Cellular Origins raises £29.8m to automate cell therapy production using mobile robotics
This article covers Cellular Origins, a Cambridge biotech startup and TTP Group spin-out, which has raised a £29.8m ($40m) oversubscribed Series A to accelerate automation for cell therapy manufacture. The funding aims to accelerate deployment of its Constellation automation platform to support scale-up of autologous and allogeneic cell therapy manufacturing, addressing labour, reproducibility and capacity challenges for startups and biopharmaceutical manufacturers.
Cellular Origins, a Cambridge biotech startup and TTP Group spin-out, has raised a £29.8m ($40m) oversubscribed Series A to accelerate automation for cell therapy manufacture. The funding comes as biopharma companies push to move autologous and allogeneic therapies beyond clinical batches, and signals renewed investor interest in manufacturing platforms that reduce labour and increase reproducibility.
Why it matters
Cell therapies are moving from experimental to commercial stages, but production remains labour intensive and fragmented across multiple unit operations. That creates cost, capacity and reproducibility challenges that limit patient access. Cellular Origins says its approach reduces those bottlenecks by linking third party process steps with robotic automation and sterile welding, aiming to provide a route from clinical processes to higher-volume manufacture without reworking therapies.
The Series A also highlights a wave of capital targeting manufacturing automation for advanced therapies, as pharmaceutical companies seek partners that can deliver dependable, space-efficient production systems at scale.
Inside the product
Cellular Origins sells the Constellation platform, described as an ecosystem that combines mobile robotics and automated sterile welding with established bioprocess instruments. The company says Constellation is designed to connect existing unit operations so companies do not need to redevelop process chemistries or protocols. That modular approach intends to preserve biological performance while improving throughput and facility utilisation.
The business lists market partners and customers including Cytiva, Fresenius Kabi, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Wilson Wolf. These firms supply equipment, consumables and services used across bioprocessing; their involvement indicates Constellation is intended to integrate with proven instruments rather than replace them.
Planned uses of the new funds include expanding the commercial team to serve firms with late-stage and commercial therapies, integrating a broader range of unit operations into the platform, and building systems and infrastructure for larger-scale manufacturing and services.
Who are the investors?
The £29.8m ($40m) Series A was led by Johnson & Johnson through its corporate venture arm Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. Participating investors include Highland Europe, BGF, NYBC Ventures and TTP Group. The syndicate combines corporate venture capital, growth and regional investment bodies and the company’s incubator parent.
The announcement frames the round as backing from investors with experience across life sciences, manufacturing automation and scaling global businesses. That mix matches Cellular Origins’ stated ambition to move from prototype deployments to broad commercial rollout where large pharmaceutical partners and contract manufacturers require robust supply chains and predictable production.
In the announcement, Laurence Garrett, General Partner, Highland Europe, said:
Cellular Origins is yet another wonderful spin-out from TTP Group, who have a tremendous track record of success. As a leader in the robotics market and scalable cell therapy manufacturing, Cellular Origins will have a crucial and essential role to play in the commercialisation of cellular therapeutics. We are delighted to be investing in this round and involved with the team as they build the systems and infrastructure needed to meet global demand.
In the announcement, Sam Hyde, CEO, TTP Group, said:
This investment is a strong endorsement of the Cellular Origins team and of TTP Group’s track record in creating and growing impactful new businesses. Conceived to meet a critical need in advanced therapy manufacturing, the Constellation platform has the potential to transform cell therapy production, and we are proud to continue to support Cellular Origins as it enters this next phase of growth.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Edwin Stone, CEO, Cellular Origins, said:
This fundraise is a pivotal milestone in our mission to industrialise cell therapy manufacturing. The support from our investors is a strong endorsement of both our technology and the urgent need for scalable, automated solutions in this space. It recognises the progress that Cellular Origins, its partners and customers have collectively made towards enabling access to cell therapies at scale. This investment gives us access to the capital and networks to drive our next phase of growth. Through this fundraise we will accelerate the development and deployment of our robotic platform to help make life-saving cell therapies more accessible, reliable, and affordable.
Stone’s comments reiterate the company’s focus on enabling commercial manufacture rather than continuing to sell purely early-stage or pilot automation. The roadmap announced alongside the round prioritises commercial hires and additional unit operation integrations that would make Constellation applicable to a broader set of therapy modalities.
The bigger picture
The financing sits at the intersection of two trends in the UK and Europe: increased corporate venture interest in life sciences manufacturing and a push from biopharma to de-risk the path from clinic to commercial supply. For UK biotech investors and corporate partners, platforms that reduce labour intensity and integrate with established bioprocess equipment are becoming attractive targets as demand for advanced therapies grows.
Cellular Origins’ backers and partner list suggest the market is now rewarding companies that combine robotics, process integration and compatibility with existing instrument ecosystems. As the UK and European advanced therapies sector scales, the ability to industrialise manufacturing will be an important determinant of which therapies reach patients at commercial volumes.
They've invested in Cellular Origins
Get to know these biotech investors
| Investor | Sector | Stage | Activity | Team | Connect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC | 1 investment investment | more info | |||
 Highland Capital Partners | 6 investments investments | 14 contacts contacts | |||
 BGF | 45 investments investments | 2 contacts contacts | |||
 NYBC Ventures | 2 investments investments | more info | |||
 TTP Group | 1 investment investment | more info |
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