LifeCellsNI raises £590,000 pre-seed to build Northern Ireland’s first HTA-licensed cryogenic biobank
This article covers LifeCellsNI, a stem cell storage and biobanking biotech startup that has raised £590,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by The AMP Angel Syndicate to build Northern Ireland’s first Human Tissue Authority (Human Applications) licensed stem cell storage and contingency biobank facility. The development aims to provide locally regulated HTA-licensed cryogenic storage, cleanroom processing and contingency biobanking for families preserving cord blood, Health Trusts, universities and private life sciences startups, reducing logistical complexity and supporting regional participation in advanced therapy and regenerative medicine research.
LifeCellsNI, a stem cell storage and biobanking biotech startup, has raised £590,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by The AMP Angel Syndicate to build Northern Ireland’s first Human Tissue Authority (Human Applications) licensed stem cell storage and contingency biobank facility. The funding will be used to complete cleanroom installation, progress commissioning and validation, obtain HTA licensing and start operations in 2026.
Why it matters
Northern Ireland currently lacks locally regulated long-term infrastructure for stem cells and therapeutic tissues, forcing patients, clinics and research organisations to send biological material to mainland UK facilities. A locally based, HTA-licensed facility reduces logistical complexity, preserves chain-of-custody and lowers operational overhead for healthcare providers and life sciences organisations that need compliant storage and processing for advanced therapies and regenerative medicine research.
The new facility is intended to serve a range of users — families preserving cord blood, Health Trusts, universities and private life sciences companies — without each organisation needing to invest in its own cleanroom and storage infrastructure.
Inside the product
LifeCellsNI is building a regulated cryogenic storage and laboratory processing hub. Planned services include HTA-licensed long-term cryogenic storage, controlled laboratory processing within a cleanroom environment, secure chain-of-custody and compliant cold-chain logistics. The company also plans to offer fee-for-service access to licensed laboratory and cleanroom infrastructure and contingency biobanking for healthcare providers, universities and commercial customers.
The company says governance will be separated between patient or family-owned samples and research or commercial services. Cleanroom installation is underway; commissioning, validation and licensing milestones are scheduled ahead of an April 2026 operational launch, with storage activities due to begin in August 2026. LifeCellsNI aims to be the first facility of its kind on the island of Ireland.
Who are the investors?
The round was led by The AMP Angel Syndicate, with participation from Co‑Fund III managed by Clarendon Fund Managers, bringing the total to £590,000. The AMP Growth Incubator also played a role in the company’s development: LifeCellsNI was incubated within that ecosystem.
Investors are backing an infrastructure play that addresses a clear regional gap — regulated HTA‑licensed storage and processing capacity — rather than a single therapeutic or diagnostic product.
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Founder perspective
Catherine King founded LifeCellsNI to address the absence of regulated stem cell storage infrastructure in Northern Ireland. In the announcement, Catherine King, Founder & CEO at LifeCellsNI, said:
Infrastructure determines participation. If a region lacks regulated biobanking capability, it limits its ability to engage fully in advanced therapy programmes and regenerative medicine research. We are building that missing piece. The facility is designed, not only to serve families preserving cord blood, but also to support Health Trusts, Universities and Private Life Sciences Companies requiring compliant storage and processing capability without investing in their own infrastructure.
The company has also received non-equity support from Invest Northern Ireland, the Founder Labs Pre Accelerator Programme, the Health Innovation Research Alliance North Ireland (HIRANI) and Derry City and Strabane District Council.
The bigger picture
The LifeCellsNI raise highlights a practical trend in biotech: investors are looking beyond molecules to the infrastructure that enables clinical development and commercialisation of advanced therapies. Local, regulated biobanking capacity can be a gating factor for regional participation in clinical trials and regenerative medicine programmes. For Northern Ireland and the wider island of Ireland, an HTA‑licensed facility reduces friction for research and patient services and keeps more of the related economic activity local.
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