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IDRM Researchers Recognised at BioUK Awards 2026
Two researchers based at the Institute of Developmental & Regenerative Medicine (IDRM) have been recognised at the 2026 BioUK Awards, with Professor Matthew Wood receiving the Special Recognition Award and Dr Sophie Payne named a finalist for Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year.
The BioUK Awards, held in London on 21 October, recognise achievements across the UK life sciences sector, including research and therapeutic innovation, entrepreneurship and approaches to addressing unmet clinical needs.
Professor Matthew Wood, Neurology Theme Lead at the IDRM and Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre (OHC), received BioUK’s Special Recognition Award 2026.
The award recognises Professor Wood’s contributions to advancing research and therapeutic development for rare diseases, his leadership in translating scientific discoveries into potential treatments, and his role in building collaborations across academia, industry and clinical research.
Professor Wood leads the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre, a transatlantic partnership between the University of Oxford and the Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals. The Centre brings together expertise in rare disease research and therapeutic development with the aim of translating scientific discoveries into new treatments for people living with rare diseases.
Reflecting on the award, Professor Wood said:
“I’m deeply honoured to receive BioUK’s Special Recognition Award. This is a wonderful acknowledgement of the collective effort of the transatlantic partnership that is the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre, and of our shared ambition to turn scientific discoveries into new medicines for people living with rare diseases.”
Dr Sophie Payne, a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Sarah De Val’s group at the IDRM and the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, was one of three finalists for BioUK’s Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Her recognition follows her work to develop a potential new class of highly targeted genetic medicines for conditions in which endothelial dysfunction, abnormal function of the cells lining blood vessels, is an important driver of disease.
Dr Payne said:
“Being shortlisted for the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year award is a fantastic recognition of how far the idea has come. Over the next 12 months, my focus will be on generating the key proof-of-concept data we need, while continuing to define the commercial pathway and the areas where this technology could have the greatest impact.”
Dr Payne’s research focuses on the regulatory pathways that govern blood vessel development and endothelial cell function. Building on this work, she is developing an approach that aims to target dysfunctional endothelial cells and reprogramme them towards a healthier state.
The project grew from her research into enhancers, which are regulatory sequences within the genome that can direct gene expression in specific cell types. Dr Payne is exploring whether this specificity could be used to overcome a key challenge in gene therapy: achieving sufficient expression in the cells of interest while limiting effects elsewhere.
The longer-term aim is to develop the research into a spin-out company. Over the next 12 months, Dr Payne will focus on generating key proof-of-concept data while defining the commercial pathway and potential markets for the technology, with the aim of moving towards fundraising for a spin-out.
Her BioUK recognition follows her participation in the Oxford Venture Builder programme at Saïd Business School in 2025 and the Nucleate Activator programme in 2026, where she began developing the commercial strategy around her research and exploring how it could be translated into a viable therapeutic venture.
The 18th edition of the BioUK Awards brought together researchers, entrepreneurs and organisations from across the UK life sciences sector, with twelve award categories recognising achievements spanning biotechnology, medtech, health technology, entrepreneurship and therapeutic development.
For the full line-up of 2026’s winners, visit the BioUK Awards website.