From molecular glues to high-iron peas: Discovery Spark welcomes 10 new science startups
Sandwich, UK — 4 November 2026: Discovery Park, Kent’s science and innovation hub, has launched the eighth edition of its Discovery Spark accelerator programme, welcoming 10 startups to its campus in Sandwich.
The eighth cohort brings together 13 founders working across drug discovery, diagnostics, wound care, crop science and biotechnology. Startups were selected based on the need for their innovation, the uniqueness of their solution and the strength of their team. Throughout November, founders will attend specialist-led sessions in Kent and London focused on investor readiness. Topics range from tax and finance, legal and governance, and risk mitigation to performance and communications. The programme ends with an interactive pitch day on 3 December in the company of relevant active investors.
First launched in 2023, the business growth programme has already supported 77 companies and 115 founders across seven previous cohorts, with alumni securing over £6.5m in UKRI funding to date. Spark gives startups a network of peers, mentors and expert advisers as part of a collaborative cohort.
Programme Lead Renos Savva, Head of Innovation and Venture Development at Discovery Park, said: “Cohort 8.0 is our broadest cohort yet, running from the lab bench to the farm field, with founders working on molecular glues, cell engineering, wound care and high-iron crops. Several of these companies have already raised investment or come out of leading research institutions. Over the coming weeks we’ll work closely with every team to sharpen their investor narrative and test their commercial strategy, so they leave ready to raise their next round and get their technology into use.”
Companies in the latest cohort include Ternary Therapeutics, focused on the discovery of new molecular glues, a class of drug that can target disease-causing proteins long considered “undruggable”. Its discovery platform combines AI, physics-based modelling and laboratory testing to design molecular glues deliberately, where most have previously been found by chance. Founded in 2024, the London-based company raised £3.6m in seed funding in March 2026 and is developing programmes in inflammatory and neuroinflammatory diseases.
HiFe Plants, a spinout from the John Innes Centre, is developing high-iron crop traits for use in biofortified foods and ingredients. In trials, 25g of HiFe pea shoots contained enough iron to provide 100% of a woman’s recommended daily iron intake. The company is now working with a commercial pea breeder to produce a plant-based iron ingredient as an alternative to traditional iron supplements.
Others in the cohort include companies developing a breath test to identify prediabetes risk earlier, a colour-changing microneedle patch that confirms a vaccine dose has been delivered, a non-hormonal treatment for endometriosis, and technologies to improve wound care.
The Discovery Spark accelerator is open to UK-based science and technology startups and SMEs from all disciplines, with different themed cohorts throughout the year. Learn more about Discovery Spark and register interest for the next cohort: https://discovery-park.co.uk/lp/discovery-spark/
Details of the 10 companies taking part in Discovery Spark Cohort 8.0 (listed alphabetically), with an open innovation theme:
BIO Technologies is a healthcare technology company building PURA, a novel molecular diagnostic platform designed for rapid, amplification-free detection of DNA and RNA targets, delivering results in 10 minutes. Designed for true point-of-care testing, PURA aims to enable accessible testing at the point of need, without conventional amplification methods or specialised laboratory equipment. They are also developing DermaMaxx, an advanced hydro-polymeric wound dressing incorporating plant-derived antibacterial nanoparticles for supportive healing and moisture management.
Carocell Bio is a biotechnology company developing novel, patented, anti-inflammatory peptides to more safely treat serious inflammatory diseases. Their lead peptide, JEL0305, has shown early evidence in human skin-biopsy results for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, working faster and more effectively than a topical steroid.
CleverSkin Technologies is a medical technology company developing CleverSkin®, a two-component polyurethane formulation that forms a flexible foam covering for wounds, delivering physical protection, cushioning and fluid absorption. The company’s initial commercial focus is CleverSkin24, intended for minor cuts, abrasions and lacerations.
HiFe Plants is an agri-tech spinout developing crop traits to breed high-iron plant varieties for use as biofortified foods and ingredients. HiFe Plants is working with a specialist pea breeder in New Zealand to integrate their HiFe1 trait into a commercial pea variety, aiming to produce a plant-based iron supplement. Iron is the world’s most prevalent micronutrient deficiency; in the UK, one in three women don’t get enough iron in their diet.
Nano-Nose is a healthtech company developing an AI-powered, non-invasive breath analysis platform to enable earlier identification of cardiometabolic risk. Starting with prediabetes, its technology is designed to make risk screening simpler, more accessible, and scalable, connecting individuals and healthcare professionals with timely confirmatory testing and preventative interventions. The platform combines breath-based molecular analysis with AI-driven health intelligence, with the potential to expand into additional cardiometabolic conditions as clinical evidence develops.
Ovitrix is a therapeutics company developing a non-hormonal repurposed small molecule for the treatment of endometriosis. The condition affects around 1.5 million women in the UK, and no approved non-hormonal drug acts on its lesions. Ovitrix’s therapy is designed to target lesion growth and formation, addressing the underlying disease rather than only its symptoms.
Semper-B Therapeutics is developing a cell-engineering platform designed to turn a patient’s own cells into living antibody factories. By enabling precise, durable immune modulation, the platform has the potential to address significant unmet needs across multiple therapeutic areas.
Seven Nodes is a human biology causal simulation platform, providing an auditable reasoning layer for drug discovery through in-silico and experimental validation. This is done by combining multimodal omics data, biological knowledge, statistical and mechanistic modelling with evidence provenance, Seven Nodes helps experimental scientists and translational experts identify and assess therapeutic targets. Seven Nodes is initially focused on supporting oncology and immunology R&D teams in biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
Ternary Therapeutics (TernaryTx) is a biotech company developing molecular glues that can target classically “undruggable” disease-driving proteins. Their platform engineers the process of discovering molecular glues using a blend of frontier AI, proprietary data, deep-physics simulations and wet lab experiments. The company is delivering a pipeline of assets targeting proteins for neurology and inflammatory diseases.
VisiPatch is a biotech company developing a colour-changing microneedle patch designed to make vaccine and biologic drug delivery safer and more reliable. The patch visually confirms successful dose delivery in real time, helping eliminate user error and improving patient confidence. By combining materials science with patient-centred design, their tech aims to address cold-chain issues, sharp clinical waste and needle phobia.
