Birmingham’s biotech industry is tightly linked to its world-renowned universities and NHS network. As the U.K. strengthens its position in life sciences, the sector has attracted more than £3 billion in public and private funding over the past year alone. That momentum is also visible in the West Midlands, now home to more than 600 life sciences companies. Diagnostics and genomics have emerged as particular strengths, while these new facilities are giving companies — like the ones below — more room to develop and manufacture advanced therapies to continue expanding the sector.
Top Biotech Companies in Birmingham, England
- Thermo Fisher Scientific
- Cencora
- Nonacus
- Birmingham Biotech
- Celentyx
Biotech Companies in Birmingham, England
Tagomics is using multiple layers of genomic data to spot biological changes associated with cancer and other diseases earlier than conventional approaches can. So far, the University of Birmingham spinout has raised more than £8 million and secured a co-marketing agreement with genomic tools provider Agilent, while keeping its core research and development firmly rooted in the city's life-sciences cluster.
Celentyx’s drug-discovery platform gives pharmaceutical and biotech companies a closer look at how potential drugs interact with human immune cells. Currently, its research spans immuno-oncology, inflammation, fibrosis and neuroinflammation. Founded as a University of Birmingham spinout, the specialist contract research organization is expanding its Birmingham Research Park operation with new laboratory and office space in 2026.
Thermo Fisher Scientific develops specialized protein-based diagnostics used to detect and monitor blood cancers and immune disorders. Founded by University of Birmingham researchers in 1983, the company business now produces more than 40 million tests a year for customers in more than 100 countries.
Gifford Bioscience works with drug developers before therapies reach the clinic. Its science uses human-cell assays to study how experimental compounds interact with biological targets. Based out of its Birmingham BioHub, the discovery-stage contract research organization focuses on receptor pharmacology and occupancy, using techniques such as radioligand binding and functional G-protein coupled receptors assays.
Salts Healthcare has spent three centuries manufacturing ostomy and orthotic products. The family-run manufacturer specializes in stoma care and the everyday equipment patients rely on after major surgery. Its Aston headquarters brings product design and manufacturing under one roof, operating in tandem with Medilink, its UK-wide dispensing and home-delivery network.
ExGen Dx is developing rapid molecular tests that aim to cut infectious-disease diagnosis from hours to minutes. Using technology that can work at room temperature rather than relying on conventional polymerase-chain-reaction workflows, the University of Birmingham spinout is working on a 15-minute test for chlamydia and gonorrhoea that’s backed by £1 million in public funding.
Cencora moves medicines and specialty therapies through the supply chain, including the temperature-sensitive products needed for clinical trials and advanced cell and gene therapies. Its UK operation is carried out under its legacy brand, Alliance Healthcare, which is putting Birmingham at the center of that network with a 300,000-square-foot automated logistics plant designed to become its largest and most advanced European facility yet.
Birmingham Biotech makes diagnostic tests and barrier-based sprays designed to trap airborne particles before they enter the body. Launched in 2022, its NoriZite nasal spray moved from University of Birmingham research into commercial use. Today, the company uses its gellan-based platform to continue developing sprays for the eye, surgical barriers that help prevent fibrosis and wound-care products for animals.
Nonacus is pushing liquid biopsy outside of the lab with genomic tests designed to find cancer from samples such as blood and urine. Headquartered from Birmingham’s Quinton Business Park, the company develops non-invasive, early-detection diagnostics, like its GALEAS Bladder test, which caught 92.2 percent of bladder cancers in a recent 900-patient study across seven NHS sites.
AOP Health focuses on medicines for rare diseases and critical care, including therapies for chronic conditions where treatment options are limited. Its pipeline targets blood disorders, pulmonary arterial hypertension and hospital resuscitation medicine. AOP’s UK headquarters in central Birmingham provides local patient access to niche treatments that are often overlooked by major drugmakers and may not otherwise be available.
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