University of Nottingham

Cheesecake Energy is developing advanced thermal and compressed air energy systems to store energy from intermittent renewables, turning them into reliable power on-demand.

NuVision™ is a spin-out company from the University of Nottingham, incorporated July 2014. The company was established to commercialise high quality and affordable biotherapies for treating ‘front of the eye’ disease and trauma. Dr Andrew Hopkinson, the Principal Research Fellow in Academic Ophthalmology, Division of Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Nottingham, founded NuVision™. The business is co-owned by the founders, Dr Andrew Hopkinson (Chief Scientific Officer), Professor Harminder Dua (co-founder), the directors Mr Byran Lister (CEO) and Dr Helen Shaw (Chairman), and the University of Nottingham.

One Third Stories makes learning a language as simple as reading a story, one that start in English and end in a different language by utilising their innovative Clockwork Methodology®. These are delivered as part of a monthly subscription box for parents and their kids to embark on a language learning adventure.

NuVision™ is a spin-out company from the University of Nottingham, incorporated July 2014. The company was established to commercialise high quality and affordable biotherapies for treating ‘front of the eye’ disease and trauma. Dr Andrew Hopkinson, the Principal Research Fellow in Academic Ophthalmology, Division of Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Nottingham, founded NuVision™. The business is co-owned by the founders, Dr Andrew Hopkinson (Chief Scientific Officer), Professor Harminder Dua (co-founder), the directors Mr Byran Lister (CEO) and Dr Helen Shaw (Chairman), and the University of Nottingham.

One Third Stories makes learning a language as simple as reading a story, one that start in English and end in a different language by utilising their innovative Clockwork Methodology®. These are delivered as part of a monthly subscription box for parents and their kids to embark on a language learning adventure.

Based in the United Kingdom, Monica Healthcare is developing a series of innovative wearable devices that will use wireless technologies to facilitate globally accessible obstetric services in the home and hospital. The patented technology is based on the acquisition of electro-physiological signals that can be passively detected by electrodes positioned on the maternal abdomen.

Exonate is a privately held, early stage, biotech company spun out of the University of Nottingham that is focused on alternative splicing of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) in ophthalmology. Exonate’s lead programme is focused on Diabetic Macular Oedema (DMO). A consequence of diabetic retinopathy, DMO, is swelling in an area of the retina called the macula and wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (wAMD), which is the leading cause of vision loss in people aged 60 and older. The Company is founded on scientific excellence with strong links to Professor David Bates and his lab at Nottingham University specializing in the biology and biochemical pathways of VEGF splice variants. Exonate have developed small molecules that inhibit production of pro-angiogenic VEGF through selective inhibition of serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (SRPK1)-mediated VEGF splicing. These inhibitors have already demonstrated superior efficacy as topical agents in preclinical models of wet AMD. Through a Wellcome Trust funded project, Exonate has completed an optimization programme and has nominated a pre-clinical candidate drug with optimal characteristics. During the second quarter of 2020 regulatory toxicology and safety pharmacology studies have taken place. This is to support the successful application to the regulatory authorities for clinical evaluation. Exonate is led by an experienced, international management team that has previously worked together with cross-disciplinary experience in medicine and drug development, as well as successful fundraising for early stage companies. About Diabetic Macular Oedema (DMO)*: DMO is the build-up of fluid (Oedema) in a region of the retina called the macula. The macula is important for the sharp, straight-ahead vision that is used for reading, recognizing faces, and driving. DMO is the most common cause of vision loss among people with diabetic retinopathy. About half of all people with diabetic retinopathy will develop DMO and although it is more likely to occur as diabetic retinopathy worsens, DMO can happen at any stage of the disease. About wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (wet AMD): Today, wet AMD is a leading cause of vision loss in people aged 60 years or older and affects more than 30 million patients worldwide, over 200,000 of those in the UK alone. If untreated patients are likely to lose sight in the affected eye within 24 months of disease onset. The main currently available treatment options for DMO and wet AMD are: • anti-VEGF antibody drugs – to prevent the growth of new blood vessels in the eye. Unlike small molecule drugs or eye drops these treatments must be injected into the eye once every 1 or 2 months. Resistance can develop to these drugs causing the disease to progress anew. • Laser surgery – to destroy abnormal blood vessels in the eye. This type of surgery is only suitable if blood vessel damage is not too extensive and if the abnormal blood vessels aren't close to the fovea, as performing surgery close to this part of the eye can cause permanent vision loss. • With DMO, Corticosteroids either injected or implanted into the eye, may be used alone or in combination with other drugs or laser surgery to treat DMO. *source: https://nei.nih.gov/health/diabetic/retinopathy

Based in the United Kingdom, Monica Healthcare is developing a series of innovative wearable devices that will use wireless technologies to facilitate globally accessible obstetric services in the home and hospital. The patented technology is based on the acquisition of electro-physiological signals that can be passively detected by electrodes positioned on the maternal abdomen.

Critical Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company with proprietary drug delivery technologies for the sustained release and nasal delivery of proteins and peptides and labile or insoluble small molecules. Critical Pharmaceuticals was founded by Professor Steve Howdle in 2002 based on his research into supercritical fluids. When gases reach a certain temperature and pressure (the critical point) they become "supercritical" and take on both gas and liquid like properties. He noticed that supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) was able to penetrate certain polymers, and in a moment of inspiration realised that this could be used to mix thermally labile or solvent sensitive substances into the polymers.