OBN Awards Highlight Excellence in Life Sciences

During November OBN celebrated the winners of its prestigious 2019 OBN Awards, presented in front of an audience of over 270 life science industry leaders at the Examination Schools in Oxford. 

The Awards, which are in their 11th year, celebrate the best of UK life sciences – from outstanding scientific innovation within Biotech, Medtech and Digital Health, to the companies that support the industry and the fundraisers that make it happen. 

We received a record number of quality entries again this year, and competition was tight in all categories, and represent a true reflection of how buoyant the life sciences industry continues to be.

The Award winners were:

Best Start-up Biotech Company, kindly sponsored by James Cowper Kreston

Winner – Grey Wolf Therapeutics

Develop next generation immunotherapies that illuminate non-responsive tumours for destruction by the immune system.

Best Start-up Medtech Company

Winner – Caristo Diagnostics

Develop a novel technology that can identify regions of inflammation around coronary arteries and which has the potential to transform the diagnostic power of routine coronary CT angiograms.

Most Transformative Digital Healthcare Company

Winner – Sensyne Health

Combine clinical artificial intelligence technology and ethically sourced, anonymised patient data to help provide better healthcare.

Best CRO, kindly sponsored by BMG Labtech

Winner - RSSL

Help world leading brands and SME’s develop and supply products that are safe, innovative and of the highest quality.

Best Specialist CRO, kindly sponsored by ThermoFisher Scientific

Winner – Precision for Medicine, Oncology and Rare Disease

Provide personalised oncology and rare disease clinical operations with an emphasis on the application of biomarkers to drive improvements in clinical endpoints.

Best Emerging Medtech Company, kindly sponsored by BDO

Winner - Open Bionics

Build and develop the next generation of bionic limbs, turning disabilities into ‘superpowers’, starting with the Hero Arm.

Best Emerging Biotech Company, kindly sponsored by Precision For Medicine, Oncology and Rare Disease

Winner – NodThera

Developing a new class of potent and highly selective NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases.

Best Sector Support Organisation

Winner – UKI2S

The UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund, build and grow technology companies stemming from the UK’s diverse research base.

Most Innovative Big Pharma Organisation, kindly sponsored by Milton Park

Winner - Johnson & Johnson Innovation

Has demonstrated some excellent collaborations, providing a wide range of platforms to support their internal and external pipeline of technologies which is positively impacting patient lives.

The BioSeed® ‘One to Watch’ Award, kindly sponsored by Mills & Reeve

Winner - Attomarker

Develop iPhone connected diagnostic technology to enable rapid and personal access to diagnostic tests conventionally carried out in analytical laboratories.

Best Established Biotech Company, kindly sponsored by World Courier

Winner - Bicycle Therapeutics

Exploit their proprietary phage display technology to select peptide-like ‘Bicycles’ for development into novel therapeutics.

Best Established Medtech Company

Winner – Endomag

Help tens of thousands of women across the world to access more accurate and less invasive breast cancer care.

Special Recognition Award

Winner - Sunil Shah, o2h for his rare vision and supportive ethos to the companies he invests in: offering support beyond cash alone, but also invaluable experience, contacts and personal time. He has an inspiring passion and enthusiasm for science and business.