BioOrbit, a pharmaceutical manufacturing startup, has raised £9.8 million in a seed round co-led by LocalGlobe and Breega, with participation from Auxxo, Seedcamp, Type One, 7 percent and angels. It is developing a platform that uses microgravity to manufacture biological drugs at scale in orbit, enabling new formulations not achievable on Earth.
Using a proprietary microgravity crystallisation process, BioOrbit transforms protein-based drugs into highly ordered crystalline forms. High-concentration antibody therapies are often too viscous for self-administration, but this approach enables injectable formats that patients can administer at home, reducing reliance on intravenous delivery in clinical settings. The system is delivered through BOX, a compact, modular and autonomous manufacturing unit deployed in microgravity, designed to move crystallisation from one-off experiments to industrial-scale production.
Currently, 70% of the highest-grossing drugs globally are administered intravenously in clinical settings. BioOrbit is using the microgravity environment in Low-Earth Orbit to reformulate these treatments as subcutaneous, self-injectable therapies, with the aim of shifting treatments, including cancer care, from hospital to home.
The capital will support the transition to industrial deployment, converting microgravity research into contracted pharmaceutical programmes. To support this phase, BioOrbit has appointed Molly Mulligan as President of BioOrbit Inc. and Ken Savin as Chief Science Officer, bringing experience across pharmaceutical development and microgravity research.
BioOrbit has received letters of interest from major pharmaceutical companies and is engaging with the NHS, the UK Space Agency, the MHRA, the Regulatory Innovation Office and the CAA on regulatory development for in-space pharmaceutical manufacturing.
This is a huge step-change in drug delivery and economics. Our focus from day one has been scale, moving beyond experimental results to industrial production, where no existing solution has succeeded. We are now enabling the creation of more perfect, highly ordered crystals that unlock drug formulations not achievable on Earth. It is a paradigm shift for cancer therapies and for the pharmaceutical industry at large, as we’re enabling manufacturing at scale in orbit for the first time.
BioOrbit turns space into pharmaceutical infrastructure. By using microgravity to create drug formulations that aren’t possible on Earth, they can shift cancer treatment from hospital to home. This is a fundamental rewrite of how medicines are manufactured and delivered. We’re proud to partner with Dr Katie King and Dr Leonor Teles as they build the future of medicine.
We couldn't think of a better use of space than to advance cancer treatments. Katie and Leonor are building a world-class team to harness the unique properties up there that are irreproducible on Earth - we're excited to see them make this a reality.
