MP Cherilyn Mackrory recently visited Truro-based Phytome Life Sciences to find out more about the business and its work conducting biopharmaceutical research to develop medicines from plants.

Phytome Life Sciences is working in collaboration with the University of Plymouth to study how high-precision plant cultivation in controlled environments can be used to support a range of pharmaceutical and medical applications.

The university and Phytome are developing and researching ways to secure the consistent and scalable production of active pharmaceutical ingredients for disease-targeted clinical development.

This, it is envisaged, will include the use of plants to produce drugs and other compounds that can be used to treat a range of diseases.

Ms Mackrory said: “I am delighted to have seen the facilities Phytome is developing here in Cornwall for life science technology. This is a good example of business working in tandem with technology and universities to upscale their research to progress this to enable medicines to be developed in the UK pharmaceutical market.”

Dr Sebastian Vaughan, chief executive officer of Phytome Life Sciences said: “We are committed to building a Cornish-based medical drug discovery-to-commercialisation business through partnering with world-class universities, biotherapeutic, technology, pharmaceutical businesses.

“We have plans to hire local people and give them the training to develop their skills in life sciences and its related technologies.

“Cherilyn Mackrory’s support for the life sciences in Cornwall is critical to us fostering the optimum translational academic-business ecosystem for world class life sciences businesses to flourish away from the Oxford, Cambridge and London triangle.”