 billion to the UK economy. Within this the pharmaceutical sector is showing significant world-class capabilities.
The region’s potential was recently highlighted by PwC which claimed that the “rejuvenation in the North of England demonstrates how the coming together of the right pieces of the puzzle is having a positive impact on UK life sciences”.
Within the region Liverpool is showing particular promise for precision medicine and a proposal has been put forward by Liverpool Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), the North West Coast Academic Health Science Network (NWC AHSN) and Liverpool Health Partners (LHP) to make the city the fastest place in the UK to develop and commercialise research in this field.
The report, Precision in Medicine (PRiME), outlines aims to build on the government’s Health North initiative, partnership with life sciences minister, George Freeman and maximise on the potential of the region in this field.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, LEP chair Robert Hough, stated: “The PRiME report is a further example of how Liverpool city region is putting science and innovation right at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse and establishing itself as a global leader in the life science and health sector.
“By identifying the city region’s assets in precision medicine, we will be able to build on our strengths in this area, tapping into our regional expertise that will not only bring national and local benefits, but act as a magnet for inward investment. This initiative therefore, creates significant follow-through momentum.”
As sponsor of the report, the NWC AHSN has a keen interest in the Liverpool’s status in this sector. Dr Liz Mear, chief executive NWC AHSN, said: “The AHSN has sponsored this report because our role is to drive forward improvements in health care; precision medicine is the key to predicting and preventing disease and targeting treatments so they are bespoke to individual patients.”
Visiting the University of Liverpool last year, the life sciences minister said: “The North of England represents a real powerhouse of life sciences, driving forward growth for the country. With more than 1,000 businesses, supporting around 38,000 skilled jobs and being supported by our world leading universities, the region is contributing significantly to our growing economy.
“We want to be the best place in the world for life sciences and Liverpool is a fantastic example of how the region is attracting investment and developing new 21st century medicines.”
And more recently Freeman was quoted on the Politics Home website as highlighting the wealth of talent in the UK: “The truth is we are retaining huge talent and skills in the UK and in fact one of our great strengths around the world is in pharmaceuticals, in biotechnology, in digital health, in diagnostic devices. There is a huge UK diaspora of UK leaders in very influential positions in the sector.”
A supporter of the digital health movement, Freeman recognises the role the North West has to play in the overall growth of the life sciences sector.
“In my first nine months as a minister I’ve been to see extraordinary inward investment into clusters of excellence in Northern Ireland, in Wales, in the North East, in the North West and in the South West.
“So while it’s sometimes characterised as being very Oxford, Cambridge, London focused, in fact in these new emerging fields of digital health, clinical informatics, advanced manufacturing, there are huge growth opportunities in all parts of the UK.
“I think there is a huge opportunity for us, as part of our broader hard and soft infrastructure programme, for connecting our northern and regional life science clusters, as part of making this a key area of growth for the UK in the 21st century,” he added.
Aside from the expertise coming out of Merseyside, the North West boasts the Alderley Park BioHub and Sci-Tech Daresbury Science and Innovation Centre which has been praised by prime minister David Cameron as being “a great collaboration between scientists and businesses”.
Since its launch two years ago, the BioHub now has 30 physical customers as well as 92 virtual customers. It offers entrepreneurial schemes, a mentoring network and has attracted over £10 million in funding during that time.
In October of this year it was also announced that both Leeds and Manchester would be part of the initial locations for the Precision Medicine Catapult, the UK’s innovation centre for precision medicine.
In the same month Clive Morris, director, Health Innovation Manchester, asked how we can make, “Greater Manchester the best place in the world for clinical trials?” highlighting the potential the region has to become a hotspot for life science innovation.
The University of Manchester is also at the forefront of life science enterprise. Researchers there have recently developed heat-activated ‘grenades’ to target cancer. These drug-packed structures are armed with heat sensitive triggers which mean that treatment can be aimed directly at tumours.
While the North West of England has always been a hotspot for innovation and scientific advances, it seems the time has come for it to become a world leader in the pharmaceutical field. Not only does the region have the expertise, the academia and the investment, it also has government support – key factors to help boost its progress on a global scale.