The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Farm animal health boost from £10m investment
Start-up firm involved in commercialisation of scientific research
A £10 million investment in a new biotech company on the edge of Edinburgh is expected to lead to better farm animal health and improved agricultural productivity.
The investment by private funders in the Roslin Technologies company is expected to see new veterinary vaccines and tools for diagnosing diseases that affect farmed animals brought to market.
The deal will also develop business opportunities that arise from Edinburgh University’s animal science research and allow researchers to explore the commercial potential of technologies that enable low-cost manufacturing of new medicines using chicken eggs.
Roslin Technologies Ltd was launched in March last year to facilitate the commercialisation of research from Edinburgh University’s Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.
It is thought to be the largest agriculture biotechnology start-up in UK history to focus on research projects that aim to improve animal health.
The £10m completes the initial fundraising round.
The Roslin Institute is located with the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies on Edinburgh University’s Easter Bush campus.
The past five years has seen more than £200m of capital investments in research facilities on the campus, making it the largest concentration of animal science anywhere in Europe.
Professor Bruce Whitelaw, interim director of the Roslin Institute, said: “The Roslin Institute is internationally recognised for providing a strategic research base for large animal genetics and health science within the UK.
“Having pioneered the commercialisation of animal biotechnology for three decades, the establishment of Roslin Technologies now provides an exciting platform to accelerate the translation of Roslin’s data-driven innovations into the commercial sector.”
The chief executive of Roslin Technologies, Glen Illing, said there was an “incredible demand” for innovations that address productivity increases in agriculture.
He added: “This investment allows us to deliver a technology pipeline that spans across the Roslin Institute’s core focus on food, environmental security and animal and human health.”
Methods of preserving frozen stocks of reproductive material from bird species are set to benefit from the funding.