Company Directory

Global viral vector CDMO for cell and gene therapy

Oxford Biomedica (OXB) is a global contract development and manufacturing organisation specialising in viral vectors for cell and gene therapy. The company provides lentiviral, adeno-associated virus (AAV), and adenoviral vector development and manufacturing services from early-stage process development through to commercial-scale GMP manufacture. OXB is headquartered in Oxford and operates manufacturing sites across Oxfordshire, France, and the United States.

Automated bioreactor platform for cell and gene therapy manufacturing

microfluidX is a UK instruments company developing automated bioprocessing platforms for cell and gene therapy research and manufacturing. Its core product is a microfluidics-based bioreactor system designed for parallel cell culture process development and scalable cell expansion. The platform integrates online process analytical tools and data analytics and is intended to support the development and manufacture of autologous cell and gene therapies from research scale through to clinical and commercial production.

Silica encapsulation platform eliminating cold chain for biologics

EnsiliTech is a biotechnology company developing ensilication, a patented platform technology that encases vaccines, antibodies, and other biologics within a silica matrix to render them thermally stable without refrigeration. The technology is applicable to existing and new biopharmaceutical formulations, enabling storage and transport at temperatures up to 50°C. EnsiliTech is developing applications across vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapeutics, with partners including the Centre for Process Innovation.

Microbially produced leather alternative for luxury fashion

Replica Biomaterials is an industrial biotechnology company developing sustainable leather alternatives using engineered microbes. Its fermentation-based platform grows microbial biomaterials that are animal-free and petrochemical-free, with built-in customisable colour, eliminating the tanning and dyeing processes associated with conventional leather production. Products are designed for the luxury fashion industry. The company is supported by Innovate UK and the Science Creates accelerator.

Microbial platform converting organic waste into biofuels and bioresources

Biofuel Evolution is an industrial biotechnology company developing a platform integrating microbial consortia, bioelectrochemical systems, and data analytics to convert food and organic waste into biofuels and bio-based products. Designed for decentralised deployment in process industries, the system maps waste stream composition using AI-driven tools to optimise microbial bioprocesses across seasonal and site-specific variations. The company is developing a small-scale prototype with support from an Innovate UK grant, in collaboration with Newcastle University and UCL.

Pharmaceutical formulation development and clinical manufacturing services

SGS Quay Pharma is a contract development and manufacturing organisation providing formulation development, analytical services, and clinical trial manufacturing for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The company specialises in dosage form design for APIs with challenging solubility and bioavailability profiles, and in modified and controlled release formulations. Operating from a MHRA and FDA-approved facility in North Wales, it supports clients from preclinical stage through to Phase III and commercial manufacture.

Agri-tech and bioscience innovation campus in mid Wales

AberInnovation is a BBSRC and Welsh Government-funded innovation campus providing research facilities, business support and accelerator programmes for companies in agri-tech, food and drink and industrial biotechnology. The campus operates five specialist centres covering biorefining, future foods, analytical science, seed biobanking and innovation, and runs the BioAccelerate programme for early-stage bioscience ventures. Part of Aberystwyth University, the campus is co-located with the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences.

Global supplier of instruments, reagents and services for life science research

Thermo Fisher Scientific is a global life science company operating across 26 UK sites with more than 5,000 employees. Its UK operations span analytical instruments, laboratory reagents and consumables, CDMO services for sterile and biologic drug manufacturing, anatomical pathology products, chromatography consumables, and clinical trial logistics. The company serves pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic research institutions, hospitals and clinical diagnostic laboratories.

Specialist CRO for inhaled and nasal drug product development

Nanopharm is a contract research organisation specialising in the development of orally inhaled and nasal drug products, providing formulation development, materials characterisation, analytical testing, and in vitro and in silico modelling services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients. The company supports development from preclinical through to cGMP clinical stages, including regulatory strategy. Its proprietary platform enables bioequivalence demonstration for generic inhalation products without comparative clinical endpoint studies.

Robotic automation platform for scalable cell therapy manufacturing

Cellular Origins is a biotechnology company developing robotic automation systems for the industrial-scale manufacture of cell therapies. Its platform uses mobile robotics and automated sterile fluidic interconnection to link existing bioprocess instruments into fully automated, GMP-compliant manufacturing workflows. The platform is designed to scale production without requiring therapy redevelopment or process change. Cellular Origins partners with cell therapy developers and equipment manufacturers including Cytiva, Fresenius Kabi and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Microbial fermentation platforms for sustainable commodity chemicals

C3 Biotechnologies is a UK industrial biotechnology company engineering microbial strains and fermentation processes to convert waste carbon streams into bio-based commodity chemicals and sustainable fuels. Operating from a pilot plant in Stockport, the company uses synthetic biology and continuous fermentation under non-sterile conditions to produce drop-in alternatives to petrochemicals, including sustainable aviation fuel and acrylic glass precursors. Customers include defence organisations and industrial manufacturers seeking low-carbon supply chains.

Microgravity-based CDMO platform for crystallisation of biologic drugs

BioOrbit is a biotech developing a proprietary hardware platform for the crystallisation of protein-based biologic drugs in low Earth orbit. The company exploits the absence of gravity-driven convection in microgravity to produce larger, more uniform protein crystals than ground-based methods allow, enabling high-concentration, low-viscosity formulations suitable for subcutaneous delivery. It is targeting monoclonal antibodies as its primary application, with its first orbital payload delivered in 2024.