University of Bristol

Ziylo's mission is to help people with diabetes to live more normal and longer lives. Using its back ground in supramolecular chemistry the company has developed a third ‘biomimetic’ class of glucose binding molecule (GBM). These molecules are at the core of medical devices such as Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM) and therapeutics such as Glucose Responsive Insulins (GRI). The platform is based on over 20 years of cutting-edge research pioneered by Professor Anthony Davis’ group at the University of Bristol. Inspired by nature's carbohydrate-binding molecules (lectins), Professor Davis has become a leader in the field of ‘Synthetic Lectins’ – biomimetic molecules that bind carbohydrates like glucose in blood. This award-winning chemistry has been published in Science and Nature Chemistry and has laid the foundation for the discovery the Biomimetic GBM platform.

Azellon is focused on developing stem cell therapy for the repair of avascular meniscal tears. Today orthopaedic surgeons are partially or fully removing the meniscus which over 4-6 years will lead to osteoarthritic changes in the knee joint. The technology behind Azellon was developed by Professor Anthony Hollander over the last 5 years and has already been proven highly successful in an in-vitro model.