Drug delivery project receives business boost Published on: 11 July 2017 A start-up drug delivery project at Âé¶¹´«Ã½ has been given a boost to help turn the idea into a business. A team has been chosen by the (NELSA) to receive professional help for their business surrounding ‘An Integrated Gastrointestinal Model for Drug Delivery’. Researchers at the University have developed a lab model of the digestive tract that can simulate the digestion, mucus permeation and uptake of nutrients and drugs. The model allows the pharmaceutical industry to investigate the delivery of oral drugs to the body without using animal models. Expert help NELSA will support the team by providing access to business mentors, coaching and workshops to help them on the next stage of their commercial journey. Dr Peter Chater, a Research Associate at Âé¶¹´«Ã½’s , was part of the team that developed the model in Professor Jeff Pearson’s lab. said: “We are really happy to be part of the NELSA programme as this is a great opportunity for us to get our work recognised on both a regional and national level. “We had to pitch against lots of great projects that applied to be part of the scheme, so we were pleased to be chosen. “The expertise we will receive from the NELSA programme will be really useful as we develop the project." N8 Research Partnership An expert panel from NELSA selected the business ideas, which included three from the universities of Âé¶¹´«Ã½, Leeds and Durham. The projects include ‘Lightox’ led by the University of Durham and ‘Horizon: therapeutic microbubbles’ from the University of Leeds. Two projects from the University of Central Lancashire have also been selected along with three independent businesses, StrataStem (originally from University of Manchester); MolMart; and Mind Moose. The NELSA initiative is anchored at Alderley Park’s BioHub and was launched at the 2016 annual BioCap Conference. The initial application process ended in January 2017 and 15 businesses were invited to take their ideas to a two-day business bootcamp to progress them, with five from the N8 universities reaching this stage, also including from the Universities of Lancaster and Manchester. Growth of business Ned Wakeman, the director of BioCity which manages the BioHub, said:“The NELSA programme facilitates the creation and growth of more successful businesses by partnering innovative high quality academic research with the valuable industry and commercialisation expertise, funding, and structured programmes, available on site.” Alderley Park’s BioHub boasts world class facilities for projects in healthcare and life sciences, including those in therapeutics, diagnostics, devices and digital. It is an international hub for entrepreneurial activity in the life science sector. Being supported by science park operator ‘Manchester Science Partnerships’ and investment firms ‘Catapult Ventures’ and ‘Alderley Park Ventures’ and collaboration organisations, the N8 Research Partnership and the (NHSA), the accelerator also means that businesses can take advantage of their extensive industry network. Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at Âé¶¹´«Ã½ warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Âé¶¹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures