The Babraham Research Campus – Supporting the UK Bioscience Industry

The Babraham Research Campus – supporting the UK bioscience industry The Babraham Research Campus, near Cambridge, UK, provides around 115,000 square foot of Campus growth laboratory and office space or early-stage bioscience companies alongside the world-renowned Since it was founded in 1998 the Campus has expanded from Babraham Institute. The aim of the Campus, which was established in 1998, is to support 15,000 sq ft to more than 115,000 sq ft by 2014 new bioscience companies and catalyse the commercial exploitation of biomedical research. Companies on the site have access to research facilities, infrastructure and support services, as well Campus buildings have been 85% to 100% occupied since the Campus opened (lettable floor space in square eet, based on when buildings were officially opened) as being in close proximity to the scientific expertise at the Bab aham Institute and elsewhere in the Cambridge area. The Campus is managed by Babraham Bioscience Technologies Ltd (BBT), which oversees the 1998 2006 2007 2010 2012 2013 2014 administration and development of the site. This case study shows how the Campus has developed since the bioincubator was established in 1998, and how three companies currently based on the Campus are benefitting rom the facilities The Babraham Research Campus in 2014. it offers. Image: The Babraham Institute 1998 2006 2009 2011 2012 Bennett adds 20,000 sq ft (115,000 sq ft total) 1998 2006 2009 2011 2012 The Babraham bioincubator is The Minerva building is officially Bioinformatics company Eagle BBSRC sets out its strategy to The bioincubator building Moneta established. It aims to provide opened by Mr Phil Willis MP, Genomics moves to the Babraham support innovation through the is officially opened y the Minister laboratory and office space, services Chairman of the House of Commons Research Campus (see company research and innovation campuses for Universities and Science, David and expertise to new biomedical Science and Technology Select profile). associated with strategically funded Willetts12. start-up companies1. Committee. At the time, Minerva institutes. The initial focus is the housed four companies: Cambridge BBT announce plans for a new Babraham Research Campus and 2013 adds 14,500 sq ft Jonas Webb (95,500 sq ft total) 2001 Biotechnology Ltd, NovaThera Ltd, bioincubator building, Maia. Norwich Research Park. The Jonas Webb building – a new The bioincubator is fully occupied Stem Cell Sciences plc, and Cyclacel5. Construction is scheduled to begin follow-on laboratory (chemistry) by tenant companies. The in early 2010. Maia is fully let before BBSRC receives £44M for investment building - is opened by Minister bioincubation facilities are extended 2007 completion8. at the Babraham Research Campus. for Universities and Science David adds 17,500 sq ft Moneta (85,000 sq ft total) with the Building 200 series2. The second new bioincubator This includes a fifth bioincubato Willetts. 50% of the space in the building, Meditrina, is completed. It 2010 building, Moneta, two follow-on Jonas Webb building is let before 2002 is fully occupied within six months6. The Maia building is officially buildings (one chemistry, Jonas completion13. BBT are granted planning permission opened by Dr Julian Huppert MP9. Webb, one biology, Bennett Building) Maia adds 8,500 sq ft (70,000 sq ft total) for two further bioincubator Her Excellency Madame Fu Ying, for companies seeking increased 2014 buildings3. Ambassador of the People’s Republic Wellcome Trust spinout company space and to remain for longer on The Babraham Research Campus of China, officially opens the Kymab Ltd joins the Campus the campus, a new Central Scientifi now has 51 companies on site, Meditrina adds 20,000 sq ft 2004 Meditrina building7. (see company profile). Services Building 580, improvements occupying 99% of the lettable Construction begins on ‘Minerva’, to infrastructure including roads space14, and more than 95 the first new bioincubator building at XiangCam TCM Research Centre and utilities and a new composting companies have benefit ed from Babraham. (XiangCam), a collaboration facility10. the Campus since it opened. The between Chinese enterprise and Campus now provides around The bioincubation facilities on the academic institutions in China Construction of the Moneta building 95,500 square feet of serviced adds 20,000 sq ft Minerva Campus now house 21 companies4. and the UK, is the 50th biomedical begins. It is just over 50% let before facilities to support new bioventures, company to occupy the Babraham completion11. and continues to expand. BBT take possession of the Minerva Research Campus, as well as the first Around 15,000 sq ft (Building 405/6) building. international company on the site7. Pharmaceuticals company Mission The new Bennett Building is 88% Therapeutics Ltd moves into the let by early 2014. It is due to be 2005 newly-completed Moneta building completed in late 2014 to provide 1998 2006 2007 2010 2012 2013 2014 The first enants move into Minerva. (see company profile). a further 20,000 sq ft of lettable laboratory and office space 1 Kymab Ltd ymab Ltd1 joined the Babraham Research Campus in 2010. The company’s Kymouse technology is transforming the discovery and development of fully human monoclonal antibody therapeutics and Kymab Ltd is a spinout company, founded in vaccines2. Both The Wellcome Trust and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — two of the world’s 2009, from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute K in Cambridge. The company received £20M Series largest healthcare foundations — have invested over $70 million to enable the company to create a world- class pipeline of fully human monoclonal antibodies and vaccines. A equity financing from the Wellcome Trust investment division in 2010. It is based in the Kymab’s drug discovery pipeline is focused on the Research Campus, taking advantage of the critical mass Meditrina building on the Babraham Research therapeutic areas of immune-oncology and immunology. of internationally-renowned basic research and industry Campus and, in early 2014, had 42 employees. It collaborates with others to exploit its discovery and expertise in the area south of Cambridge. development capability and fuel the drug discovery pipelines of large pharmaceutical companies. The company Cambridge has become a major hub for monoclonal also has an academic access programme to collaborate with antibody technology and expertise that has encouraged leading experts interested in translating research from the several small companies working in this field to mo e to the bench to the clinic. Babraham Research Campus. Alongside Kymab, the campus REFERENCES also hosts Bicycle Therapeutics, Crescendo Biologics, Recombinant Antibody Technologies, and antibody 1 Kymab Ltd: http://www.kymab.com/ manufacturer Alpha Biologics5. 2 Kymouse technology: [Reference/webpage no longer available – August 2016] The methods to produce monoclonal antibodies were firs 3 Kmab Access: [Reference/webpage no longer available – August 2016] developed at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge in the 1970s4. Further work at the MRC-LMB and 4 ‘New antibody specialist moves into Babraham’. Cambridge News. the Babraham Institute developed and refined the echniques required to produce human monoclonal antibodies. Health data 5 ‘Therapeutic antibodies and the LMB’. Available online: Image: fotolia Monoclonal antibodies are one of the best-selling classes of drugs, largely because they work well and are generally 6 Press release ‘Babraham Bioscience Technologies celebrates the opening of an additional Bioincubator Building’ Kymab is the first company to spin out rom research at The quite safe. They are biological drugs which bind to specifi Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute near Hinxton in Cambridge. target molecules involved in the mechanisms that lead to The company chose the Babraham Research Campus to base disease. The antibody targets can be on the surface of cells 7 See, for instance, the list at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_monoclonal_antibodies its operations as the Campus provides high-quality research associated with disease, which can direct the immune system laboratories as well as the flexible apacity and services the to eliminate the diseased cell, or block the function of the company needs for its rapid growth3. Their location on the disease target molecule. Monoclonal antibodies are being Campus also allows Kymab to take advantage of Babraham’s used to treat a range of diseases including cancers and well-regarded animal welfare and ethical review process, autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis6. ‘Fully overseen by researchers at the Babraham Institute. It also human’ monoclonal antibodies, such as those produced by enables Kymab to continue its close association with the Kymab, are designed to improve safety and effectiveness by Sanger Institute, which is only fi e miles from the Babraham avoiding unintended immune responses in patients. 2 Eagle Genomics Ltd ased on the Babraham Research Campus since early 2009, the bioinformatics company Eagle Genomics1 delivers products and services to answer the challenges associated with large-scale ‘omics’ Established in 2008, Eagle moved to the Babraham data and its application to real-world problems. Blending science, technology, industry and informatics, Research Campus in 2009, occupying a small office B that could accommodate five people. Since then Eagle works side-by-side with customers, using its expertise to address key challenges

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