UCLPartners delighted to support UK’s first precision medicine accelerator

UCLPartners is delighted to support the launch today by Barclays and UCL of the UK’s first precision medicine accelerator, the P4 Precision Medicine programme, an incubator for start-ups specialising in disease treatment and prevention.

UCL is a member of UCLPartners, one of the largest academic health science partnerships in the world, which is committed to driving innovation in healthcare by nurturing the most promising early research discoveries and data science applications. UCLPartners is supporting companies on the P4 Precision Medicine programme to build their business case for eventual uptake by the healthcare system.

The P4 Precision Medicine programme supports the development of treatments that take into account an individual’s genes, environment and lifestyle, by boosting the growth of healthcare start-ups.

The launch of the programme is part of a wider partnership between Barclays and UCL to support innovation in the healthcare industry.

The first cohort will see 12 of the world’s best precision medicine start-ups complete a six-month programme bringing together industry, healthcare and academia for the first time to create a new ecosystem dedicated to preventative, precise and personalised medicine for all.

Phil Beales, Professor of Medical Genetics at UCL said: “Precision medicine is a new paradigm for disease treatment and prevention that considers an individual’s variability in genes, environment and lifestyle. It is transforming how all patients are being treated. For precision medicine to become the norm, actors from the healthcare, industry and academic sectors must work together to find new solutions.

“This is why partnering with Barclays is such an exciting opportunity in which the best academic and business minds can work together with entrepreneurs to create a new ecosystem where ideas are exchanged and nurtured rather than the typical one-directional information flow common to most accelerators.”

The launch of the P4 Precision Medicine Programme is part of a wider partnership between Barclays and UCL. Future plans include opening a ‘medtech’ Eagle Lab; this would be a co-working collaboration and incubator space dedicated to bringing together medtech start-ups, key industry players and experts to accelerate the exchange of ideas, funding and talent in the growing sector.

Jon Hope, Director of Eagle Labs at Barclays said: “The healthcare sector is ripe for disruption and there is a strong drive to innovate and evolve across the entire supply chain. To help support this growing industry, we’re excited to launch a precision medicine accelerator with UCL.

“By connecting healthtech start-ups to industry experts, ideas and funding, and equipping individuals and businesses with the skills they need to harness new and emerging technology in healthcare, we can play our part in ensuring these ambitious entrepreneurs will be in the best position to succeed.”

The precision medicine approach contrasts with traditional disease treatment and prevention strategies that are developed for the average person with little scope for individual differences to be considered.

Eagle Lab will be based in London, and as well as acting as a central entrepreneurial hub, it will provide residents access to world-class researchers and healthcare partners from UCL paired with on-site business mentors from Barclays and entrepreneurship expertise from Capital Enterprise.

The initiative is led jointly at UCL by the School of Life and Medical Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering.

The announcement of the precision medicine accelerator follows the creation of Barclays Ventures in 2018. This new business unit has an independent mandate to grow the Eagle Labs network, as well as deliver new customer experiences at pace and scale, driving growth for communities, business and Barclays.

Notes to Editors

For more information or to speak to the researchers involved, please contact

Kate Corry, UCL Media Relations. T: +44 (0)20 3108 6995, E: k.corry@ucl.ac.uk

About UCL

UCL was founded in 1826. We were the first English university established after Oxford and Cambridge, the first to open up university education to those previously excluded from it, and the first to provide systematic teaching of law, architecture and medicine.

We are among the world’s top universities, as reflected by performance in a range of international rankings and tables, and are committed to changing the world for the better.

Our community of over 41,500 students from 150 countries and over 12,500 staff pursues academic excellence, breaks boundaries and makes a positive impact on real world problems.

www.ucl.ac.uk | Follow us on Twitter @uclnews | Watch our YouTube channel YouTube.com/UCLTV

About UCLPartners

As one of the world’s largest academic health science partnerships, we bring together world-leading research centres, NHS organisations, industry and others to harness research and innovation for excellent patient care and a healthier population.

About Eagle Labs

Eagle Labs are Barclays spaces to help entrepreneurs and ambitious businesses collaborate, innovate and grow. Eagle Labs aim to cultivate a community of likeminded entrepreneurs and provide them access to a collaborative environment, peer networks, and opportunities to maximise growth.

Eagle Labs also offer support to established larger organisations, developing programmes to help corporates create an entrepreneurial culture by introducing innovative practices and encouraging intrapreneurship.

With 23 Eagle Labs across the country and more in the pipeline, the focus is to help accelerate UK scale-ups, promote collaborative innovation across the entire ecosystem and enable access to, and training on, new and emerging technologies such as AI, blockchain, 3D-printing and the Internet of Things which make up ‘Industry 4.0’ – the fourth industrial revolution.

For further information about Barclays Eagle Labs, please visit our website labs.uk.barclays.

Barclays opened its first two industry-focussed centres of excellence, the Lawtech Eagle Lab in partnership with the Law Society and Cranfield Eagle Lab for aviation technology, in 2018 and has a history of supporting the healthcare sector. As the winner of more HealthInvestor awards than any other financial provider, Barclays’ industry expertise has helped health and social care businesses large and small across the UK.

Barclays also offers medtech prototyping facilities at its Salford Eagle Lab, in addition to supporting the launch of the DRIVE innovation unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital last year.

Barclays opened its first two industry-focussed centres of excellence, the Lawtech Eagle Lab in partnership with the Law Society and Cranfield Eagle Lab for aviation technology, in 2018 and has a history of supporting the healthcare sector. As the winner of more HealthInvestor awards than any other financial provider, Barclays’ industry expertise has helped health and social care businesses large and small across the UK.

Barclays also offers medtech prototyping facilities at its Salford Eagle Lab, in addition to supporting the launch of the DRIVE innovation unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital last year.

About Barclays

Barclays is a transatlantic consumer and wholesale bank with global reach, offering products and services across personal, corporate and investment banking, credit cards and wealth management, with a strong presence in our two home markets of the UK and the US.

With over 325 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 40 countries and employs approximately 82,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide.

For further information about Barclays, please visit our website www.home.barclays.