With strategic support and funding from GM Business Growth Hub and the wider Greater Manchester innovation ecosystem, Alderley Lighthouse Labs is aiming to lead the way in personalised medicine.
● £47,000 Innovation Grant Funding towards a £122k project
● 590% turnover increase forecast by 2026
● 3 new jobs expected
A lasting legacy from the COVID-19 pandemic, Alderley Lighthouse Labs was established by the management team that played a vital role in the UK’s national testing infrastructure. This rapid response was underpinned by clinical excellence, technical precision and a deep commitment to public health.
In the years since, Alderley Lighthouse Labs has refocused its expertise on areas with the potential to transform healthcare – analysing blood, tissue and other samples to help diagnose illness, monitor health conditions and guide treatment decisions.
Within the field of diagnostics, the company has expanded its expertise into pharmacogenomics, an innovation that examines how an individual’s genetic makeup influences their response to medications.
Pharmacogenomics: A new frontier in personalised medicine
“Pharmacogenomics represents a transformative approach to personalised medicine, enabling tailored treatment plans that improve the efficacy and safety of medications across a broad spectrum of diseases,” explains Dr Yousef Taktak, Innovation Specialist at GM Business Growth Hub.
“NICE [National Institute for Health and Care Excellence] recently made draft recommendations to include pharmacogenetic information when prescribing Clopidogrel, a widely used anti-platelet medication that helps prevent blood clots. And there is building support to implement guidelines for some of the most-prescribed medications across chronic pain, mental health, oncology, cardiology, and a variety of other specialities.”
The potential impact of pharmacogenomics is hugely significant. By understanding how individual genetic profiles influence drug response, clinicians can prescribe with greater accuracy – reducing side effects and delivering more effective treatment.
“These developments are at the forefront of health care transformation, which improve operational efficiency and patient care and can also help reduce pressure on healthcare systems such as the NHS by avoiding costly trial-and-error prescribing,” adds Yousef.
Recognising the opportunity to lead in an emerging field, Alderley Lighthouse Labs made the strategic decision to develop and commercialise a scalable pharmacogenomics service that would complement and enhance its existing diagnostic capabilities. But to turn this ambition into a deliverable plan, the company sought expertise beyond its core team.
How innovation consultants helped drive commercialisation
Understanding the breadth of support and collaboration opportunities in Greater Manchester, Alderley relocated from Macclesfield and in May 2024 began working with GM Business Growth Hub’s Innovation team.
Together, we developed a three-year strategic roadmap that clearly defined the company’s innovation and growth priorities, plus a 12-month business planning process, setting out measurable objectives and delivery milestones. The plan aligns with the company’s ambition to grow its revenue to over £6 million and generate more than £1 million in profit by year three, laying the foundations for sustainable success.
“We’ve got a real opportunity to establish a leading position in pharmacogenomics in the UK,” says Mark Wigglesworth, Chief Executive. “Moving our lab to Cheadle Royal Business Park has helped us tap into Greater Manchester’s innovation ecosystem and build this with the right partners around us.”
Alderley has already secured over £2 million in investment, which has been used to fit out its laboratory, buy specialist equipment, develop new technologies, protect its intellectual property and expand its scientific team. This includes £47,500 in grant funding (£22.5K in revenue and £25K in capital) through the GM Innovation Navigator programme – helping the company deliver a major £122,000 project focused on developing and commercialising advanced genetic testing techniques integral to its personalised medicine services.
Already, the company is feeling the results. It expects to create three new jobs by mid-2025, with a further two to follow by the end of the year. Beyond the numbers, Alderley Lighthouse Labs is improving outcomes for patients and helping healthcare professionals prescribe with increased confidence. As Mark puts it: “We’re not just investing in technology – we’re investing in health information that works better for people.”
Innovation strategy support
Alderley Lighthouse Labs highlights how innovation-focused businesses can unlock growth, attract investment and drive sector leadership with the right help. Whether you’re involved in health, manufacturing, digital, or clean tech, the principle is the same: innovation flourishes when it’s supported by strategy, funding and collaboration.
For more information on our support for the Health Innovation sector, please visit our website.
Contact GM Business Growth Hub’s Innovation Service today to see how we can take your ideas to the next level. Call us on 0161 359 3050 or email bgh@growthco.uk.
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