Ensilicated Technologies raises £1.2m to develop technology that eliminates need for vaccine refrigeration
EnsiliTech makes transportation of vaccines more efficient and cost-effective
WHO estimates that 50% of all vaccines currently wasted in transport
Current antiquated vaccine supply chain costs £28bn to run annually
Round led by Science Angel Syndicate and Fink Family Office
Support from QantX, Elbow Beach Capital, angel investors and Innovate UK
Bristol, 17th January 2023 - EnsiliTech, the award-winning biopharmaceuticals company 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 both existing and new 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 -20 °C to +80 °C. 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 £28bn, the network is expensive to operate and prone to failure, leading to significant levels of spoilage and waste – around half of vaccines must be discarded as a result of such failures, denying millions of people around the world access to potentially life-saving products. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 50% of vaccines spoil and must be discarded as a result of such failures.
Reducing our dependence on refrigeration
EnsiliTech's technology has the potential to greatly improve the distribution of vaccines and other biological materials in developing countries, where access to reliable refrigeration can be a major barrier to healthcare. It could also have a significant impact on the global effort to combat the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, by enabling the rapid and safe distribution of vaccines to communities in need.
Using ensilication, tiny layers of an inorganic material are applied to the vaccine or other biological material to render it stable outside the fridge or freezer. The technology uses silica - the material sand is made from - to create individual, protective ‘cages’ around the active ingredients. These cages keep the biological material within it intact, meaning its properties won’t change regardless of variations in outside temperature or humidity.
Silica is biocompatible, inert and cheap. When the vaccine or other biological material is ready to be administered, the silica cage cracks open and falls away, leaving the active ingredient in its pure, safe, fully functional form.
Co-founder and CEO of EnsiliTech, Dr. Asel 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 for University of Bath spin-out, EnsiliTech was led by Science Angel Syndicate and the Fink Family Office with co-investment from QantX, Elbow Beach Capital, angel investors and Innovate UK.
Commenting, Dr Johnathan Matlock, director and co-founder of SAS, said: “EnsiliTech has a unique platform that is applicable to a broad range of vaccines and other biologics that could revolutionise how we think about the distribution of these important therapeutics. Asel and Aswin and the rest of the EnsiliTech team have deep expertise in inorganic silica chemistry that gives them a unique edge. Supported by strong proof-of-concept data across a range of potential assets, EnsiliTech is well positioned to engage with industry partners even at this early stage of their life cycle.”
Commenting, Lord Stanley Fink said: “The Fink Family office is proud to invest in EnsiliTech and our seventh female founder, Asel. When validated and put to use, EnsiliTech’s technology has the potential to be used to deliver much needed vaccines and other treatments to Africa, rural Asia and large parts of the world that don’t have the infrastructure to cope with the Mobile Cold Storage required for many modern treatments, not forgetting the huge cost savings on refrigeration that currently cost the Pharmaceutical industry many billions of pounds a year. There will also be a huge carbon saving for the planet as cold storage and transportation is a major contributor to carbon emissions”.
Commenting, Richard Haycock, co-founder and CEO of QantX, said: “We’ve seen from recent years the incredible need for a globally coordinated response to infectious diseases and the inequality of capability between nations. EnsiliTech is on a journey to solve this problem and help ensure all countries are able to safely transport and store lifesaving medications. We are delighted to be able to support the team on this mission.”
Co-founder and CTO of EnsiliTech, Dr. Aswin Doekhie added: “We express our immense gratitude to all parties that made this investment a reality. Our technology has vast applicability across the biopharmaceutical space where we can deliver impactful improvements. This investment will allow us to develop robust products that have enhanced stability, longer shelf life and do not require continuous refrigeration.”
EnsiliTech is a member of Spin Up Science Ventures accelerator program. EnsiliTech’s growth, and its regulatory and commercial plans, have been further catalysed by taking part in the Innovation to Commercialisation of University Research (ICURe) programme, the Enterprise Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Pioneer LAUNCH programme and SETsquared Scale-up programme, and winning Emerging Technologies Competition from the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Alexander Fink and Richard Haycock will join the EnsiliTech board as investor directors with Alexander representing Science Angel Syndicate and the Fink Family Office and Richard representing QantX.
*Risk disclaimer: Investment in early-stage companies involves risks such as illiquidity, lack of dividends, loss of investment and dilution. For professional investors only.
Public relations enquiries
Dr Johnathan Matlock, Director
johnathan@scienceangelsyndicate.com
Background: The vaccine cold chain was established in the 1970s with the rise of the Extended Programme of Immunisation by WHO, with the aim of vaccinating all children around the world and eradicating some vaccine-preventable diseases. While hugely successful in reaching up to 90% of infants in rich countries, vaccination rates are as low as 10% for some poorest countries. The vaccine cold chain is costly, wasteful and after 50 years has become an obsolete technology, requiring an overhaul on how biologicals are stored and transported.
About EnsiliTech
Ensilicated Technologies Ltd is a biotech spinout company dedicated to developing and commercialising innovative technologies for room-temperature stable biopharmaceuticals. Our mission is to democratise access to therapeutics and biologicals by making them room-temperature stable. In this way, it will be easier to store and transport them, and will remove barriers to their availability.
About Science Angel Syndicate
Science Angel Syndicate was founded in 2021 with a mission to source world-class scientific discoveries, provide unique scientific due diligence and help our members to identify exceptional investment opportunities that tackle the most important global challenges. Our collective knowledge helps our members invest in the most exciting companies of tomorrow, founded by leading scientists at the forefront of their fields.
About Fink Family Office
The Fink Family office is a single-family office run by Lord Stanley Fink. Fink, a conservative peer, was the CEO of the largest listed hedge fund Man Group between 2000-2007. The Family Office invests in early-stage venture capital around 5 core areas Fintech, Life Sciences/ Deep Tech, EdTech, PropTech and Impact.
About QantX
QantX is a South West focussed venture capital firm investing in globally impactful innovations in Modern Healthcare, Zero Carbon, and Digital Technology. Founded with the goal of providing governance, guidance, and global connections alongside capital to drive growth for startups and University spin outs in the region.
Learn more about QantX here: https://qantx.co.uk/
