July 12, 2017, by Liz Cass

Spin-out tipped as ‘one to watch’

A University of Nottingham spin-out business is tipped as one to watch at a UK national awards ceremony.

Exonate, who are developing eye treatment for Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration, (Wet AMD) was named ‘One to Watch’ in the Best Investment in Life Sciences category at the UK Business Angels Association Investment Awards.

The award is aimed at businesses in the early stage to scale-up phase that are building high growth potential businesses.

Wet AMD is a leading cause of vision loss in people aged 60 years or older and affects more than 30 million people worldwide. If untreated, patients are likely to lose sight in the affected eye within 24 months of the onset of the disease.

Exonate’s strategy is to maintain its focus on the delivery of ophthalmology products for diseases of the back of the eye and to expand its science base to address other disease areas including cancer.

The judges said: ‘Exonate is showing promise in developing revolutionary approaches to treatments for eye conditions, and has been backed by investors with deep industry knowledge.”

Dr Susan Huxtable, Director of Intellectual Property and Commercialisation at The University of Nottingham, said: “We are delighted to see Exonate being recognised with this award. The unique intellectual property created at the University of Nottingham has the potential to deliver a massive impact on one of the major causes of vision loss.”

The award category celebrated investment in life sciences businesses, including pharmaceutical, biotechnologies, medical technologies and digital health. The shortlisted companies all demonstrated their capacity for innovation and successfully used angel investment and other relevant sources of finance to increase their potential to achieve high growth.

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Google+
• Share on LinkedIn