Atelerix, a Newcastle University spinout focused on the storage and transportation of biosamples essential for pharmaceutical research, has raised €894k for their unique hydrogel, bringing their total funding to €1.4 million
The funding round included participation from ACF Investors and biotech specialist investors o2h Ventures. The investment will be used to drive the company’s branding and sales efforts and drive widespread adoption of its technology, positioning Atelerix’s range of hydrogels as the preferred shipping method for biosamples.
Alastair Carrington, CEO of Atelerix, says, “Atelerix is transforming biological transport by eliminating the need for deep freezing, setting a sharp new standard that displaces traditional cryologistics. Through innovative partnerships with leading life science companies and strong customer validation, we are redefining how laboratories operate worldwide. This funding enables us to accelerate the global adoption of our technology, expand our customer base, and advance our mission to create a more efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable future for bioscience.”
Founded in 2017 by Che John Connon, Mick McLean, and Stephen Swioklo, Atelerix’s approach to cryopreservation was inspired by the African four-toed pygmy hedgehog, scientifically known as Atelerix. When the founders were brainstorming names for their new business, they were drawn to the creature’s ability to hibernate when temperatures drop below 20°C. This ability to hit the ‘pause’ button on life perfectly mirrored the core function of their technology: enabling cells to enter a state of hibernation until they’re needed again.
Atelerix’s hypothermic preservation technology mimics the Atelerix by minimising the complexities and disadvantages of cryogenic shipping whilst extending the shelf life of fresh products.
According to Alextrix, preserving the integrity of biological samples like cells, tissues, viruses, and blood products during transport between multiple sites is a challenge in healthcare. Reliable drug discovery, accurate diagnoses and efficient clinical trials depend on reliable sample preservation.
However, the widely used traditional cryopreservation method can reduce cell viability by up to 50% post-thaw while also requiring costly and specialised equipment. Moreover, complex cell-based models, tissues and blood-products cannot be frozen at all resulting in a tight, inflexible, high-wastage supply chain for fresh products.
Atelerix’s patented hydrogel encapsulation technology allows for the storage and transport of cells between 4-25 degrees, addressing these challenges head-on. The solution enables cells to maintain over 90% viability for 14 days at room temperature, reportedly reducing costs by 50-80% per shipment. It also uses standard packaging compared to the specialised cryogenic shipping containers and hazardous dry ice.
By simplifying logistics, reducing costs and maintaining cell viability, Atelerix aims to offer a solution to bottleneck issues in drug and cell therapy development, ensuring scientists can focus on advancing ground-breaking therapies and improving patient outcomes.
The solution also offers a sustainable alternative that addresses the environmental concerns associated with cell preservation. Traditional methods use vast amounts of energy, with a single unit using the equivalent daily energy consumption of an average UK household. Atelerix’s technology eliminates the need for energy-intensive freezers, dry ice and harmful refrigerants, reducing CO2 emissions by 99.7% in a single shipment – as per Atelerix.
Sam Fennell, Partner at ACF Investors, says, “Atelerix’s disruptive platform technology, strong IP and rapidly expanding customer base puts the Company in a strong position to capitalise on increasing demand for sustainable logistics solutions. We’re excited to back a team that is going to genuinely transform a legacy industry, and we’re ready to support them in the next phase of its growth.”
Sunil Shah, CEO at o2h Ventures, says, “When I first saw this technology being pitched at Cambridge Angels, I was intrigued and I asked our sister company o2h Discovery to evaluate the gel on some real cells. I asked one of our UK biologists to test Atelerix’s gel by applying it to cells and shipping them to India. Due to a 5-day customs delay in Mumbai, the shipment faced an unintended ‘stress test,’ extending the usual 2-3 day timeline to 10-12 days. Despite this, 40% of the cells survived—impressive compared to normal dry ice survival rate of 60% in perfect conditions, which would have been 0% in this test. The cells were successfully regrown in India and are now thriving in experiments.“
Atelerix has a patent portfolio covering key applications across multiple markets and has been initially validated through partnerships with leading life science companies. It is poised for full-scale commercialisation and will use the funding, completed over two rounds, to convert the product’s early adopters into customers and develop its technology.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/01/inspired-by-hedgehogs-atelerixs-e894k-funding-to-innovate-biosample-storage-and-transportation/
