Latest Lab Talk News in Brief: Awards, seed funding, acquisitions and more…

The award is in recognition of contributions made through the partnership between his firm and the university toward “the realisation of a sustainable society, including decarbonization”. It was conferred at the UCL Fellowship Award ceremony held on September 10, 2026, at the Royal Festival Hall.

HORIBA and UCL signed a partnership agreement in 2021 and last month the university the HORIBA Chair of Advanced Propulsion Technologies, appointing Professor Thomas S. Miller of the UCL Faculty of Engineering as the inaugural post-holder.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has launched EIT STEM Talent, an initiative connecting people across Europe with science, technology, engineering and mathematics education and career opportunities. A €2m call will support the development or expansion of training programmes delivered by education providers, research institutions, NGOs and industry partners. The initiative aims to address skills shortages among European businesses and concerns over students’ proficiency in mathematics and science.

Vetter has received a Red Dot Award in the Design Concept category for V-OVS next, its next-generation syringe closure system. Developed for pharmaceutical and biotech applications, the design incorporates enhancements intended to improve safety, usability and compatibility across syringe formats, including Luer Lock systems.

LabVantage Solutions has been named a Visionary Leader in two 2026 Frost Radar reports covering laboratory information management systems (LIMS) in life sciences and industrial applications. The assessments benchmarked companies on growth and innovation. Frost & Sullivan highlighted LabVantage’s CORTEX agentic AI framework, which is developed separately from the validated LIMS core, allowing AI capabilities to evolve without disrupting regulated operations.

Undecimal Bio, a Cambridge and Tel Aviv-based spin-out from Eleven Therapeutics, has raised US$18m in an oversubscribed seed round to develop its DELiveri platform for targeted delivery of siRNA therapeutics. The platform combines high-throughput screening of candidate molecules with AI analysis to identify conjugates capable of directing RNA medicines into specific cell types. The company is initially targeting renovascular diseases, where existing treatments often address symptoms rather than underlying causes.

Carterra technology has been used to assess AI-designed proteins in research from Google DeepMind published in Nature. The study introduces SynthID Bio, methods for embedding provenance watermarks in AI-generated protein sequences and predicted structures. Working with DeepMind, Adaptyv Bio used Carterra’s high-throughput surface plasmon resonance platform to measure the binding of hundreds of watermarked proteins against three targets: the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain, VEGF-A and PD-L1. The research explores ways to support traceability of AI-designed biomolecules while preserving their function.

Malvern Panalytical has acquired Dimer Instruments, a California-based developer of technologies for biopharmaceutical analysis. The companies had previously worked together, with Malvern Panalytical making a minority investment in Dimer in 2024. Their collaboration has produced the Zetasizer Core, which combines dynamic and static light scattering with differential scanning fluorimetry in a standard microwell plate format. The acquisition adds Dimer’s specialist research and development capabilities to Malvern Panalytical’s existing analytical instrumentation portfolio.

ELRIG and The Protein Society have announced the keynote speakers for Protein Sciences in Drug Discovery 2026, taking place at GSK Stevenage on 10-11 November. Speakers include Professor Dame Carol Robinson of the University of Oxford, Dr Andrew Doré of Isomorphic Labs and Professor Paula Booth of King’s College London. The free event will cover AI and machine learning in protein science, challenging protein targets, biologics developability and quality control, and production of non-standard binding proteins.

ValiRx has launched ValiRx Animal Health, a company focused on developing oncology treatments for companion animals. It intends to apply translational research models and scientific advances from human oncology to veterinary medicine, evaluating potential therapies through partnerships, licensing agreements and collaborative research. The company identifies a shortage of clinical evidence, biomarkers and large-scale treatment datasets as challenges in veterinary cancer care.

Biomapas has acquired Pinnaxis, a pharmacovigilance technology and consulting company specialising in safety-system implementation, data migration, integration, validation, reporting and analytics. The acquisition adds more than 100 technical specialists and expertise across platforms including Veeva Safety Vault, Oracle Argus and ArisGlobal. Pinnaxis will lead Biomapas’ Consulting & Digital business unit, supporting the use of technology, automation and AI across its services. The deal also expands Biomapas’ presence in the US.

Shimadzu Europa has appointed Dr Florian Geistmann as managing director. He succeeded Jürgen Semmler, who retired on 30 September after five years leading the European organisation and almost 40 years with Shimadzu. Geistmann joined the company in 2002 and served as managing director of Shimadzu Germany from 2021, having previously held several positions within the German and European organisations.

Sterling Pharma Solutions has completed a new GMP manufacturing suite at its bioconjugation facility in Deeside, doubling capacity and increasing manufacturing scale to 500 litres. The multi-million-pound investment includes a 1,400ft² Grade C cleanroom and containment systems for handling highly potent compounds. A new 3,400ft² analytical services laboratory adds HPLC and UPLC capacity, alongside equipment for mass spectrometry, particle imaging, protein stability characterisation and cell assay development. The facility supports discovery, development, scale-up and manufacturing of clinical antibody-drug conjugates and other bioconjugates.

Ofichem has agreed to acquire Kinentia Biosciences, a drug substance contract development and manufacturing organisation based in Rensselaer, New York. Completion remains subject to CFIUS approval and other customary conditions. The acquisition would establish an operational presence for Ofichem in the US, complementing its European process development, GMP manufacturing and commercial supply capabilities with Kinentia’s early-stage development expertise and position in the US biotechnology market.

Cares Laboratory, the Barnsley company behind household cleaning brand Vamoosh, has raised more than £27,000 for assistance dog charity Support Dogs. The fundraising supports the training of Mooshie, a sponsored Labrador working towards qualification as an assistance dog for a person with autism or a physical disability. The total is approaching the approximately £29,000 cost of her initial training. Vamoosh also supports the charity through awareness-raising activities and by supplying products used to clean dogs’ bedding and towels.

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer has appointed Marie Manley as a partner and head of life sciences regulatory in London. Her practice covers pharmaceutical and biotech regulation, medical devices, market access, regulatory exclusivity, pricing and reimbursement, product liability, digital health and AI. She also advises on contentious matters, including litigation and judicial review involving regulatory rights and healthcare bodies.

Eppendorf has opened applications for its 2027 Award for Young European Investigators, presented in collaboration with Nature. The €20,000 award recognises biomedical researchers aged 35 or under who hold a PhD and conduct their research in Europe. Eligible areas include molecular, cellular, systems and organismal biology, as well as innovative analytical concepts. Applications close on 15 January 2027. The independent jury will be chaired by Professor Laura Machesky of the University of Cambridge.

CN Bio will hold its free From Insight to Decision e-symposium on 2 and 8 December, focusing on the use of organ-on-a-chip models in drug discovery and development. The programme includes a masterclass on the technology’s fundamentals and application-specific sessions covering model development, ADME/DMPK and toxicology. Presentations, case studies, panel discussions and Q&As will explore how organ-on-a-chip approaches can be integrated into existing research and development workflows.

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has appointed engineer Sam Hubbard as its 156th president. Hubbard has more than 30 years’ experience across paper manufacturing and the nuclear sector and is currently a senior electrical and control engineer at Urenco. Her presidential theme, ‘E²: Everyday Engineers’, will highlight the contribution of engineers and technicians and champion the varied routes into engineering, including apprenticeships.

Professor Chris McConville, chief scientific officer at CRISM Therapeutics and professor of biomedical innovation at Ulster University, has called for the UK’s proposed brain cancer measures to translate into faster clinical trial set-up and greater support for targeted treatments within the NHS. He highlighted the difficulty of delivering systemic therapies across the blood-brain barrier and argued for greater attention to treatments administered locally during surgery to target residual cancer cells. CRISM is conducting a Phase 2 clinical trial of irinotecan-ChemoSeed in patients with surgically resectable glioblastoma at NHS centres in the UK.

Pics:(clockwise, top left) ValiRx, Cares Laboratory, Atsushi Horiba, Marie Manley.