Isoform Oncology join Zinc Investment’s 2025 Venture Cohort

Zinc Investment specialises in supporting early stage health innovation start-ups. In relation to Isoform joining their cohort, the team said: “We back founders tackling the toughest challenges with tenacity, expertise, and empathy. Isoform Oncology embodies all of this, and we’re honoured to partner with them on this journey.”

Isoform Oncology, founded by scientist-entrepreneurs Dr Sarah Morgan and Dr Lee Larcombe, is pioneering a novel approach in precision oncology: targeting cancer-specific protein isoforms – unique markers that appear only in tumour cells. With advances in data, computational biology, and antibody engineering, this long-standing scientific opportunity is finally becoming a therapeutic reality.

Dr Lee Larcombe said: “Excited to be able to announce Isoform Oncology joining the Zinc family. Lots of things to do – but great people to be doing it with  Sarah Morgan & Isabella Garcia – and a great place at Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst.”

Lee is also the founder of Apexomic, a discovery CRO providing expert data analytics for life science R&D, similarly based at SBC. He has chosen to locate his second business on the campus due to its connectivity and collaborative network of over 45 therapeutics startups.

Isoform’s initial focus is a hard-to-treat subgroup of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients – 1,000 women annually in the UK who currently have no effective treatment options. Their antibody therapeutics aim to eliminate tumour cells with unmatched precision, while sparing healthy tissue. This is a deeply personal journey for the founding team, with two decades in the making, backed by real-world expertise and a values-led approach to venture building. Sarah and Lee are creating a company as committed to people and inclusion as it is to scientific excellence.

You can read more about Isoform’s vision here: https://lnkd.in/dF8eKrFP