Cryo-Save, which raised more than £40m for its AIM listing, is the largest private bank of stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood in Europe, with more than 50,000 samples stored.
The firm is operating within a market analysts expect to grow exponentially over the next few years.
The number of stored stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood is significantly lower in Europe than in the US.
However, the cells are being used increasingly in the treatment of diseases such as leukaemia and inherited red-cell cancers.
A child in Portugal suffering from a severe immune deficiency syndrome was recently treated successfully with stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood.
During the roadshow for Cryo-Save’s listing, which was twice oversubscribed, 48 of the 55 fund managers approached bought shares in the company.
College Hill consultants Adrian Duffield and Dr Jon Davies head the account.
Last week, College Hill bought 12-strong ‘employee engagement’ consultancy instinctif (PRWeek, 9 November). The move followed a series of acquisitions, and the College Hill group now employs more than 150 members of staff.
One of the agencies recently acquired by College Hill – life sciences specialist Northbank Communications (PRWeek, 12 October) – last week advised Belgian biotech company Ablynx
on its listing on Brussels’ Euronext exchange.
Ablynx is focused on the discovery and development of nanobodies, which are proteins about a tenth the size of antibodies.
