Life sciences company LightOx receives outstanding achievement award for battlefield wound treatment

A UK based drug development company has been recognised for its light-activated treatment for infected wounds, with an Outstanding Achievement Award.

LightOx, which is headquartered in Newcastle city centre, has been named as the winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Medilink Healthcare Business Awards 2026, which showcase talent, innovation, creativity and resilience within the life sciences sector.

The award recognises LightOx’s LXD231 molecule, which is designed to eliminate antibiotic-resistant bacteria in wounds and which has potential applications in both clinical healthcare and military field medicine.

Dr Sam Whitehouse, LightOx’s CEO, said: “Back in 2019, we won the Medilink Start-up of the Year Award and now we’re honoured to have won the Outstanding Achievement category.  

“Our new technology has the potential to speed up healing, avoid the need for amputations, and even save lives, in both clinical and battlefield settings. It’s a pioneering piece of biotechnology and I hope it will transform the way infected wounds are treated in both civilian and military medicine.”

LightOx has also been selected to be part of NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic – an organisation established by NATO to provide companies with the resources, networks and guidance to develop cutting-edge technologies to solve critical defence and security challenges.

LightOx’s inclusion in the NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator (DIANA) has given the team access to funding and support via NATO, as Sam Whitehouse explains:

“Being part of the NATO DIANA cohort is opening up an accelerated path for us to bring this treatment to market. It means we can align our work with real-world military requirements in order to provide a treatment for soldiers in the NATO alliance which can be used on site, at the point of injury.”

Through the NATO Accelerator, LightOx is shaping its work around the needs of soldiers on the front line in Ukraine – an example of an environment where infection control is vital.

LightOx’s new treatment is due to enter clinical trials in 2026. Find out more at www.LightOx.co.uk.