Patients to benefit as The BioHub attracts its first tenants

By August 12, 2014News

Patients needing dental implants or joint replacements could have fewer post-operation infections, meaning fewer would require repeat surgery, as a result of new technology coming to Birmingham. NanoTi, a Hungarian start-up company specialising in surface treatment for titanium dental and orthopaedic implants to combat infection, has been announced as the first organisation to reserve space in The BioHub – a brand new biomedical facility under construction at Birmingham Research Park in Edgbaston.

In the past 10 years the incidence of bone implant related infections has increased rapidly, especially in the case of dental implants. At the same time, the prevailing treatment – antibiotics – has lost effectiveness due to the increasing resistance of bacteria. Using an innovative proprietary electrochemical process, the NanoTi technology enables implant manufacturers to change the surface of titanium implants in a way that reduces the risk of post-operative infection. Implant manufacturers can either retrofit NanoTi equipment to their production lines or buy the surface treatment services directly from NanoTi.

Having secured funding to expand their growing business, NanoTi founders Miklós Weszl and Krisztian Toth, set about looking for premises at which to locate their UK office, and initially took up a Virtual Tenancy at Birmingham Research Park. The new building then became the focus of their attention. “The location of The Biomedical Innovation Hub at Birmingham Research Park provides an extraordinary environment for the growth of life science start-ups, such as ours, by helping them to maximise their innovation potential” explained Miklós Weszl.

The BioHub, due to open in October this year, is a brand new, fully serviced biomedical laboratory, specifically designed to provide entrepreneurs and innovative start-ups, such as NanoTi, with access to affordable laboratory facilities and equipment. The £6.8m development is jointly funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City Council.

Helen Miller-Viney, Business Development Manager for The BioHub said “We are really looking forward to welcoming NanoTi as one of the first occupiers of this fantastic new facility for start-ups and small biomedical companies.”

The company will join the existing vibrant and diverse network of businesses, clinicians and the wider University of Birmingham research community based around the Birmingham Research Park site in Edgbaston.

Birmingham Research Park is a long-standing and successful joint venture between the University of Birmingham and Birmingham City Council. It is ideally placed in the heart of the Edgbaston Medical Quarter, a thriving cluster of medical and biomedical activity situated around the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the University of Birmingham’s College of Medical and Dental Sciences. The Edgbaston Medical Quarter is home to 64% of the city’s healthcare economy including 180 medical organisations, 44 GP clinics and routine care facilities and 80 hospitals and specialist care centres.

CEO of Birmingham Research Park, James Wilkie, added “As well as benefitting from the state of the art laboratory facilities, NanoTi will receive comprehensive business support from the team at BizzInn on the Research Park to help grow their operations in the UK and Europe. They will also be able to access the world-class cluster of researchers, clinicians and facilities at the University of Birmingham”.

For further information on The BioHub, please contact: Helen Miller-Viney, Business Development Manager, Birmingham Research Park +44 (0)121 414 9252, [email protected]

Notes to editors

For press enquiries, please contact Tim Yates on +44 (0)121 414 8635, [email protected]

More information on The BioHub is available at Birmingham Research Park