Former Bath spin-out secures pre-seed funding for refrigeration free vaccine transportation project
24 Jan 2023
University of Bath spin-out, award-winning biopharmaceuticals company EnsiliTech has raised £1.2 million in pre-seed funding to aid the development of a pioneering refrigeration-free approach to transporting vaccines and other materials.
The company’s patented platform technology – ensilication – can be applied to biopharmaceuticals to make them safe and stable at room temperatures. Ensilication preserves the integrity of vaccines and other biological materials at temperatures that range from -20C to +80C.
Currently, most vaccines need to be stored at sub-zero temperatures, and some – such as the new mRNA Covid-19 vaccine – must be kept at ultra-low temperatures.
Biological products are shipped and stored using a 50-year-old global network of refrigerators and freezers known as the ‘cold chain'. With an annual running cost of £2 billion and the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates suggest around 50% of vaccines spoil must be discarded.
Co-founder and CEO of EnsiliTech, Dr Asil Sartbaeva commented: "Our goal is to make the transportation of vaccines and other life-saving biological materials more efficient and cost- effective, while also reducing the carbon footprint of this critical supply chain. We are thrilled to have the support of our investors as we work towards this mission."
This funding round was led by Science Angel Syndicate, the Fink Family office, with co-investment from Innovate UK QantX, Elbow Beach Capital and angel investors.
