Atelerix
Atelerix is a UK biotech that sells alginate-hydrogel kits enabling ambient-temperature storage and shipping of cells, tissues, viruses, and blood without cryopreservation, serving pharma, CROs, cell therapy developers, and advanced in vitro model companies through direct sales and an exclusive global distributor network.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersNewcastle, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Atelerix does
Atelerix Ltd is a UK-based biotechnology company that has developed a proprietary alginate-based hydrogel encapsulation technology enabling hypothermic preservation and ambient-temperature (4–25°C) storage and transport of living biological samples — cells, viruses, viral vectors, LNPs, leukapheresis products, tissues, organoids, spheroids, microtissues, and whole blood — without cryopreservation or cold-chain logistics. The technology, originated at Newcastle University and spun out in 2019, maintains over 90% cell viability for up to 14 days at room temperature and uses a xeno-free, seaweed-derived biopolymer. The company commercializes a portfolio of six trademarked kit products (CytoStor, LeukoStor, TissueReady Plus, STORganoid, WellReady, BloodReady, with BeadReady in earlier use) targeting pharma/biotech R&D, CROs, cell therapy developers, advanced in vitro model companies, and clinical research institutions, with documented enterprise validations from LV Prasad Eye Institute, DefiniGEN/Pixl Bio, Labcorp Drug Development, Johns Hopkins, and LabSkin.
The company is led by CEO Alastair Carrington and CSO/Co-founder Dr Steve Swioklo, holds ISO 9001:2015 certification, and is headquartered at The Biosphere on Newcastle Helix. Atelerix generates revenue through one-time kit sales via its own e-commerce storefront and through an expanding network of exclusive regional distribution partners covering China (MineBio), Middle East with local manufacturing (JH Health), Europe/North Africa (CliniSciences), North America (North Star Scientific), India (BioBench), and Central Europe (Scintila). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, but the company offers a money-back guarantee to new customers and free sample kits to drive adoption. Cumulative disclosed funding totals roughly £2.7m across multiple rounds from 2018–2025, with the most recent £750k seed round in January 2025 co-led by ACF Investors and o2h Ventures.
Atelerix firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Atelerix
- Legal name
- Atelerix Ltd
- Website
- https://atelerix.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Atelerix is a UK biotech that sells alginate-hydrogel kits enabling ambient-temperature storage and shipping of cells, tissues, viruses, and blood without cryopreservation, serving pharma, CROs, cell therapy developers, and advanced in vitro model companies through direct sales and an exclusive global distributor network.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Atelerix industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cell Preservation Products
- NAICS
- Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)
- SIC
- Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sample Preparation, Storage & Cryogenics (Freezers, Cryovials, Cryostats) (HLAGAIAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cell Therapy Manufacturing Services (GMP, autologous/allogeneic) (HLAAAKAC)
Keywords
Where Atelerix is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Newcastle
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Atelerix business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Product Sales: Atelerix generates revenue through direct sales of its hydrogel-based preservation products via its e-commerce platform and through distribution partners globally. Products include CytoStor, LeukoStor, TissueReady Plus, STORganoid, WellReady, and BloodReady, sold as kit formats for research and commercial applications.
- Distribution Partnerships: Revenue flows through exclusive distribution agreements with regional partners who purchase products for resale in their territories, including MineBio (China), CliniSciences (Europe/North Africa), and JH Health (Middle East).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Kit-based product pricing with money-back guarantee for new customers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels6 records
Atelerix product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Atelerix develops and manufactures proprietary alginate-based hydrogel encapsulation kits that preserve and transport living cells, tissues, viruses, viral vectors, and whole blood at ambient temperatures (4-25°C) without cryopreservation or dry ice. The product portfolio includes CytoStor, LeukoStor, TissueReady Plus, STORganoid, WellReady, and BloodReady, sold to pharmaceutical, biotech, CRO, and cell therapy customers.
Product overview
Atelerix offers a portfolio of six specialized hydrogel-based cell and tissue preservation products that enable ambient-temperature (4-25°C) storage and transport without cryopreservation. The core technology uses alginate-based hydrogel encapsulation to maintain cell viability for up to 14 days at room temperature. Product lineup includes: CytoStor for cells, viruses, and LNP-mRNA; LeukoStor for leukapheresis in cell therapy workflows; TissueReady Plus for biopsy and resection tissue; STORganoid and WellReady for 3D cell models (organoids, spheroids, microtissues); and BloodReady for whole blood preservation. The technology eliminates the need for dry ice, specialized cryogenic shipping, and ultra-low temperature freezers, reducing shipping costs by 50-80% per shipment.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CytoStor: Transport solution for cells, viruses, viral vectors and LNPs without cryopreservation - no dry ice required
- LeukoStor
- TissueReady Plus
- STORganoid
- WellReady
- BloodReady
- BeadReady
Products and services
- CytoStor™ Transport cells, viruses, viral vectors, and LNPs without cryopreservation using alginate-based hydrogel encapsulation at 4-25°C; no dry ice required. Encapsulates up to 10 million cells per tube.
- LeukoStor™
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 90% cell viability maintained for 14 days at room temperature
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Atelerix
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Atelerix technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Atelerix partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- JH Health LtdflagshipStrategic partnership granting exclusive rights to use and distribute Atelerix's portfolio of non-cryogenic preservation solutions in the Middle East. Agreement includes regional manufacturing capabilities, distribution channels, and financial support from JH Health, while Atelerix leads regulatory approvals with the Saudi Food and Drug Authority. Marks Atelerix's second major international expansion following China distribution deal.
- Cherry BiotechcorePartnership to integrate non-cryogenic transport solutions with advanced organoid models. The collaboration aims to enable extended transport at ambient or controlled temperatures, reducing reliance on cold-chain logistics and improving global distribution capabilities for organoids. Initial 12-month trial to validate technology performance for potential commercial deployment.
- LabskincorePartnership to enable long-distance transport of advanced in vitro skin models without cryopreservation. The agreement aims to broaden access, streamline logistics, and reduce variability associated with temperature-sensitive shipping of 3D tissue models. Labskin's full-thickness model can now be shipped beyond the previous 96-hour window while maintaining model structure.
- Rodon GlobalcorePartnership to integrate cryo-free preservation technology into specialist logistics solutions for drug discovery and clinical applications. Atelerix's non-cryogenic cell preservation technology is incorporated into Rodon Global's international freight and logistics services, enabling smarter, more sustainable solutions for researchers.
- CliniSciencescoreDistribution agreement with specialist life science and diagnostic labs distributor to broaden access to cryo-free preservation solutions across Europe and North Africa. New distribution channels expand global operational reach and market penetration.
- MineBioflagshipExclusive distribution agreement making MineBio the sole distribution partner for Atelerix products in China. MineBio, a leading Chinese supply chain and logistics organization specializing in gene and cell therapy, regenerative medicine, and biologics, will provide solutions to traditional cryopreservation challenges in the high-growth Chinese market.
- DefiniGENcoreCollaboration to ship in vitro cell models internationally without the need for freezing or cryopreservation. Successfully shipped iPSC-derived hepatocytes from UK to US fresh in assay-ready plates, eliminating cold chain logistics and enhancing functional assay quality.
- North Star ScientificcorePartnership to revolutionize life sciences in North America by distributing Atelerix's preservation technology. North Star Scientific serves as the distribution partner for the North American market.
- Scintila S.R.OminorDistribution agreement for Czech Republic and Slovakia. Scintila S.R.O distributes Atelerix products in the Central and Eastern European region.
- BioBench Solutions LLPminorDistribution agreement between Atelerix (UK) and BioBench Solutions LLP (India) for distribution of Atelerix products in the Indian market.
- ImmueOneminorCollaboration using WellReady technology to transport ImmueOne's ImmuPHAGE alveolar-like macrophages. Collaboration demonstrates robustness of in vitro models and enables successful shipping of cells for lung and immune research.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Atelerix competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BioLife Solutions: US-listed cell preservation and biopreservation tools company offering CryoStor and similar hypothermic/cryopreservation media for cell therapy and regenerative medicine. Direct competitor to Atelerix in cell and tissue preservation reagents, with much larger commercial footprint.
- Cryoport Systems: Specialized cold-chain logistics provider for life sciences, including cell therapy supply chains. Competitor in the biosample transport value chain where Atelerix positions its ambient-temperature solution as an alternative to Cryoport's cryogenic shipping infrastructure.
- STEMCELL Technologies: Canada-based developer of cell culture media, separation products, and instruments for life sciences research and cell therapy. Overlaps with Atelerix in cell preservation reagents and primary cell products used in drug discovery and regenerative medicine.
- CellGenix: Cell and gene therapy raw materials supplier offering manufacturing cytokines and cell processing reagents. Comparable to Atelerix in supplying critical ancillary materials and preservation solutions used in cell therapy manufacturing workflows.
Broad incumbents
- Miltenyi Biotec: Major life sciences tools company offering cell separation, culture, and processing products used in cell therapy and research. Overlaps with Atelerix in the broader cell preservation and processing workflow, though Miltenyi's portfolio is far broader.
- Lonza Group: Global cell and gene therapy CDMO and bioprocessing solutions provider. Comparable through its cell therapy manufacturing services and ancillary raw materials, representing a much larger incumbent serving similar pharma/biotech customers.
- Bio-Techne: Life sciences reagents and tools company with extensive cell culture, primary cell, and tissue product portfolios. Overlaps with Atelerix's customer base in academic and pharmaceutical research, including organoid and cell model workflows.
Emerging players
- Worthington Biochemical: Specialty supplier of cell isolation, tissue processing, and preservation enzymes and reagents. Comparable niche player in tissue and cell processing tools, serving overlapping research and cell therapy customers.
- Organoid Sciences: Niche providers in the organoid preservation and shipping space that compete for share of the same advanced in vitro model logistics market that Atelerix's STORganoid product targets.
Others
- Brooks Life Sciences: Sample management and cryogenic storage services provider for life sciences and biobanks. Adjacent infrastructure competitor in biosample storage and logistics, serving biopharma and research customers that also use cell preservation reagents.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Atelerix social profiles
Digital presenceAtelerix compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Atelerix financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Atelerix leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Atelerix funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Atelerix M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Atelerix
What does Atelerix do?
Atelerix develops and manufactures proprietary alginate-based hydrogel encapsulation kits that preserve and transport living cells, tissues, viruses, viral vectors, and whole blood at ambient temperatures (4-25°C) without cryopreservation or dry ice. The product portfolio includes CytoStor, LeukoStor, TissueReady Plus, STORganoid, WellReady, and BloodReady, sold to pharmaceutical, biotech, CRO, and cell therapy customers.
Is Atelerix a public or private company?
Atelerix is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Atelerix founded?
Atelerix was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Atelerix based?
Atelerix is headquartered in Newcastle, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Atelerix make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are distribution Partnerships.
Who are Atelerix's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BioLife Solutions, Cryoport Systems, STEMCELL Technologies and CellGenix. Broad incumbents are Miltenyi Biotec, Lonza Group and Bio-Techne. Emerging players are Worthington Biochemical and Organoid Sciences. Brooks Life Sciences is listed as an others.
Does Atelerix have an API?
No public API is recorded for Atelerix.
What industry is Atelerix in?
Atelerix's product category is Cell Preservation Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAJ, Sample Preparation, Storage & Cryogenics (Freezers, Cryovials, Cryostats), with a secondary code of HLAAAKAC, Cell Therapy Manufacturing Services (GMP, autologous/allogeneic). Its NAICS code is 339113 and its SIC code is 3841.