A spinout company from the University of Bath has raised more than £1 million in funding to help refine technology to transport vaccines without the use of refrigeration.
The founders of Ensilicated Technologies Ltd have developed a patented technology, known as ensilication, that 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 from -20ºC to 80ºC.
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.
The £1.2 million of funding was raised by Science Angel Syndicate (SAS) and the Fink Family Office with co-investment from QantX, Elbow Beach Capital, angel investors and Innovate UK.
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 $35bn, the network is expensive to operate and prone to failure, leading to significant levels of spoilage and waste.
According to the World Health Organization, around 50% of vaccines spoil and must be discarded as a result of such failures.
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 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 said: “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.”
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.”
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.”
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 life saving medications. We are delighted to be able to support the team on this mission”.
Alexander Fink and Richard Haycock will join Ensilicated Technologies board as investor directors representing Science Angel Syndicate/Fink Family Office and QantX respectively.
Lord Stanley Fink said: “The Fink Family office is proud to invest in EnsiliTech and our 7th female founder Asel.
“When validated and put to use, Ensilitechs technology has the potential to be used to deliver much-needed vaccines and other treatments to Africa, Parts of 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.
“There will also be a huge carbon saving for the Planet as Cold storage and transportation is a major contributor to Carbon emissions.”