CEO blog: momentum for growth with investment, progressive regulation, rare disease adoption review and a powerful TechBio 2026

Dear colleagues,

This week begins with a strong push from the last one. OMass Therapeutics, Microbiotica and Recursion have all secured major backing, while BIA members deepmirror and Stablepharma have been recognised among TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026.

The MHRA has put its 2030 strategy on the table and the Prime Minister has recognised the importance of adopting rare disease medicines. Our TechBio community packed out Kings Place to drive the use of data and AI across drug discovery and development.

These developments matter because growth comes from connections, a confluence of skills and national support. Ambitious companies are meeting committed capital, and innovators are working with regulators and legislators who understand the prize for patients and our economy. BIA members are making those connections every day and strengthening the UK’s position as a place to start and scale a life sciences company.

There is momentum in our system, and we need to use it not only for scale but to help earlier-stage businesses be growth-ready with the help of our world-class services sector.

This week’s update gets straight to the action: what major financings for OMass, Microbiotica and Recursion say about national and international investor confidence, and how BIA members are earning global recognition for inventions that can transform drug discovery and vaccine delivery. Then how the MHRA can turn our ambition into delivery including where rare disease regulation must move faster. I also look back at the infectious energy of TechBio UK and flag how members stay involved at the heart of our mission – including our 2026 Annual General Meeting, happening tomorrow.

In this update:

• BIA members secure major investment for growth
• BIA members named among TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026
• MHRA sets a pro-innovation course to 2030
• Rare disease medicines review must drive faster access
• Party conference season wrap-up
• TechBio UK turns data and AI ambition into action
• TechBio Boost 2027 opens for applications
• Members connect through the BIA AGM

BIA members secure major investment to fuel growth

OMass Therapeutics has secured an oversubscribed $310 million (£230 million) Series C financing round. It’s a big result for the company and a clear vote of confidence in its lead program. The round was strongly supported by its existing UK investors and attracted a cadre of experience international funds, who see the world class value of UK based biotech. It’s another totemic example of the wealth of UK science starting and then scaling here.

Microbiotica has announced the first close of a £36 million ($48 million) Series C financing, led by the British Business Bank with support from UK and international investors. The funding will take its precision microbiome medicine MB310 into Phase 2 development for ulcerative colitis, building on positive Phase 1b results. This is a positive signal of much-needed capital irrigating UK life sciences through the critical next stage of clinical development.

Recursion has also secured a £150 million underwritten offering from leading healthcare and institutional investors. The financing comes alongside clinical progress across its AI-enabled pipeline. It shows the scale of capital available when differentiated science, strong data and a powerful technology platform come together.

These investments span precision microbiome medicines, AI-enabled drug discovery and established UK biotech innovation. I am buoyed by this momentum – keep an eye out for our Q3 financing report coming out next Monday 26 October.

BIA members named among TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026

It is also brilliant to see BIA members recognised in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2026. deepmirror’s Drug Design for Global Health platform, developed with Medicines for Malaria Venture, was named in the Social Impact category. It gives scientists around the world free access to AI that proposes promising compounds, learns from researcher-submitted lab results and cuts costly rounds of trial and error.

Stablepharma’s SPVX02 was recognised in the Medical and Healthcare category. Its tetanus-diphtheria vaccine candidate is designed to remain stable at room temperature and resist freezing, reducing dependence on the cold chain.

Both inventions show what BIA members do so well: pair excellent science with practical solutions to urgent global challenges. Congratulations to both teams on well-deserved recognition.

MHRA Strategy to 2030 backs faster, more predictable regulation

The MHRA has launched its Strategy to 2030 under the mission ‘Health and prosperity for all, through scientific excellence’. BIA colleagues and members were at the launch, where Chief Executive Lawrence Tallon set out the vision of a regulator ready to back health innovation and UK growth. That intent now needs to show up in delivery.

The strategy promises faster, more predictable decisions and earlier advice for innovators. It also raises the ambition on regulatory science and international cooperation, including a planned US office working closely with the FDA. This is the direction companies need. The next test is the pace of delivery.

For BIA members, the proposed framework for AI and MedTech will be a key measure of progress. The focus on rare disease is welcome too. Done well, it can give innovative medicines a clearer route through the UK system and strengthen our global competitiveness.

Health Innovation Minister James Frith called for a pro-industry regulator that backs innovators and helps the UK shape global standards. We agree. BIA will press for an operating environment where companies can plan with confidence and get new technologies to patients quickly.

We fully support the ambition to "make the UK a better place to run clinical trials in the UK, giving patients more opportunities to access promising new treatments”. This review should propel the UK into being a better place to run clinical trials across a wide range of urgent disease areas where there is no cure and limited treatment available. That said, we believe the evidence is here today. 

Through our Rare Disease industry Group, we are campaigning to improve access to new medicines. Our Innovation to Impact report sets out a solution for unlocking patient access to innovative medicines for rare diseases. It’s time to use rare diseases to boldly address barriers to system adoption and help patients and their families who desperately need them.

Rare disease medicines review could accelerate access for patients

BIA welcomes the Prime Minister’s commitment to accelerating the path for research to treatment for people living with brain cancer. Within the announcement he has asked the MHRA to complete its review of the rules for medicines that treat rare conditions in two years rather than three. However, it is important to note this only applies to rare cancers. 

We support fully the ambition to “work with researchers and industry to make the UK a better place to run clinical trials in the UK, giving patients more opportunities to access promising new treatments”. We hope this review can help propel the case for the UK being a better place to run clinical trials across a range of urgent disease areas where there is no cure and limited treatment available. It’s vital more is done to connect patients with clinical trials and ensure access to innovative medicines.

We are encouraged to see an expert review commissioned to address stagnation and shape a plan to get new treatments out of the lab and to patients faster. However, we would argue the evidence is already there. 

Through its Rare Disease Industry Group, BIA campaigns to improve access to new medicines in the NHS and works with government, MHRA, NICE, NHS England, patient organisations and other stakeholders to support sustainable patient access to innovative new medicines. 

Our Innovation to Impact report sets out a clear framework for unlocking patient access to innovative medicines for rare diseases, including the appointment of a national clinical director for rare diseases and, importantly, revising the framework for recognising the broader societal impact of rare diseases and the long term value of innovative medicines to treat them.

Several recent excellent initiatives have driven new thinking in rare disease policy and the issues are understood. It’s time to address these barriers to access and uptake of innovation and get innovative treatments to patients who desperately need them.

Party conference season 2026 wrap-up

Dr Martin Turner, our Director of Policy and External Affairs, attended the Scottish National Party’s annual conference last week. How to improve healthcare and economic growth in Scotland was very much on the agenda.

Members can get insights from this conference as well as from the Green and Conservative conferences in today’s member-exclusive blog.

TechBio UK 2026 highlights the power of data and AI in life sciences

TechBio UK brought a packed and energetic community to Kings Place in London. The focus was practical: how we use data and technology to make better decisions in life sciences and move discovery forward.

The room had real energy and a clear appetite to collaborate across the legacy gap between tech and traditional biotech. Throughout the programme, speakers showed how better use of data can open new routes in drug discovery and into development. The UK has deep capability here. Our job is to turn it into growth.

Philippe Marc, Chief of Staff and Head of the Data & Digital Office at Novartis, closed the conference with a bold challenge: use AI to help cure disease. Scientific data is growing fast, and AI systems are becoming better at interpreting it. The opportunity is real.

Thank you to our event supporters: AstraZeneca, CWG, Cooley LLP, ForrestBrown Limited, HSBC Innovation Banking, Johnson & Johnson, Kadans Science Partner, LifeArc, Nxera Pharma, Osborne Clarke and IXICO.

TechBio Boost 2027 applications are open

A reminder that applications are now open for TechBio Boost 2027, run by BIA and KQ Labs for Seed and Series A companies across the UK. The selected cohort will join a proven community with access to mentorship and specialist expertise. If your company is ready to scale, get involved.

BIA Annual General Meeting 2026

Finally, our 2026 Annual General Meeting takes place virtually 4:30pm-5:15pm on Tuesday 20 October. It is an important moment in the BIA calendar and a direct opportunity for members to engage with the association’s governance and direction. Please join us.

Congratulations again to OMass, and thank you to everyone who made TechBio UK such a strong day. Confidence is building across the sector. Now we need to turn that confidence into investment and impact.