EnsiliTech® and CPI Awarded Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Grant to Revolutionise Antibody Manufacturing with Cold-Chain Free Technology
Bristol, 6th March 2025 – EnsiliTech® and technology innovation centre CPI have been awarded prestigious funding from Innovate UK as part of the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation: Collaborative R&D competition of £1.4M. This funding will support the development and implementation of EnsiliTech’s groundbreaking Ensilication® technology, which aims to eliminate cold-chain dependence in the manufacturing and supply of antibody-based treatments.
Currently, many antibody medicines require ultra-cold storage to prevent molecular aggregation, a challenge that results in high costs, supply chain inefficiencies, and limited accessibility, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Ensilication technology addresses these challenges by stabilising antibodies at room temperature, significantly reducing product losses, cold-chain costs, and environmental impact.
“This grant from Innovate UK enables us to take a significant step toward making antibody therapies more accessible, sustainable, and cost-effective,” said Dr Asel Sartbaeva, co-founder and CEO of EnsiliTech. “By eliminating the need for expensive and complex cold-chain logistics, we can reduce waste, lower manufacturing costs, and expand global access to life-saving treatments.”
The project will also explore the potential patient benefits of Ensilicated antibody therapies. By enabling higher concentration formulations, Ensilication allows for subcutaneous rather than intravenous administration, making treatments more patient-friendly and reducing the burden on healthcare facilities. This shift could enable more therapies to be administered in community or home settings, improving patient convenience and reducing hospital dependency.
In collaboration with CPI, EnsiliTech will demonstrate the feasibility of integrating Ensilication into a monoclonal antibody production process, based upon Trastuzumab, used to treat breast and stomach cancers. A comprehensive cost-of-goods analysis will compare traditional cold-chain-dependent production with the innovative Ensilication approach, highlighting the economic and logistical advantages of the technology.
Farai Carter, Technical Lead at CPI, said: “We’re really excited to collaborate with EnsiliTech on this project to help harness the potential of using the Ensilication technology for long term storage of monoclonal antibodies to treat a variety of conditions. Monoclonal antibodies are complex molecules and the process of bringing them to market is costly, meaning very few companies are able to harness this potentially lifesaving and life-changing technology.”
“We will bring together formulation experts to support the development and scale up of EnsiliTech’s technology. Additionally, we will conduct an economic analysis and life cycle assessment of the process, to allow the sustainable formulation and development of monoclonal antibody therapeutics.”
By improving the stability and accessibility of antibody treatments, this project contributes to a more sustainable and equitable global healthcare system.
About EnsiliTech
EnsiliTech is a pioneering biotechnology company dedicated to enhancing the stability and accessibility of biopharmaceuticals through its proprietary Ensilication technology. EnsiliTech is a Bristol-based startup, which spun out from the University of Bath in July 2022. In December 2022, EnsiliTech had finalised a first, oversubscribed, pre-seed investment round of £1.2M/$1.5M. This consisted of an Innovate UK grant and private investment from Science Angels Syndicate, Fink Family Office, QantX, and angels.
About CPI
CPI catalyses the adoption of advanced technologies to drive sustainable manufacturing and pharmaceutical innovation. As a pioneering social enterprise within the UK Government’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult, we have supported over 1,000 companies—delivering more than 1,800 business support activities since 2012. With over £220m of innovation assets and state-of-the-art biologics and formulations facilities, our experts accelerate the development and scale-up of next-generation medicines, vaccines, and therapeutics. By working together, we create lasting global impact, making healthcare more accessible and sustainable.
Let’s innovate together: www.uk-cpi.com
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is the UK’s innovation agency. It works to create a better future by inspiring, involving and investing in businesses developing life-changing innovations. Its mission is to help companies to grow through their development and commercialisation of new products, processes and services, supported by an outstanding innovation ecosystem that is agile, inclusive and easy to navigate.
For further information, please visit www.ensilitech.com