BIO-INCUBATOR
The Milner Therapeutics Institute provides space and facilities for start-ups and SMEs through its Bio-incubator, which offers a unique environment for companies to work with startups, pharma and academic scientists in an ecosystem designed to spark collaboration and entrepreneurship. Our incubator has a particular focus on R&D intensive companies that are working in areas related to the institute’s expertise in functional genomics, early target discovery and therapeutics. The Milner Bio-incubator has three hubs: the Biomedical Campus hub and two City Centre hubs, which allows further growth for selected companies before they secure further funding and move to their own lab space.
The Bio-incubator began with the successful model of companies such as Rockend Ltd (now Xap Therapeutics), who were located in the institute for two years before expanding into another site. Companies in the incubator have access to space in the Milner environment for 24 months to conduct critical R&D work and successfully grow so that they are ready to scale up at one of the science parks in Cambridge.
If you wish to be considered for lab space, please fill in this short form to join our waiting list.
Benefits for companies in the Milner Bio-incubator:
- Access to fully serviced state-of-the-art premium lab equipment, meeting rooms and kitchenette
- Potential for interactions with clinicians, researchers and drug discovery scientists at the University and on the biomedical campus
- Advice and research input from the Milner’s research groups
- Know-how and expertise of representatives of the 10 pharma companies in our Consortium
- Membership to an exclusive network of 80+ affiliated global pharma and biotech companies, and access to Milner internal and external events, including the annual Milner Therapeutics Symposium and Pitch Event
- Access to our Venture Partner Network, mentors, business experts, and masterclasses
- Operational and communications support to help to raise your company profile
Companies in the Milner Bio-incubator
Read more about our bio-incubator companies below, and find their current job opportunities on our Careers Page. For further information on space in the bio-incubator, please email our Head of Entrepreneurship Alexandra Huener.
AVATRIAL
BIND RESEARCH
CAMBRIDGE GENETIX
CLOCK.HEALTH
COSYNE THERAPEUTICS
ELASTIN BIOSCIENCES
GENENET TECHNOLOGY
HEALTHSPAN BIOTICS
IMMUTRIN
NEW PLATELET COMPANY
SHIFT BIOSCIENCE
VIEW ALUMNI PAGE
AVATRIAL
An unparalleled biomedical data universe
Avatrial are Therapeutic Discovery Architects and have re-designed the cancer drug discovery process to establish and validate an end-to-end pipeline that reduces the time and cost of drug development by orders of magnitude. Avatrial’s unique approach vertically integrates, in-house, all 4 key sequential steps necessary for cancer drug discovery:
- Access to ideal matched healthy and cancer samples from the same patients
- Generation of comprehensive ‘perfect’ multi-omic datasets
- AI/ML algorithms trained on proprietary noiseless datasets
- State-of-the-art experimental models for validation of hits and hypotheses
Based at: Biomedical Campus hub
Contact: Professor Kourosh Saeb-Parsy
| kourosh.saeb-parsy@avatrial.life | avatrial.life
Kourosh Saeb-Parsy
BIND RESEARCH
Making disordered proteins druggable
Bind Research is a not-for-profit research startup (Focused Research Organisation) based in London and Cambridge whose mission is to make intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) druggable. IDPs are implicated in many diseases, including cancer and neurodegeneration, and have long been dismissed as undruggable due to their lack of stable three-dimensional structures and well-defined binding pockets. Bind tackles this challenge by combining experimental biophysics, computational methods, chemoproteomics, cell-based assays, and AI to screen millions of IDP/small-molecule interactions and uncover the rules of binding, generating open tools, translatable assets, and a direct path from molecular insight to patient benefit.
Based at: Biomedical Campus hub
Contact:
Gabi Heller | partnerships@bindresearch.org | Bind Research
Gabi Heller
CAMBRIDGE GENETIX
Democratising Access to Cell and Gene Therapy
Cambridge GenetiX is a biotechnology startup advancing the discovery and automation of cell and genetic therapies. We specialize in both autologous and allogeneic CAR-T cell therapies, combining scientific innovation with scalable manufacturing solutions. Our mission is twofold: to automate and localize production in developing countries – making therapies more accessible – and to pursue high-impact discovery biology for patients in developed nations. By bridging innovation with accessibility, Cambridge GenetiX aims to redefine how next-generation therapies are discovered, produced, and delivered across the globe. Our work is rooted in a belief that life-saving treatments should be available to all, regardless of geography or resources.
Based at: Biomedical Campus hub
Contact: Dr Minaam Abbas | ma619@cam.ac.uk | linkedin.com/company/camgenetix
Minaam Abbas
CLOCK.HEALTH
Investigating the repair mechanisms of stem cells to better treat age-related diseases
clock.health is a biotechnology company focused on developing interventions to reverse cellular ageing across skincare, nutraceutical, and therapeutic applications. The company combines human ageing and disease models with three integrated platforms: a Rejuvenation Atlas generated through large-scale CRISPR screening, machine learning-based phenotypic ageing clocks, and high-throughput functional screening systems. Together, these technologies create a scalable map of rejuvenation biology that enables target discovery, validation of ageing pathways, and the rational development of rejuvenation therapies.
Based at: Biomedical Campus hub
Contact: Mark Kotter| info@clock.health | Clock.health
Mark Kotter
COSYNE THERAPEUTICS
Transforming drug discovery through polymathic AI
CoSyne Therapeutics is a computational drug target discovery company based in London and Cambridge. The company’s mission is to develop next generation therapeutics to help patients with devastating diseases. Their first goal is to cure brain cancer.
Based at: Biomedical Campus hub
Contact: info@cosyne.com | cosyne.com
Louwai Muhammed
ELASTIN BIOSCIENCES
Developing an “Elastin Restoration” platform to reverse fundamental drivers of aging
Elastin Biosciences is a spin-out of Longaevus Technologies developing an “Elastin Restoration” platform to reverse extracellular-matrix deterioration – an overlooked but fundamental driver of aging. Its proprietary therapeutics are designed to both block elastin degradation and promote new elastin synthesis in key tissues, including blood vessels, lungs, and skin. By targeting structural decline at its source, the company is at the frontier of health-span and longevity therapeutics, with applications spanning rare elastin-deficiency syndromes to widespread age-related degeneration.
Jordan Graves
GENENET TECHNOLOGY
Turning cells into AI computers
GeneNet Technology focuses on innovation and translational impact, and its patented technology is designed for broad application across medicine, synthetic biology, and pharmaceutical research. The company provides genetic circuit design services, R&D consultation, and patent licensing for academic and industry partners. Their solutions are especially relevant for high-throughput drug discovery, cell and gene therapy, and advanced biomolecule sensing – empowering pharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations (CROs) worldwide.
GeneNet has developed a growing suite of applications built on its core technologies, including CHO cell-based bioproduction platforms, next-generation gene sequencing kits, and AI-powered analytics for biological data interpretation. The company has recently expanded into the organoid-on-chip space, starting with a cardiac model to enhance precision, efficiency, and ethical standards in biopharmaceutical research.
Based at: Biomedical Campus hub
Contact: Louis Wu | mtlouiswu@genenet.co | genenet.co
Louis Wu
HEALTHSPAN BIOTICS
Boosting brain health using nature-inspired methods
Healthspan Biotics combines AI and laboratory research to uncover how certain individuals naturally resist brain diseases like Alzheimer’s. The team has discovered a novel neuroprotective pathway that enhances neuronal resilience – and identified a gut-derived probiotic strain that can activate this pathway to support brain health.
Based at: Biomedical Campus hub
Contact: Yizhou Yu | yizhou@healthspanbiotics.com | healthspanbiotics.com
Yizhou Yu
IMMUTRIN
Developing transformative antibody treatments for amyloidosis
Immutrin is developing the next generation antibody therapy for reversal of systemic amyloidosis. Built on decades of research and clinical experience in amyloidosis combined with world-leading expertise in antibody development, the company has generated a unique and highly differentiated approach for effective removal of pathogenic amyloid deposits. Their lead asset is a best-in-class therapeutic antibody for removal of systemic amyloid deposits and has the potential to be effective across all subtypes of the disease.
Based at: City Centre Hub (MRC Toxicology Unit)
Contact: Mihriban Tuna | info@immutrin.com
Mihriban Tuna
NEW PLATELET COMPANY
Ensuring lifesaving continuity
Based at: Biomedical Campus hub
Contact: Marloes Tijssen | linkedin.com/new-platelet-company
Marloes Tijssen
SHIFT BIOSCIENCE
Unlocking safe rejuvenation with deep learning models
Shift Bioscience is harnessing AI-powered virtual cells to reverse age-driven diseases. Cell reprogramming with Yamanaka factors can reverse aging in human cells and increase lifespan of disease models but its tumor-inducing potential hampers clinical development. Shift has harnessed AI-powered virtual cells to reduce centuries of experiments to weeks and decouple the tumor-inducing pathway in human fibroblasts. Shift is pursuing an intervention addressing multiple cell types that could sustain health well into old age and beyond.
Based at: City Centre Hub (Gurdon Institute)
Contact: hello@shiftbioscience.com | shiftbioscience.com
Daniel Ives
