The College Group

Life Sciences' client Prosensa Therapeutics, takes the Emerging Star Award at last week's European Mediscience Awards.

Prosensa Therapeutics NV, the Dutch biopharmaceutical company focusing on rare diseases with a high unmet medical need, won the Emerging Star accolade at last week's European Mediscience Awards. Competition was fierce with other shortlisted companies for the Mediscience “Emerging Star Award” being BioCartis NV, Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd and Sphere Medical Ltd.

Melanie Toyne Sewell, Life Sciences' head of financial PR and Partner Dr Lynne Trowbridge were on hand to celebrate with our client Prosensa, hosting a table of 10 including Dr.Giles Campion, Prosensa’s Chief Medical Officer and SVP Research & Development.

The European Mediscience Awards now in its 11th year is the largest annual gathering of private and publicly quoted healthcare, biotech and life science companies in Europe recognising achievements in the life sciences industry. Supported by Peel Hunt, the inaugural Emerging Star Award celebrates the achievements of a private or young public mediscience company that has demonstrable credibility in terms of business model/strategy, management team and financing. The winner's focus on innovation is also key, with its technology/IP capable of significant market impact or disruption.

Collecting the award, Dr.Campion said: “We are very pleased to be recognised by the European Mediscience judging panel. This prestigious award is an additional motivation in our efforts to help patients and their families affected by rare, progressively debilitating diseases.” Prosensa has the most advanced portfolio of drug candidates for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), with two compounds in clinical trials inpartnersship with GlaxoSmithKline and four additional compounds in late stage pre-clinical development. Prosensa’s DMD compounds are based on its proprietary exon-skipping technology that uses antisense oligonucleotides to restore expression of a functional dystrophin protein and to provide potential treatment for patients affected by this progressively debilitating neuromuscular disease.

The company recently raised €23 million in a private equity financing round and is supported by a consortium of investors including Abingworth, Gimv, Idinvest Partners, Life Sciences Partners, MedSciences Capital and New Enterprise Associates.

College Hill has been sponsor of the European Mediscience Awards for the past three years and this year we sponsored the Mediscience Commentator of the Year - an award that seeks to recognise the importance of clear and concise commentary on the sector.