Newcastle firm LightOx gets £1.5m investment to develop cancer treatment

A life sciences firm in Newcastle has secured £1.5m investment to help develop a new treatment for patients suffering from early stage oral cancer.

LightOx, which is based in Newcastle city centre, has secured the funding from the GMC Life Sciences Fund – a fund managed by Praetura Ventures and made up of Bruntwood SciTech, Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership and Greater Manchester Combined Authority – as well as existing investors including Newcastle’s Northstar Ventures.

The investment will be used to help the company develop an oral gel that is activated by a light device to targets a serious pre-cancerous condition called oral epithelial dysplasia (OED). LightOx, which has been developed with expertise from Newcastle and Durham universities, is also planning to add an office in Manchester and launch the next phase of its clinical trials in the North West.

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The company was founded by Prof Carrie Ambler and Dr Sam Whitehouse, with the aim of developing a treatment that will replace painful and highly invasive surgery or radiotherapy, which are commonly used on patients. It is also exploring other uses of its technology within healthcare, including bacterial infections and wound care.

Prof Ambler, chief ecientific officer at LightOx, said: “The new investment from the GMC Life Sciences Fund managed by Praetura and Northstar Ventures will enable us to finalise the pre-clinical data package over the next 12 months needed for us to advance our lead drug into clinical trials. We are thrilled to have new investment partners to support LightOx during this exciting phase of our drug programme.”

Sim Singh-Landa, investment director at Praetura Ventures and Head of the GMC Life Sciences by Praetura, said: “The research and clinical tests the LightOx team are doing now could save and improve countless lives in the future as well as alleviate pressure on the NHS by treating OED at a much earlier stage. The Praetura team are looking forward to supporting LightOx as it enters this next phase of growth and clinical testing. Likewise, we are delighted that the business will be increasing its presence in Manchester and the North West, where there is a wealth of life sciences expertise.”

Alex Buchan, investment director at Northstar Ventures, said: “With oral cancer currently being ranked as the sixth most common, we see this as a really exciting new therapeutic. Northstar are very pleased to support LightOx in the vital work they are doing.”