1 March 2010 - Lightning-Link™ strikes in China

A Cambridge company is taking its revolutionary antibody labeling kit into China following timely support from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI).

Already a pioneer in the field of antibody labelling, Innova Biosciences Ltd has been able to appoint two new distributors in Genetimes Technology Inc and NeoBioscience Technology Company.

The company, based at the Babraham Institute, first opened its research laboratories in October 2002 and was quickly awarded a research grant the following year to develop a number of novel research products primarily for applications in the pharmaceutical sector.

Following the development of Lightning-Link™ in 2006, the World’s easiest to use antibody labelling kit, Innova dramatically changed direction. As well as being used in hospital and research labs around the world, the kit also features in consumer items such as pregnancy test kits.

With the product being sold throughout the Life Science sector, Innova is now positioned as a world leader in the supply of products and services to the academic, pharmaceutical and diagnostics sectors.

So, when interest began to spark in China, the company turned to UKTI for advice. Sales Director, Tim Bernard, explains. ‘We knew we needed some help and advice to tackle a totally unfamiliar market and that is where we came into contact with UKTI’s Chris Ilsley. We were getting lots of hits to the website from scientists in China but didn’t have the solution as to how to follow these up.’

Tim explained: ‘Thanks to the support from UKTI, I was able to visit Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing and make some invaluable contacts as well as fully understanding what initially appeared, quite a complex market.’

‘Through Chris we came to realise just how much help is available. We now know how we can get the right information on a new market and that it will be reliable. We know that it is vital to understand the market; that each is different and that you need to appreciate the cultural aspects as well as the economic and legal niceties. I found our interaction with UKTI thoroughly excellent.’

‘Tim and his company are a great example to other potential exporters”, says Chris Ilsley, International Trade Adviser with responsibility for the Biotech and Pharmaceutical sectors. “They have taken what was a challenging situation and turned it into a positive. They came to us to see how we could help in China and made use of our Export Marketing Research Scheme (EMRS).’

1 October 2009 - Innova Biosciences Receives Investment to Increase Sales Activities

Innova Biosciences (Cambridge, UK), a pioneer in the field of antibody labeling and inventor of the World’s easiest to use antibody labeling kit- Lightning-Link™, is pleased to announce a further cash investment into the business.  Recently appointed Board member, Tim Bernard (formally Managing Director of AbD Serotec and CEO of Pivotal Scientific) has invested an undisclosed sum in the company. The new funds will be used to strengthen Innova’s sales and marketing activities.

Commenting on the investment Tim Bernard mentioned – ‘Shortly after the joining the Board, it became apparent that the company had an innovative product portfolio with a large customer base. Based upon my own experiences, such opportunities rarely come along and therefore I decided to invest in the business.  I look forward to working with the Innova team to successfully grow the company.’

Dr Nick Gee, CEO of Innova Biosciences - ‘We are delighted to accept Tim’s investment, which will allow Innova to expand its sales and marketing operations and to build on the impressive growth achieved so far in 2009.’

About the company: Innova Biosciences is a growing, dynamic business, based in Cambridge, UK. At the core of Innova’s business is the Lightning-Link™, an innovative technology that simplifies antibody labeling for use in R&D applications, drug discovery and diagnostics.   The expanding Lightning-Link™ portfolio currently consists of 44 individual products and is sold to research laboratories in over 30 countries around the world.

7 July 2009 - Innova Biosciences Appoints Two New Board Members

Innova Biosciences (Cambridge, UK), inventor of the World’s easiest to use antibody labeling kit called Lightning-Link™, is pleased to announce the appointment of two non-executive directors Tim Bernard and Lucy Block to the Board.
Tim has 24 years experience of executive level leadership, strategic development and international sales within the life science sector.  Formerly Managing Director of the antibody company AbD Serotec, Tim was a key contributor in the set up, growth and eventual sale of the business, strategically growing the operation from a £300K turnover to its sale for £20m to the Morphosys group in 2006. Since leaving AbD Serotec, Tim has worked with a series of SME Biotech companies (such as Oxford Expression Technologies, Everest Biotech and DB Biotech) to realise their full potential.

Lucy has a wealth of experience in developing start-up to early stage biotechnology companies.  Before becoming a life science consultant, Lucy was an Investment Manager at Cambridge Research and Innovation Ltd (CRIL) for 10 years. At CRIL Lucy was instrumental in growing and nurturing several biotech start-ups including Phico, Ashby Biosystems, and Endocrine Pharmaceuticals to name a few. Lucy also has experience of patenting and IP portfolio management.

Commenting on the announcement Dr Nick Gee, CEO of Innova Biosciences
‘I am delighted that Lucy and Tim have agreed to join the Board of Directors. The appointments significantly strengthen our capabilities in the areas of sales, financial management and strategic planning, and will help the company to maintain its current high rate of growth’

About the company: Innova Biosciences is a growing, dynamic business, based in Cambridge, UK. At the core of Innova’s business is the Lightning-Link™, an innovative technology that simplifies production of bioconjugates for use in R&D applications, drug discovery and diagnostics.   The expanding Lightning-Link™ portfolio currently consists of 44 individual products and is sold to research laboratories in over 30 countries around the world.
(Released – 7th July 2009)

9th May 2009 - Innova Biosciences and Cancer Research Technology Form and Alliance for a Portfolio of Conjugated Oncology Antibodies
Innova Biosciences, the inventor of the world’s easiest to use antibody labeling kit and Cancer Research Technology (CRT), the commercialisation arm of Cancer Research UK have signed a licence agreement to develop a portfolio of conjugated antibodies against novel oncology targets.

Innova’s core business is ‘bioconjugation’ – the joining of two molecules to form a hybrid ‘conjugate’, a complex process carried out in thousands of research laboratories worldwide. Conjugates are used in diagnostic tests in hospitals and research labs around the world and in consumer items such as pregnancy test kits. Innova Biosciences has developed a sophisticated, yet simple and rapid, one-step conjugation method for joining biomolecules (Lightning-Link™).

Through the commercialisation deal, Innova Biosciences will create a novel collection of antibody conjugate research tools for the scientific community, with the ultimate objective being the advancement of science and our understanding of the complexities behind cancer development.

Commenting on the deal Dr Nick Gee, CEO of Innova Biosciences said “Research arising from Cancer Research UK sponsored labs is pioneering, and the organisation is recognised as a world-wide leader in the oncology field. CRT was an obvious partner for Innova Biosciences which creates a unique, powerful synergistic effect. It is our hope that these novel research tools will aid scientists to unravel the mysteries of cancer thus leading to the development of diagnostic tests and anti cancer therapeutics.”

20th April 2009 - Lightning-Link video released
Innova Biosciences releases Lightning-Link™ antibody labeling video. View....

9th April 2009 - Innova Biosciences Continues to Experience Growth in Tough Economic Climate
The current financial and economic climate has made it difficult for mid-stage companies to grow and succeed – currently the norm at the moment is to experience contraction. However, one company which is bucking that trend is Innova Biosciences, which continues to experience great success with its range of Lightning-Link™ antibody labeling kits. The end
products of the kits – conjugates, are used in diagnostic tests in hospitals and research labs around the world and in consumer items such as pregnancy test kits.

Global sales, from USA through to Europe and Asia Pacific, continue to grow strongly, which has been achieved through the recent development of an international distribution network and an effective PR campaign. For instance, Innova Biosciences produced a video to demonstrate the benefits of the technology to the scientific community.

As a result of increased demand for its product range, Innova Biosciences recently created several new positions within the organisation. This success comes just after the company was awarded, as part of a consortium, an EU grant to develop a platform for biomarker discovery.

Commenting on the continued success of Innova Biosciences, Nick Gee (CEO):
‘In the current economic climate it is refreshing to see the business undergoing organic
growth, which has been generated through robust strategic planning and the hard work of
the Innova Biosciences’ team.’

16th February 2009 - Innova Biosciences Awarded EU Grant to Develop Cancer Biomarker Discovery Platform
Innova Biosciences Ltd (Cambridge, UK), a leader in the field of antibody labeling, has been awarded  €455,000 of a €3,000,000 European grant. Through the PROACTIVE consortium along with Olink, Copenhagen University, Fujirebio Diagnostics AB, Uppsala University, and Integromics S.L., a unique high throughput plasma screening platform will be developed for the discovery of biomarkers of early stage cancer.

Innova Biosciences has had enormous success with its range of Lightning-Link™ bioconjugation products, which provide a uniquely simple method for joining biomolecules, a process carried out in thousands of research laboratories worldwide. Innova Biosciences’ participation in the PROACTIVE consortium to develop immunodiagnostics reagents will help cement the company’s position as a world leader in bioconjugation technology.

Commenting on the EU grant Dr Nick Gee, CEO of Innova Biosciences said “We are delighted to be granted such a prestigious award which recognises Innova’s proprietary knowledge and expertise. Participating in the development of a new immunodiagnostic platform that will facilitate early stage cancer detection is an exciting application of our technology, which will directly benefit human health.”