Mander leads phoenix from the ashes with reignited Pharmagene brand

Originally founded back in 1996 and returning to its original trading name, the business is said by Mander to have a unique heritage of conducting hundreds of human tissue studies for clients around the world in the three decades since.

Mander has returned to the fray with co-founders Amanda Woodrooffe and Richard Willock to spearhead the venture.

They have bought the business from its previous owners as a going concern. Mander says:  “It has a staff of more than  25 people, well equipped laboratories, an existing client base and a strong reputation within the marketplace for delivering high quality, innovative results from the use of human tissues and human primary cells. 

“At a time when the life science CRO segment has been facing challenges we hope that our news can act as a catalyst for the industry as a whole. One thing we know is that there remains a need for the discovery and development of new therapies to treat patients suffering from ever more complex, debilitating diseases. We intend to, over time, continue to contribute towards this pursuit with our clients.”

Pharmagene specialises in the performance of lab-based research services using consented human tissue across both preclinical and clinical settings. 

Mander added: “We are thrilled to be taking on the business and are grateful to the previous owners for agreeing to sell the business to us. We inherit all the laboratory infrastructure, people and clients alongside all the know-how and expertise within the company. 

“Amanda, Richard and I look forward to working with the life science community to continue to demonstrate the value of human tissue-based research. We are fully committed to supporting our clients with their discovery and translational research projects to develop safe, effective new medicines to treat disease.”

Woodrooffe, co-founder and CSO, added: “Coinciding with the Royston UK scientific team celebrating 30 years of delivering human tissue-based research services to the biopharma industry, I am absolutely delighted that we have this opportunity to take the business forward to its next chapter. 

“During my 25 years here, there have been many exciting technology developments across our industry. We have implemented new and advanced analytical platforms enabling a deep dive into understanding complex disease biology, developed tailored assays to support the emergence of advanced therapeutic modalities and, importantly, seen the broad adoption and impact of human tissue-based research supporting earlier decision making in the discovery and development of novel therapeutics. 

“We apply our knowledge, experience, and innovative methods, maintaining a commitment to continuous learning and development to provide optimal scientific solutions tailored to each project.”

Willock, CBO and co-founder says: “Throughout my time working in drug discovery, the industry’s adoption of in vitro preclinical human data has grown year upon year, and its relevance and value is now ubiquitously accepted across the scientific community. 

“As a pioneer in this field with three decades of experience, Pharmagene is now poised to grow strongly as the partner of choice for companies requiring deep expertise in human tissue-based research. We will continue to invest and innovate, and as an agile specialist CRO provide a uniquely flexible and consultative solution to our clients.”

The team was supported in the transaction by James Lawrence, Corporate Partner at HCR Law, Jo Showan at Moss Solicitors and Sarah Lockhart-White at Whitings.