The Northern Accelerator partnership of Durham University and Newcastle University has helped set up Atelerix, a human cell storage developer.
Newcastle University has spun out Atelerix, a UK-based developer of human cell storage that relies on a gel made from seaweed, with the support of the Northern Accelerator.
The accelerator, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, was established in April 2017 by Newcastle and Durham universities to drive the creation of technology spinouts. It makes up to £25,000 ($33,000) available per project for commercialisation.
Atelerix is Northern Accelerator’s portfolio company. The aim is to generate 15 companies by October 2019.
Atelerix will market a seaweed-based hydrogel technology that can store and transport stem cells and cell-based assays at ambient temperatures of between 4 and 21 centigrade, allowing stem cell therapy to be conducted upon delivery.
The company hopes its design will supersede the cryo-shipping system currently preferred by stem cell labs, which typically requires cells to be frozen at extreme temperatures.
Atelerix also plans to partner regenerative medicine companies to develop a stem cell bandage for healing cornea damage, called StemGel, building on the specialist focus of one of Atelerix’s founders, Che Connon, professor of tissue engineering at Newcastle University’s Institute of Genetic Medicine.
Connon will be joined by his colleague, Stephen Swioklo, with whom he had previously conducted alginate hydrogel research that resulted in prototype stem cell plasters and bandages in 2016.
Connon said: “Cells are encapsulated by in situ formation of the gel for shipping in plates or vials, and can be rapidly released from the gel by the addition of a simple buffer.”
