We seek to make a positive social impact through extending and enhancing human life, by building companies to deliver transformational treatments to patients in areas of high unmet need.
These companies support the UK life science sector, providing jobs, developing the next generation of industry practitioners, advancing the knowledge economy and in doing so strengthen the foundation for the success of our future businesses. Our charitable commitment allows us to support patients, their families and research institutions beyond our core activities.
Focusing on the development of transformational treatments for patients in areas of high unmet medical need means we tend to operate in selective areas of science where the potential for a dramatic impact is high, for example in intractable diseases with no treatment options.
We are highly motivated by the potential impact of the treatments that our companies develop and believe that if we succeed in the development of these treatments, we will also see long-term value and benefits for all stakeholders.
The UK has a globally significant scientific research base and historically has not developed globally competitive scaled biotech companies set up to take products to market and treatments to patients. Our model of taking a hands-on partnership approach, combined with deep, long-term and expert capital means that companies are being built here at scale with jobs from clinicians to product development specialists and manufacturing experts. The creation and development of these companies builds expertise and skills and is an important contributor to a vibrant biotech industry in the UK.
We believe we have a broad role to play in supporting the growth of the life science industry in the UK. We create, build and scale our portfolio companies to become standalone entities that create jobs, train employees, and share knowledge with others in the sector. Over 1,000 people are employed by Syncona and its portfolio companies in the UK, with Syncona portfolio companies currently having trials in clinical development across 18 sites in the UK.
The Syncona Foundation was set up in 2012 with charitable objectives focusing on the prevention, treatment, cure and ultimately eradication of cancer and other diseases, as well as other charitable activities.
Each year, Syncona provides a significant level of philanthropic funding to The Syncona Foundation which has ambitions aligned to our vision to deliver transformational treatments for patients and through which we believe we contribute to the wider healthcare ecosystem.
Read more about the Syncona Foundation here.