What is biotech?

The UK Bioindustry delivers ground-breaking treatments to patients. The aim of the biotech companies in our membership is to create novel therapies and diagnostics that will help treat and manage conditions to enable people to lead normal lives.

From investing in and carrying out research and development, to getting drugs from the lab and into patients, UK bioscience plays a central role in developing the treatments needed for future generations here and around the globe.

There is great depth and breadth in UK biotechnology:

• A strong and emerging regenerative medicine and cell therapy sector
• Specialist biomanufacturing companies developing therapies for cancer treatment
• Personalised treatments and new antimicrobials
• Advances in interdisciplinary technologies such as engineering biology are impacting upon the development of new types of therapeutics and new production methods
• A strong and growing interface between biology and technology is thriving in the UK, alongside the talent to take it forward – embracing AI, genomics & data, and a throng of new collaborators in the space

UK bioscience is not only changing lives, but saving them. It is vital that the sector continues to get the support it needs to keep this essential research and development going, now and in the future. To find out how BIA companies are making a difference to patients’ lives you can watch the videos below and on the right-hand side of the page. 

Celebrating UK Bioscience | Benevolent AI and Parkinson's UK It's been 50 years since a new treatment for Parkinson's has been discovered. Current treatments focus on treating the motor symptoms of Parkinson's, and come with a whole host of often debilitating side effects. This video forms part of a BIA campaign called Celebrating UK Bioscience, and explores a project between BIA Charity of the year 2018, Parkinson's UK, and BIA member Benevolent AI. Harnessing the power of AI, they hope to identify new targets for drugs, and molecules which may have failed in their particular indication of study, but could be repurposed to help fight Parkinson's.

The infographic below gives a brief outline of the drug discovery process.