LifeCellsNI, a stem cell storage and biobanking startup, has raised £590,000 in a pre-seed round led by The AMP Angel Syndicate, with participation from Co-Fund III managed by Clarendon Fund Managers. The funding will support the establishment of Northern Ireland’s first dedicated Human Tissue Authority (Human Applications) licensed stem cell storage and contingency biobank facility.
The Londonderry-based company is developing a fully regulated cryogenic storage and laboratory processing hub designed to operate under HTA governance frameworks. Northern Ireland currently lacks locally regulated long-term storage infrastructure for stem cells and therapeutic tissues, requiring patients, clinics and research organisations to ship biological material to mainland United Kingdom facilities.
LifeCellsNI will provide HTA-licensed long-term cryogenic storage, controlled laboratory processing within a cleanroom environment, secure chain-of-custody and compliant cold-chain logistics, and fee-for-service access to licensed laboratory and cleanroom infrastructure. It will also offer contingency biobanking services for healthcare providers, universities and private companies. The company operates with governance separation between patient or family-owned samples and research or commercial services.
Cleanroom installation is currently underway, with commissioning, validation and licensing milestones planned ahead of a 2026 operational launch. LifeCellsNI will be the first facility of its kind on the island of Ireland, with launch planned for April 2026 and storage activities commencing in August 2026.
Founder and CEO Catherine King established LifeCellsNI to address a gap in regulated stem cell storage infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The company was incubated within The AMP Growth Incubator ecosystem and has received support from Invest Northern Ireland, Founder Labs Pre Accelerator Programme, Health Innovation Research Alliance North Ireland (HIRANI) and Derry City and Strabane District Council.
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.
