Aurum Biosciences, a stroke technology firm, has been selected for a UK government trade mission to India this month.
Aurum Biosciences will join a Department for Business and Trade visit from 16 to 19 February, with events, round table meetings and pitching opportunities.
One focus will be the BioAsia 2026 Summit in Hyderabad, described as “Asia’s foremost life sciences and healthcare event”.
Aurum chief executive David Brennan and chief scientific officer and chief medical officer Dr Celestine Santosh will meet pharmaceutical companies including USV Pharma, Lupin and Cipla.
Dr Brennan said: “It’s a huge privilege to be selected to represent both Scotland and the UK on this prestigious trade mission, including the chance to showcase our innovation-led approach to treating major global health issues through ABL-101.”
“We consider the trip to be a vital platform for accelerating our ambitions amid India’s ever-growing hub of expertise by introducing our technology to investors and exploring licensing partnerships.”
“We’re further excited by the potential opportunities afforded by the UK-India trade deal, encouraging confidence and security while tapping into India’s rapid growth.”
Last year, the UK and India signed a Free Trade Agreement aimed at boosting bilateral trade by an estimated £25.5bn annually.
The UK government described it as “the best deal that any country has ever agreed with India,” saying it reduces tariffs on 90 per cent of goods, benefits UK medical exports and streamlines regulations for pharmaceutical trade.
A spinout of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, InnoScot Health and the University of Glasgow, Aurum is developing a novel drug for therapeutics and multiple diagnostics in areas including acute stroke.
The Glasgow-based company says only about 10 per cent of patients with acute stroke, the world’s second biggest killer and a leading cause of disability, are able to access current therapeutics.
Aurum’s patented ABL-101 platform aims to address stroke-related oxygen deprivation, which can quickly cause brain damage.
During the visit to Mumbai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, the company aims to connect with partners to help scale operations and advance ABL-101.
Aurum says that for every minute of ischaemic stroke, where blood supply to the brain is blocked, 1.9 million neurons and 14 billion synapses are lost.
ABL-101 is described as an injectable oxygen carrier up to 45 times smaller than red blood cells, able to bypass the blockage or move through collateral vessels when red blood cells cannot.
It can also act as an acute stroke diagnostic, identifying salvageable tissue, and with specialised MRI techniques can visualise regions of inflammation.
ABL-101, which is being manufactured in India, has undergone pre-clinical development and completed early phase 1 and 2a human studies. Phase 2 trials in stroke and inflammation imaging are planned this year.
Graham Watson, executive chair of InnoScot Health, said: “We welcome Aurum’s diligence in continuing to exploit international platforms for engaging others in sharing its vision.
“ABL-101 offers so much potential and that will only be further enhanced with the right network of partners. The DBT trade mission is vital to making those connections which can turn promising innovations into tangible realities for better patient outcomes.”
