UCL spinouts recognised as leaders in London’s Life Sciences boom

UCL spinouts have taken centre stage in the ‘London Life Sciences Companies to Watch’ report, published by MedCity the Life Sciences arm of London’s growth agency London & Partners, ahead of London Life Sciences Week. 

The report ranks the most exciting, innovative and fast-growing life sciences businesses spun out from the capital’s universities, focusing on health and biomedical sciences. It recognises key aspects of over 60 of the most exciting spinouts in several categories including ‘Fast-growing Companies’, ‘Groundbreaking Tech (AI, Digital, Modalities and MedTech)’, ‘Strong Founding Teams’, ‘Challenging Indications’ and ‘Founded in London & Growing’. 

Spinouts established by UCL academics with the help and support of UCL Business – feature prominently, in many of these categories: 

• Four UCL spinouts in the ‘Fastest Growing Businesses’ section (Autolus, Quell Therapeutics, Orchard and MeiraGTx). 

• Two in the ‘Groundbreaking Tech’ section (Glialign and Medisieve).  

• Two in ‘Challenging Indications’ (Axovia and Echopoint).   

• Four under ‘Founded in London and Growing’ (Apollo Therapeutics, EpilepsyGTx, Spur Therapeutics and ViaNautis). 

Mark Fisher, Associate Director of BioPharm at UCL Business said: “We’re thrilled that so many of our spinouts have been recognised as the next generation of game-changing life sciences companies. This acknowledgement highlights the exceptional innovation coming out of UCL, and showcases our commitment to working with academics, clinicians and partners to realise the full commercial and societal potential of their research.” 

In assessing the health of the London Life Sciences spinout sector, the report identified London as third in the world for Life Sciences, with £1.19bn raised in the first half of 2025 alone, praising a unique ecosystem, combining world-class research hospitals, access to global markets, and proximity to policymakers. 

Across the capital, key centres for life sciences innovation were also identified, with the Camden/Bloomsbury Knowledge Quarter – home to many UCL spinouts – being a leading centre.   

UCLB spinout Autolus Therapeutics is namechecked in the report’s Foreword by MedCity, CEO Dr. Angela Kukula, spotlighting its CAR T therapy. 

The following UCLB spinouts were selected for their groundbreaking science, visionary founding teams, and impressive growth metrics: 

• Autolus: developing next-generation CAR-T cell therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases.  

• MeiraGTx: a clinical-stage genetic medicines company focused on gene therapy for ocular diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and xerostomia.  

• Orchard Therapeutics: specialises in autologous ex vivo hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy for rare genetic disorders.  

• Quell Therapeutics: pioneering engineered regulatory T-cell (Treg) therapies to restore immune balance in autoimmune diseases and transplantation.  

• Glialign: developing Engineered Neural Tissue (EngNT) for peripheral nerve repair  

• Medisieve: creating magnetic blood filtration systems to remove harmful substances. 

• Axovia Therapeutics: develops AAV-based gene therapies for ciliopathies, notably Bardet-Biedl Syndrome, which causes blindness and obesity.  

• Echopoint: advancing fibre-optic sensor technology for cardiovascular diagnostics.  

• Apollo Therapeutics: a collaborative venture between UCL, Cambridge, Imperial, and pharma partners (AZ, GSK, J\&J).  

• EpilepsyGTX: developing gene therapies for focal refractory epilepsy.  

• Spur Tx: leverages proprietary delivery systems to enhance stability and tissue targeting for its pipeline of genetic medicines.  

• ViaNautis: develops nanovesicle-based delivery platforms for genetic medicines.  

London Life Sciences Week is expected to attract more than a thousand investors to over 70 events across the city from 16–21 November.  Its ‘Bench to Business London Showcase’ will spotlight early-stage university spinouts from organisations including UCL as they pitch to a global audience of investors.