Life sciences
Following discussions with leading investors, operators and advisers at the HPE Europe conference, McDermott, Will & Schulte shares key takeaways on the trends shaping healthcare private equity dealmaking, from regulatory developments and policy shifts to innovation-driven growth opportunities across the sector. The European healthcare sector has demonstrated resilience in a challenging private equity landscape. Fundraising [...]
Gene therapy partly restored sight in some blind people, with limited side effects reported in a 10-patient trial of an optogenetic treatment. The approach, known as optogenetic therapy, uses light to switch nerve cells on and off, a technique recognised by the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. It was previously shown to partly [...]
A 19-year-old has received the UK's first testicular tissue transplant, three years after the tissue was frozen before chemotherapy. The teenager had testicular tissue removed and frozen before undergoing chemotherapy for a serious blood disorder. Three years after chemotherapy, tests found no sperm in his semen. NHS doctors have now transplanted the frozen tissue back [...]
Viking Drone Packaging has received the UK's first Vehicle Certification Agency recommendation for a crash protected drone container.
A University of Bristol University spinout has launched with more than £700,000 of pre-seed funding to develop a blood test for detecting and monitoring microvascular disease. Dimension Technologies' novel blood test aims identify biochemical signs of disease in the microvasculature, the network of microscopic blood vessels that delivers oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Damage [...]
By McDermott Will & Schulte Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how healthcare and life sciences companies innovate, operate and invest. What was once viewed as a future consideration is now a present reality, with adoption accelerating at a pace that has exceeded expectations. Recent discussions, including those at our European Health and Life Sciences Symposium, [...]
Why the UK is becoming one of the world's most important models for transforming discovery into real-world health impact. Today's reports of discussions between AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb are about more than a potential transaction. Whether or not those conversations lead to a deal, they reinforce a broader reality: the United Kingdom (UK) has [...]
The UK's world-leading medical research is not yet delivering better health outcomes for enough patients, a new report has warned. The UK’s life sciences industry generated £146.9bn in turnover in 2023/24, but healthy life expectancy has fallen to its lowest recorded level. The warning centres on the doctors and experts needed to turn university discoveries [...]
The UK life sciences sector attracted more than £3bn in public-private investment over 12 months, according to a government update. The government said communities across the country were benefiting from new treatments and scientific advances supported by its Life Sciences Sector Plan. During its first year, the plan helped attract the investment, bring forward new [...]
From scientific discovery and clinical research to manufacturing and market access, the next era of biotech innovation may belong to ecosystems that collaborate rather than compete. Walking the BIO International Convention floor in San Diego, two national pavilions stand out for more than their size. The United Kingdom and India have both arrived with a [...]
