World famous medical school launches spin off to help combat infectious diseases
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) has launched a spin off, iiDiagnostics, to support the discovery and development of innovative diagnostics to save lives globally.
It will build on the R&D activity being delivered through the LSTM-led consortium iiCON, the Infection Innovation Consortium, which supports links between industry and academia aimed at improving the treatment, diagnosis and prevention of infectious diseases.
The spin off will create a new commercial channel for industry to work with LSTM.
Prof Hilary Ranson, Dean of Research Culture & Integrity and Prof of Medical Entomology at LSTM, said: “Driving innovation through industry academic partnership and collaboration has never been more essential in the battle to improve health outcomes globally and combat vector-borne diseases such as malaria, which are the scrouge of communities across the globe.
“Building on the hugely successful collaborative model pioneered by iiCON, which supports world-leading R&D by enabling industry and academic co-innovation, we’re delighted to be launching iiDiagnostics to create a new platform to support effective commercial engagement with industry and better enable access to the world leading research and facilities at LSTM.”
Prof Janet Hemingway, founding director of iiCON, said: “Continuing to support and nurture collaboration between industry and academic research capability is key to maintaining the momentum behind the discovery, development, and deployment of new innovative diagnostics, preventions, and treatments for infectious diseases.
“Working to enable new platforms that will enable industry to access the world-leading R&D capability within our leading academic institutions is at the heart of iiCON’s ethos. We’re very pleased to be working with our lead partner, LSTM, on the formation of this new spin out, which will support academic and industry co-innovation, helping to fast track innovative diagnostic solutions to patients and communities most in need across the globe.”
Led by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, iiCON was founded with government funding provided through UK Research and Innovation’s flagship Strength in Places Fund.
It brings together industry, academia, and the NHS in a £174m collaborative infectious disease R&D programme to accelerate the discovery, development and deployment of new antimicrobial treatments and products.
Its partners are Unilever, Evotec, Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust, The University of Liverpool, and Infex Therapeutics.
