Cambridge, UK
o2h Ventures is pleased to announce investment in Atelerix, a Newcastle University spinout that is redefining how biosamples essential for drug discovery and pharmaceutical research are stored and transported.
Biosamples such as cells, tissues, and viruses are critical for life-saving drug discovery. Preserving and transporting them safely is a constant challenge. Traditional cryopreservation methods, while widely used, can reduce cell viability by up to 50% post-thaw and require costly, specialised equipment. Additionally, some biological materials, such as complex cell-based models, tissues, and blood products, cannot be frozen at all. This limitation creates a tight, inflexible, and high-wastage supply chain for fresh biosamples.
Atelerix has developed a patented hypothermic preservation technology that offers a cost-effective and sustainable alternative. Their gel-based solution extends the shelf life of fresh biosamples, allowing cells to maintain over 90% viability for up to 14 days at room temperature. Compared to traditional methods, this innovation reduces shipping costs by 50-80% while utilizing standard packaging instead of specialised cryogenic containers or hazardous dry ice.
The investment from o2h Ventures’ Human Health Knowledge-Intensive EIS Fund, alongside participation from ACF Investors, will enable Atelerix to expand sales and marketing efforts, targeting pharmaceutical companies, CROs, and CDMOs. This technology has the potential to streamline the supply chain for fresh biological products across the life sciences industry.
Sunil Shah, CEO of o2h Ventures, said:
“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 60% survival with dry ice. The cells were successfully regrown in India and are now thriving in experiments. With ideal shipping conditions, viability could be even higher. This is not the most scientific of tests, but still indicative that the tech works really well. In terms of cost savings, to ship cells normally on dry ice costs ~$2,500 while this would cost us approx ~$200. A huge saving and enough for me to get excited to lead the investment in this round and join the Board!”
Alastair Carrington, CEO of Atelerix, said:
“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.”
About Atelerix
Crafting shelf-stable science inspired by hedgehogs, Atelerix is the answer to the cryopreservation headache. With a gel that’s not just cool but doesn’t need to be cold, they’re setting cells, tissues, and viruses free from the icy grip of traditional storage and shipping methods. Welcome to the future of bioscience, where the storage is easy, and the cells are always fresh.
About Atelerix: www.atelerix.co.uk
About o2h Ventures
The o2h Ventures ‘Human Health’ SEIS and EIS funds make tax-efficient investments in pre-seed and seed-stage companies that address human disease: we fund the development of novel therapeutic treatments; we help build new services and tools offerings throughout the biotech ecosystem, and we spur the creation of software & artificial intelligence that will change healthcare.
The o2h team are leaders in the biotech community and have been actively involved as investors, holding various board/industry positions as well as being engaged in grassroots scientific activity for over 20 years. o2h Ventures operates from their proprietary 2.7 acre Mill SciTech Park where they are developing a unique model for incubating small life science companies.
For more information or to invest in the fund, please visit www.o2hventures.com