The UK arm of a significant Beijing-based life science company is making impressive progress in countering diabetes via stem cell based therapies from a laboratory at The EpiCentre in Haverhill.
Aceso Biosciences – an Essentia BioSciences business – was recently recognised at the Bury Free Press West Suffolk Business Awards 2025 for fast-tracking potential treatment of Type 1 Diabetes in the first instance and the Type 2 element of the disease longer term.
Dr Clark Lu, Chief UK Operations Director for Aceso, says that unlike current insulin injection therapies that only manage blood sugar levels, Aceso’s advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) aims to restore natural glycaemic control by replacing the lost insulin-producing islet cells with functional cells differentiated from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs).
This regenerative approach could offer a curative and affordable solution, significantly reducing the long-term financial burden on patients and public health systems worldwide.
“Our vision is to make diabetes treatment more natural, sustainable, and accessible,” said Dr Lu. “By harnessing stem cell and biomaterial technologies, we’re developing an unlimited and renewable cell source that can truly change the lives of millions affected by diabetes.”
Early signs from important tests have been encouraging according to Dr Lu who says Aceso anticipates winning key approvals for the therapies as trials advance in early 2026.
He is swift to pay tribute to the quality of facilities at The EpiCentre. “We have had other labs in the UK but the light at The EpiCentre accommodation is very bright and absolutely perfect for our requirements. We have also taken on extra senior personnel from Cambridge so the base is especially convenient.”
Founder and CEO Tony Liu is a University of Oxford graduate and his experience and connections have proved invaluable as the business has progressed internationally.
Aceso’s timeline in the march towards key approvals looks extremely promising. Following IND approval in 2026, the company anticipates a Phase 1 clinical trial in 2027. It reports significant endorsements from key scientific sources in several countries.
Significant angel funding underpinned the company’s early development in both the UK and China and further investment is envisaged as the core technology ripens on the vine.
Aceso Biosciences was born at The EpiCentre, which also proved a happy hunting ground for the fast-expanding Cambridge company ExpressionEdits, a biotech leveraging AI-driven insights and proprietary intronisation technology to enhance protein expression.
Helen Earl, who manages The EpiCentre for Oxford Innovation space, commented: “We’re proud to provide a space where pioneering companies like Aceso Biosciences transform bold ideas into life-changing solutions. With specialist business support and high-spec labs, The EpiCentre empowers innovation that improves lives locally and globally.”
Article from Business Weekly
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