From the outset Glasgow-based Tissue Solutions focussed on meeting worldwide demand for ethically sourced human biomaterials.

Company founders, Dr Morag McFarlane and Dr Ann Cooreman, knew there was a big international demand for human tissue and other samples for medical and scientific research—and set about meeting it.

Seven years on, the company’s success during the UK’s longest and deepest recession for five decades, saw it receive the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category.

Presenting the award, Glasgow’s Lord Provost Sadie Docherty, in her capacity as Lord Lieutenant, congratulated the founders for their vision in identifying a market need and acting on it:

“From a two person team you have built this business into a successful international venture supplying human biomaterials and scientific expertise to multinational companies.

“The Queen’s Award is the UK’s highest for business success and it is hugely deserved in recognition of Tissue Solutions’ astonishing record of overseas growth.

“It is a success story that would be the envy of any company director. Your global reach and the worldwide demand for your services, that help advance important medical research, means your future is assured.

“You have built a world class business and both you and your workforce must be very proud.”

Tissue Solutions supplies and services 200 global clients, including the world’s top 10 pharmaceutical companies. More than 60 per cent of its export sales come from Europe and the USA, but it also has clients as far afield as Japan and Australia.

In the last three years it has seen overseas growth of 179 per cent and has a more than 80 per cent repeat order success rate. The business employs 11 staff and is based at the West of Scotland Science Park in Glasgow.

It acts as a ‘virtual bio-bank’ sourcing and ensuring delivery of fully consented samples from more than 20 countries across four continents for its clients. These have a wide range of applications including discovering new therapies and predicting how drugs will behave in patients.

Chief executive officer, Dr McFarlane, said:

“We really appreciate the formal recognition of our company’s growth into international markets with this Queen’s Award for Enterprise. This reflects a lot of hard work and dedication from every one of our team here in Glasgow and is testament to our reliable collaborations, both with our sources and with our clients worldwide, which are a key factor in our business.”

Chief Operating Officer, Dr Cooreman agreed with this and added that increasing profitable business overseas was good for both the company and the UK.