Medicines Discovery Catapult

What Medicines Discovery Catapult does

Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) is a UK not-for-profit, government-funded drug discovery service organisation operating as one of the Innovate UK Catapult centres from its headquarters at Alderley Park, Macclesfield. Founded in 2015 and employing over 140 people, MDC provides fee-for-service drug discovery, collaborative R&D partnerships, and accelerator programmes to small and mid-sized biotech companies, academic researchers, large pharmaceutical companies (including AstraZeneca) and medical research charities. The organisation's service portfolio spans the full drug discovery pipeline — target identification, lead generation and optimisation, candidate selection, and clinical development support — with specialised capabilities in radiopharmaceuticals, in vitro and in vivo biology, translational medicine, and technology platforms including mass spectrometry, spatial biology, microscopy, and preclinical imaging. Its proprietary Chemical Protein Stability Assay (CPSA) is patented and licensed to Selvita for broader industry distribution.

MDC's commercial model combines core grant funding from Innovate UK and the Medical Research Council with fee-for-service contracts and collaborative R&D income, enabling it to operate capital-intensive infrastructure (including the £32m UKRI-funded National PET Imaging Platform, NPIP) that private CROs cannot replicate at the same cost. The organisation runs several national programmes: NPIP for total-body PET imaging, PACE (£30m) for antimicrobial resistance, the CF AMR Syndicate with Cystic Fibrosis Trust and LifeArc, the Intracellular Drug Delivery Centre (IDDC) for RNA therapeutics with CPI, and the Psychiatry Consortium. Cumulative outcomes include support for 397 innovators, £1.9bn of R&D investment raised by those innovators, 5 compounds progressed to clinical trials, and 3 partner products brought to market.

Recent strategic posture shows organisational scaling and capability diversification: a new Chief Commercial Officer and first Managing Director were appointed in 2025, MDC became an Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership Knowledge Base in October 2025, and CEO Professor Chris Molloy stepped down in January 2026 after ten years. Customer concentration is low, with revenue spread across a long tail of small biotech customers and grant funding rather than any single anchor account. AI capabilities are present (spatial mass spectrometry imaging, multi-omics, partner-led AI expertise) but remain feature-level rather than a differentiated competitive axis.

Name

Medicines Discovery Catapult

Legal name

Medicines Discovery Catapult

Website

https://md.catapult.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Medicines Discovery Catapult is a UK government-funded, not-for-profit Catapult centre providing fee-for-service drug discovery, technology platforms, and national programmes to biotechs, academic researchers, pharmaceutical companies, and medical research charities from its Alderley Park headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Drug Discovery Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Drug Discovery (Target ID/Validation & Hit Discovery) (HLAIALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Translational Medicine & Biomarkers (HLAIALAF), In Vivo Discovery & Translational Models Platforms (humanized models, PK/PD, efficacy) (HLAAAIAK), Target Identification & Validation Platforms (omics-driven, chemoproteomics, genetic validation) (HLAAAIAI)

Keywords

• Drug discovery services
• Radiopharmaceutical development
• Preclinical imaging
• Translational medicine
• Biomedical research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Alderley Edge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fee-for-Service Drug Discovery Services: Medicines Discovery Catapult provides contract research and drug discovery services on a fee-for-service basis to biotech and pharmaceutical companies requiring specialised capabilities and expertise
2. Collaborative R&D Partnerships: Joint development programmes with industry partners, academic institutions, and charity-funded research initiatives
3. Government Grant Funding: Core funding from Innovate UK and partnership funding from government bodies including Medical Research Council (MRC) for national research programmes

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Medicines Discovery Catapult is a UK national Life Sciences service organisation providing fee-for-service drug discovery, technology platforms, and national programmes across the full pipeline from target identification through clinical development. Core offerings include radiopharmaceutical development, in vitro and in vivo biology, translational medicine, advanced technology platforms (mass spectrometry, spatial biology, microscopy, preclinical imaging), the proprietary CPSA target engagement assay, and national programmes such as NPIP, PACE, CF AMR Syndicate, IDDC, and the Psychiatry Consortium.

Product overview

Medicines Discovery Catapult is a national Life Sciences service organisation providing a comprehensive portfolio of drug discovery services, technology platforms, and national programmes. The core offering spans the entire drug discovery pipeline from target identification through clinical development, with specialised capabilities in radiopharmaceuticals, in vitro and in vivo biology, translational medicine, and advanced technology platforms (mass spectrometry, spatial biology, microscopy, preclinical imaging). The proprietary Chemical Protein Stability Assay (CPSA) is a patented target engagement technology. MDC operates national programmes including the National PET Imaging Platform (NPIP) for total-body PET imaging, PACE for antimicrobial resistance, CF AMR Syndicate, the Intracellular Drug Delivery Centre (IDDC) for RNA therapeutics, and the Psychiatry Consortium. Services include R&D consultancy, collaborative R&D partnerships, and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. MDC supports SMEs and biotech companies to de-risk drug development and accelerate their path to clinical trials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Radiopharmaceutical Development Services End-to-end radiopharmaceutical development services from concept to clinic for biotech and pharma companies developing cancer therapeutics. Spans radiolabelling and formulation, preclinical efficacy, biodistribution, dosimetry, theranostic services, in vitro RPT screening, and ex vivo analysis. Targets biotech and pharma companies advancing radiopharmaceutical and theranostic programmes.
• Drug Discovery Process Services Full-spectrum drug discovery support covering target identification and validation, lead generation, lead optimisation, candidate selection, and clinical development stages for small molecules, large molecules, and new modalities. For biotech, pharma, and academic partners progressing preclinical assets.
• R&D Consultancy Strategic consultancy services spanning platform-to-asset strategy across small molecules, biologics, and next-generation modalities including oligonucleotides, ADCs, radiopharmaceuticals, and nanoparticle delivery systems. For biotech and pharma leaders shaping portfolio and asset strategy.
• Collaborative R&D Jointly applied grant funding support where MDC acts as Research and Technology Organisation, providing technical validation for funding applications and co-developing programmes with biotech, pharma, academic, and charity partners.
• Knowledge Transfer Partnership Certified Innovate UK Knowledge Base programme enabling businesses to embed new drug discovery capabilities through highly qualified KTP Associates. For UK companies seeking to build in-house drug discovery expertise through a structured knowledge transfer programme.
• Chemical Protein Stability Assay (CPSA) Proprietary patented target engagement assay using cell lysates to measure drug-target binding in a native context, offering streamlined single-plate format with improved consistency and throughput for hit identification and optimisation. Licensed to Selvita for broader industry access. For drug discovery teams needing sensitive target engagement measurements.
• National PET Imaging Platform (NPIP) UK national total-body PET imaging platform providing dynamic whole-body imaging with 40x greater sensitivity than traditional PET for drug discovery research. For academic researchers, biotech, and pharma running clinical and translational imaging studies.
• PACE (Pathways to Antimicrobial Clinical Efficacy) £30 million initiative addressing antimicrobial resistance through development of new tests and treatments, funding early-stage diagnostic and therapeutic projects. For researchers and companies developing antimicrobial diagnostics and therapeutics.
• CF AMR Syndicate Cross-sector initiative jointly managed with Cystic Fibrosis Trust and LifeArc, creating a platform for next-generation diagnostics and therapies in chronic respiratory infections for cystic fibrosis patients. For biotech, pharma, academics, and clinicians working on CF antimicrobial resistance.
• Intracellular Drug Delivery Centre (IDDC) Innovate UK-funded programme supporting RNA-based medicines through disruptive innovation, providing access to nanoparticle delivery agents and biophysical characterisation of nanomedicines. Run in partnership with CPI. For developers of RNA therapeutics requiring intracellular delivery solutions.
• Psychiatry Consortium Global collaboration to identify and validate novel drug targets addressing unmet therapeutic needs of people living with mental health conditions. For academic researchers and industry partners advancing CNS drug discovery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported 397 innovators across the UK drug discovery ecosystem
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CPI (Centre for Process Innovation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through the IDDC (RNA Vaccine and Therapy Innovation and Delivery Development Centre) to support RNA therapeutics development. Combines expertise across the Catapult network.
• Crown BiosciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in radiopharmaceutical development, combining Crown Bioscience's global capabilities with MDC's specialised expertise in nuclear medicine and radiopharmaceuticals.
• National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for nuclear medicine and radiopharmaceutical research, providing access to nuclear technology capabilities and expertise for drug development.
• SelvitacoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensing agreement for the Chemical Protein Stability Assay (CPSA), enabling Selvita to provide CPSA services to the broader industry. MDC retains the IP with Selvita as a licensed service provider.
• Francis Crick InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through the KQ Labs accelerator programme, connecting Crick researchers and spinouts with MDC's drug discovery capabilities and ecosystem support.
• LifeArccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through the PACE (Pathogen Anti-Microbial Cytokines Engineering) programme for infectious disease research, combining MDC capabilities with LifeArc's translational expertise.
• Cystic Fibrosis TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through the CF AMR Syndicate, bringing together pharma companies, biotech, and researchers to address antimicrobial resistance in cystic fibrosis. Won OBN Award for Most Impactful Industry Collaboration in 2024.
• Deep Science VenturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for brain-targeted drug discovery, providing MDC access to innovative early-stage drug discovery approaches in neurological disease.
• University of EdinburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNPIP Scotland hub partner providing pathology imaging capabilities and connecting academic research with industrial drug discovery.
• University of GlasgowcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNPIP Scotland hub partner providing pathology imaging infrastructure and expertise for collaborative research.
• King's College LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNPIP London hub partner providing digital pathology and imaging capabilities for national medical research infrastructure.
• Imperial College LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNPIP London hub partner contributing pathology imaging infrastructure and expertise to the national network.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Selvita: Mid-sized drug discovery CRO with integrated services across chemistry, biology, and in silico; also MDC's licensing partner for the proprietary CPSA technology. Comparable in scale and service mix, and an active commercial partner.
• Domainex: UK-based drug discovery CRO offering integrated services from target validation through candidate selection, including medicinal chemistry and biology. Directly comparable to MDC's drug discovery process offerings for small biotech and academic clients.
• LifeArc: UK-based medical research charity providing translational research and drug discovery capabilities, co-managing the CF AMR Syndicate with MDC and LifeArc. Closely comparable as a UK translational research partner with similar customer base and mission overlap.
• BioAscent Discovery: UK-based drug discovery CRO offering medicinal chemistry, biology, and DMPK services to biotech and pharma. Directly comparable in scale and service scope to MDC, focused on similar early-stage biotech customers.
• Sygnature Discovery: UK-based integrated drug discovery CRO providing medicinal chemistry, in vitro biology, and DMPK services to biotech and pharma. Closely comparable to MDC's drug discovery services from a UK base, serving similar biotech customers.
• Evotec: Global drug discovery CRO offering integrated services across target identification, lead generation, in vitro/in vivo biology, and translational medicine. Closely comparable to MDC's full-spectrum drug discovery offering, but with broader international reach and commercial scale.

Broad incumbents

• Pharmaron: Global CRO/CDMO offering integrated drug discovery and development services including chemistry, biology, DMPK, and manufacturing. Comparable service portfolio to MDC, but at larger commercial scale with global reach.
• WuXi AppTec: Global CRO/CDMO with extensive drug discovery and preclinical capabilities across chemistry, biology, and DMPK. Comparable on service mix but operates at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint than MDC.
• Charles River Laboratories: Large global CRO offering drug discovery, preclinical, and manufacturing services across a much broader portfolio. Comparable on drug discovery services but at vastly larger commercial scale with global geographic coverage.

Others

• CPI (Centre for Process Innovation): UK Catapult network partner collaborating with MDC through the IDDC RNA therapeutics programme. Comparable as a fellow Catapult centre with similar government-backed RTO model, though focused on process innovation rather than drug discovery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/catapult_uk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0YUefHzYkhmOhfCAjm-aaA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/meddisccat

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

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M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Medicines Discovery Catapult