'Landmark' £1billion deal signed to turbocharge UK life sciences sector

A "landmark" investment of up to £1billion in the British life sciences sector will turbocharge drug discovery and research into mRNA , the Science Secretary has announced. German Covid vaccine pioneer BioNTech has committed to a 10-year deal, which will be accompanied by £129 million of Government investment. The cash will be used to launch two major research hubs in London and Cambridge, creating more than 400 jobs.

Writing for the Express, Science Secretary Peter Kyle says the historic investment will pave the way for new medical advances against some of the biggest health killers to "give families more precious time together".
He adds: "This is something the UK is genuinely good at. Nowhere else has the winning combination of science expertise, top-class universities and cutting-edge businesses in such a small geographic area that we do."

BioNTech played a key role in ending the Covid pandemic by developing a vaccine alongside Pfizer that was rolled out to millions of people.

It is now building on the lessons learned to create cancer vaccines, and has an existing partnership with the UK which will see up to 10,000 patients receive personalised cancer immunotherapies by 2030.

The fresh investment will be used to open an R&D centre in Cambridge to accelerate work on mRNA vaccines to fight and other diseases.

A second hub in London, based at BioNTech's planned UK headquarters, will focus on harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to speed up drug discovery.

Mr Kyle said the deal would support vital research to discover and develop new therapies, diagnostics and treatments.

He added: "This investment will propel the growth-driving life sciences sector to new heights, delivering cutting-edge facilities, building careers in the future-facing jobs we want our children to have, and ultimately unlocking progress in medical science that could save lives."

Chancellor Rachel Reeves, said the investment was "testament to confidence in Britain being one of the world's top investment destinations and a global hub for life sciences".

Uur ahin, chief executive and co-founder of BioNTech, said: "This agreement marks the next chapter of our successful strategic partnership with the UK Government.

"Together, we have already made a meaningful difference in expanding access to investigational personalised cancer therapies for patients.

"Now, we are taking the next step to accelerate and broaden our research and development efforts advancing towards our vision to translate science into survival for patients."

The landmark investment I am announcing today shows Government and the private sector at their absolute best: working together with single purpose, and unlocking the scientific possibility that we have as a country to make a difference to people suffering from a host of diseases, particularly cancer.

My family is one of the countless number across the country to have cancer cut through our lives. I lost my mum to lung cancer - and her absence leaves a hole that can never be filled.

We owe it to the 400,000 Brits who are diagnosed with cancer, every year, to do everything we possibly can to tackle this disease. That is why the £1 billion investment from BioNTech, supported by Government funding, is so important.

New medical advances, like mRNA jabs which train the body to fight disease itself, can take the fight to diseases like cancer and others besides, and give families more precious time together.

This isn't science fiction. We are trialling these treatments on the NHS, right now, and by 2030 we are aiming for as many as 10,000 patients to have benefitted from them.

The deal with BioNTech will build on this amazing work, enabling more medical breakthroughs like these being researched, developed, and potentially rolled out here in the UK, helping us to tackle a range of serious diseases.

This is something the UK is genuinely good at. Nowhere else has the winning combination of science expertise, top-class universities and cutting-edge businesses in such a small geographic area that we do.

Deals like this show what is possible when we get that entire system working together, which makes for more jobs, more investment, and new medical breakthroughs that can save lives. This is what this Government's Plan for Change is all about.