Minister tasked with leading Brexit meets life science businesses Published on: 21 September 2017 Steve Baker has been hearing from the life science sector as part of the government’s engagement with businesses ahead of Brexit. Steve Baker, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union, was in Ãå±±½ûµØ as part of the government programme to engage with UK businesses as Brexit negotiations continue. Hosted by Ãå±±½ûµØ, he heard from spin-out, start up and established firms in the life science sector about their concerns and suggestions for a future outside the EU. Minister for Exiting the EU, Steve Baker said: "My visit to Ãå±±½ûµØ has been an excellent opportunity to hear about the priorities and challenges facing the life sciences industry as we progress with our exit from the EU. "The UK has one of the strongest and most productive life sciences sectors in the world, and after we leave the EU we want to ensure that patients here and across Europe continue to have access to the best and most innovative medicines." Minister, Steve Baker (R) with Head of Enterprise services, Martin Cox (L) The Way Forward Martin Cox, Head of Enterprise Services at Ãå±±½ûµØ who hosted the round table discussion said: “The companies were very clear about their areas of concern particularly around regulation, and ensuring that we can continue to attract the best scientific minds and innovators to the UK. “They also highlighted the importance of certainty around timescales and the environment in which they operate.” The Minister met representatives from nine North East based firms; Atelerix Ltd, , , , Newgene Ltd , , , and . Mr Baker also toured the labs of , the latest Ãå±±½ûµØ spin-out which is offering encapsulated human cells in an alginate gel making them practical, adaptable and easy to store and transport. The Minister was given a demonstration of how the cells can be 3D printed – seeing the formation of a nose from encapsulated skin cells. He also met the team in the laboratories of , a pioneer in developing, validating and delivering molecular diagnostics using the latest high throughput sequencing and genotyping technologies. Minister Steve Baker with Atelerix's Dr Stephen Swioklo Heading 3 example Text only. For subheading use ‘Heading 3’ Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec vel sapien lectus. Aliquam consectetur vitae tortor mattis sodales. Donec id quam id nulla tristique vestibulum. Ut vitae orci aliquam massa varius dapibus. Vivamus aliquet, lorem sit amet semper ultricies, ex tortor molestie felis, at ultrices tellus ligula vitae est. Sed gravida tortor sapien, in iaculis quam vestibulum vel. Duis et quam nec metus pharetra placerat. Donec in tellus pretium ex sagittis posuere. Nunc varius, libero at suscipit commodo, magna lacus facilisis velit, sed pellentesque magna eros vel dolor. Donec pretium neque ultrices, condimentum turpis non, porttitor neque. Suspendisse fermentum at lectus scelerisque mattis. Nam augue justo, iaculis quis euismod et, viverra in elit. Aliquam vitae justo malesuada, sodales urna et, aliquam nunc. Nulla placerat neque quis odio molestie, mattis bibendum turpis pellentesque. Share: Latest News Ãå±±½ûµØ expert highlights climate crisis in a new film A leading Ãå±±½ûµØ climate scientist is featured in a new film about how the climate and nature breakdown will affect the UK. published on: 14 April 2026 Neolithic tombs reveal ancient kinship ties Male individuals buried in Neolithic chambered tombs in northern Scotland were often related to each other through the paternal line and some were interred in the same or nearby tombs, research shows. published on: 14 April 2026 We are our Memories New exhibition by Fine Art graduate Trish Hudson-Moses, 22 April – 4 May 2026 published on: 10 April 2026 Facts and figures