We are delighted to announce the winners of the One Nucleus Boston Bootcamp 2025, a competition aimed at supporting One Nucleus members looking to engage with the Massachusetts Life Science ecosystem.
Following the huge success of its inaugural year in 2024, the Bootcamp established itself as a key initiative for UK Life Science companies looking to expand into the US market - often a crucial step for securing investment, collaborations, or clients. A key factor in its’ success has been the unique structure of the programme, a small, select group of winners travelling together, attending sessions as a cohort, and networking opportunities with key US contacts. This shared experience creates long-term connections that continue well beyond the Bootcamp itself. The initiative not only provides direct valuable support to the participants, but also the dissemination of post-trip insights ensures benefits to the wider membership and network for breadth of impact.
This year we received applications from a diverse and exciting group of drug discovery companies, ranging from those advancing their own product pipelines to those with innovative platforms designed to enhance the R&D efforts of the industry. Following an online presentation session, our esteemed panel of judges, supplemented by sponsors and valued UK and US contacts, selected the final winners. Judges noted the incredibly high quality of applicants and remarked on the strength of UK Life Sciences on display, making the selection process particularly tough to score.
One Nucleus would like to thank all applicants, the judging panel, and sponsors for their contributions.
Opportunities for all applicants
While only four applicants were selected to travel to Boston, all applicants will still have the opportunity to benefit from the Bootcamp initiative, including access to the preparatory sessions covering key topics (as outlined below). All applicants will also be invited to connect with Bootcamp sponsors and key US contacts, helping them to refine their strategies and prepare for future opportunities.
What’s next for the winners?
The winners will be embarking on an exciting trip out to Boston, benefiting from access to key US contacts and gaining valuable insights into navigating the MA ecosystem, best operational practices, raising investment, non-dilutive funding sources, and R&D collaborations. A series of preparatory sessions will help the winners to refine their needs and knowledge gaps in each of these areas, to make the most out of their time in Boston.
Programme in Boston
Additionally, the winners will receive significant profile as part of One Nucleus activities, including the One Nucleus Annual Awards Dinner on 27 March 2025 and ON Helix on 3 July 2025.
Meet the 2025 Winning Cohort!
Metrion Biosciences
An established leader in preclinical drug discovery. Metrion Biosciences specialises in ion channel screening, cardiac safety and neuroscience assays. Ion channels are key drug targets as they are involved in a broad range of physiological and pathological processes. Metrion has a proven track record of supporting global drug discovery programmes to advance research in essential therapeutic areas, including rare diseases, pain and neurodegenerative diseases.
PharmaEnable Therapeutics
An emerging innovator in AI-driven drug discovery, PharmEnable leverages AI to develop small molecule drugs with biologic-like specificity, targeting cancer and neurological conditions. Unlike traditional small molecule drug discovery, their approach focuses on efficiently exploring and mapping the possible chemical space by designing novel small molecules that are nature-inspired, 3D chemical structures and have the potential to unlock previously undruggable targets.
RNAvate
An AI-powered RNA therapeutics start-up developing next-generation, stable RNA molecules. RNA-based medicines hold enormous potential, as demonstrated during the Covid-19 response, and the field is now expanding into treatments for a variety of other diseases, including cancer. RNAvate was established in 2023, the science arising out of Nobel Laureate Sir Venki Ramakrishnan’s labs at the UKRI Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge UK.
Tailor Bio
A Cambridge University spin-out, Tailor Bio is pioneering the use of AI/ML to identify cancers with Chromosomal Instability (CIN); a feature found in over 80% of solid tumours yet often overlooked in treatment strategies. By developing targeted therapies for CIN-driven cancers, Tailor Bio is set to create a new approach to precision oncology and improve patient care in the most challenging cancer types.