YELLOWSTONE BIOSCIENCES LAUNCHES AT ARC OXFORD
New oncology spin-out, Yellowstone Biosciences launches at ARC Oxford with £16.5 million, to pioneer soluble bispecific TCR-based therapies for cancer.
Yellowstone Biosciences was spun out of the University of Oxford, in June 2024 with support from Oxford University Innovation (OUI) and will see the newly formed company taking over 8,000 sq. ft of fully fitted CL2 lab and office space at ARC Oxford.
The company was formed around the pioneering research of Professor Paresh Vyas, a world-renowned scientific academic, and practising clinician with a specialist focus on acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Securing £16.5 million in Series A funding from lead investor Syncona Limited, Yellowstone will progress operational build, lead programme and potential pipeline expansion from their new ARC Oxford headquarters.
Yellowstone Biosciences will join over 35 science and tech organisations at ARC Oxford including Oxford Biomedica (which manufactured the AstraZeneca covid vaccine), MiroBio (which is developing antibody drugs for autoimmune disorders), and OMass Therapeutics (which is identifying new medicines against highly validated but inadequately drugged targets).
David Williams, Senior Director of Leasing at ARC, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Yellowstone Biosciences to our thriving life sciences cluster at our ARC Oxford Campus.
Given the rapid pace of growth of research-intensive businesses in Oxford and spinouts from Oxford’s universities, it’s crucial that we deliver a consistent, diverse and flexible supply of laboratory and technical space, to support both established companies and those in their infancy. Yellowstone’s move to ARC Oxford into a fully fitted lab and office space at Series A is a remarkable achievement and is testament to our commitment of ensuring Oxford remains a thriving hub of innovation.
We look forward to supporting Yellowstone Biosciences on their exciting growth journey as they develop ground breaking therapies to treat cancer and transform patients’ lives.”
Professor Paresh Vyas, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Yellowstone, said: “Frequently expressed antigens that can be targeted therapeutically are notoriously difficult to find but, through two decades of research, we have identified a new class of targets that have potential to treat cancer and extend patient’s lives. We believe that our technology has the potential to selectively kill tumour cells, whilst sparing healthy cells, in a range of cancers.”
Dr Benedicte Menn, Senior Investment Manager, Oxford University Innovation, said: “With ambition to become a world class UK company, Yellowstone is our latest spinout from the University of Oxford. The company has potential to treat and extend the life of patients with different forms of cancer, starting with acute myeloid leukaemia. We’re delighted that Yellowstone and Syncona are partnering on this launch and look forward to tracking the progress of the pipeline.”
ARC Oxford is a vibrant science and innovation campus. With ambitious growth plans the current 514,000 sq. ft Oxford City space will nearly double in size as new laboratories, cleanrooms, offices and cutting-edge R&D facilities are built at the campus. With available technical space from 1700 sq. ft available through the conversion of existing buildings we’re also adding to the campus with new developments. The first phase was announced in May this year as the new 105,000 sq. ft lab ready development Ascent gained planning permission and will be operation in early 2026. Ascent has been designed to accelerate innovation and once operational is estimated to create approximately 500 jobs and contribute £38 million GVA to the economy annually.
To see available lab space at ARC Oxford, head to our Property page.
