WHO? Professor Tuomas Knowles, world-leading expert on proteins and founder of five spinout companies, all of which apply breakthroughs in protein science to real-world problems.
WHAT?Xampla is replacing the most polluting plastics with plant-based materials; Transition Bio applies fundamental biology to drug discovery; Ride Therapeuticsdevelops solutions for organ-specific gene delivery;WaveBreak Therapeutics (formerly Wren Therapeutics) develops treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and Fluidic Sciences (formerly Fluidic Analytics) creates tools to help scientists understand how proteins interact.
WHY? "To solve some of the fundamental problems we face today in both human and planetary health."
What set you off on the commercialisation path? I've always been interested in research which address key societal issues. We've found there are two ways to do this: the first is to work with established companies and we've got some exciting collaborations with industry partners, including many of the leading pharma companies.
We really like working in that way: we bring something and they bring something and together we move forward.
Sometimes, particularly when you are dealing with fundamentally new technologies, the work we carry out at the University is not yet at a stage where industry partners can engage with it directly.
Do you enjoy the process of founding companies? Definitely. Starting a company is a particularly exciting activity. Obviously, the science and technology aspects are fascinating but so are the people. It's fantastic to try to assemble a team not just of scientists but also of people who understand the business side of things.
You are now on your fifth company. Is there anything you wished you'd known when embarking on the first? Only that the advice you get given is mostly true. At the end of the day, it's all about getting the right people on board.
It's so much fun when you are working with people who are absolutely at the top of their game. It would also be good to know that it’s very time consuming and does slightly end up taking over your life – but it is fun!