Business & Technology
BioOrbit raises GBP £9.8 million for drugmaking in space
BioOrbit has raised £9.8 million in seed funding for in-space pharmaceutical manufacturing, which it describes as the sector’s largest seed round to date.
The London-founded company will use the funding to scale production of biological drug crystals in microgravity and move those programmes into commercial work with drugmakers. It says the approach could help convert some intravenous medicines into self-injectable treatments for home use.
The round was co-led by LocalGlobe and Breega, with backing from Auxxo, Seedcamp, Type One, 7 percent and angel investors. BioOrbit was founded by Dr Katie King and Dr Leonor Teles and is focused on using low-Earth orbit as a manufacturing environment for pharmaceutical products.
Manufacturing model
Much of its pitch centres on treatment delivery economics. According to BioOrbit, 70% of the world’s highest-grossing drugs are still administered intravenously in clinical settings, and reformulating some of them for subcutaneous use could shift more care away from hospitals.
Its manufacturing system, BOX, is a compact autonomous unit designed to carry out crystallisation in microgravity. The hardware is intended to move the process from experimental work to larger-scale production, with the resulting crystals returned to Earth for use in drug formulations.
The company is focused on antibody therapies, which can be difficult to adapt for self-administration because high-concentration formulations are often too viscous for injection outside a clinic. BioOrbit says its microgravity crystallisation process produces highly ordered crystalline forms of protein-based drugs, creating formulations not achievable on Earth.
Clinical impact
That is relevant in areas such as cancer treatment, where therapies often require regular hospital visits for infusions. BioOrbit says a shift to home use could cut drug-related hospital expenses by as much as 90%, since treatment would no longer need to be administered in a clinical setting.
The funding will also support an expansion of BioOrbit’s leadership team as it moves from research into commercial execution. The company has appointed Dr Molly Mulligan as President of BioOrbit Inc and Dr Ken Savin as Chief Science Officer.
Dr Mulligan has worked at the intersection of pharmaceuticals and space for more than a decade and was involved in the first pharmaceutical royalty agreement conducted in orbit. Dr Savin brings experience from Eli Lilly and later roles in International Space Station research and commercialisation at CASIS and Redwire.
BioOrbit is also working with UK bodies including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Regulatory Innovation Office and the Civil Aviation Authority on regulatory questions around pharmaceutical production in space.
Investor view
The company says it has drawn interest from the NHS and the UK Space Agency and has secured letters of interest from large pharmaceutical groups, although it did not identify those companies or disclose terms.
Dr Katie King, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BioOrbit, said: “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.”
Julia Hawkins, General Partner at Phoenix Court, said: “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.”
Vallin, Breega, said: “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.”
Tim Peake said: “BioOrbit is turning bold imagination into real-world progress, pioneering the future by using exciting innovations in crystallisation of protein drugs in space to improve life on Earth. Their record-breaking seed round demonstrates the real market potential of what space-manufacturing can bring.”
Lord David Willetts, Chair of the UK Space Agency, said: “Manufacturing in space is one of the big new opportunities opening up as launch costs fall and robotics advance. BioOrbit is an exciting British start-up well-placed to take advantage of this, with innovations in the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies.”
Lloyd said: “In-orbit manufacturing is a priority capability for this government, and BioOrbit is a compelling example of what UK innovation looks like in practice. By harnessing the unique environment of space to make pharmaceutical-grade materials, BioOrbit is advancing the UK’s position in the global space economy and could transform outcomes for cancer patients. This funding round is a strong signal of international confidence in UK space manufacturing expertise, and I look forward to seeing BioOrbit take this science to the next stage.”
The innovative farm, home to 28 Dutch Meuse-Rhine-Issel cows, was established in May 2019 by Peter and Minke van Wingerden in the Port of Rotterdam.
Jeremy Clarkson visited the farm last year on Clarkson’s Farm and demanded Britain builds floating farms across the country’s docks in a bid to protect the environment.
The ex-Top Gear presenter suggested the idea be taken up in cities such as London, Liverpool and Manchester.
He wrote in the Sunday Times after visiting: “I was there with Kaleb, who thought he knew all about cow farming. But he was stunned by this.
“Peter and his wife, Minke, have also opened a farm shop. It’s just like the one we have at Diddly Squat; he even has a neighbour who writes to the council every day urging them to close it down.
“I left the floating farm, genuinely surprised by the elegant simplicity of it all.”
Conceived as a futuristic solution for sustainable food production, the farm operates independently of traditional land-based farming, featuring on-site facilities for feeding, milking, slurry, and dairy production.
Despite its popularity and the interest it garnered from hundreds of thousands of visitors globally, the farm is now being sold due to running out of permission to stay in the port and what the owners describe as “ridiculous outdated demands”.
Owner Peter van Wingerden explained that the city and port’s plans to redevelop the area for residential housing were the initial reasons for the farm’s impending closure.
However, regulatory complications added to the decision to sell.
Around two years ago, the farm encountered issues with its specially designed low-emissions floor, which started to bulge, causing problems for both the cows and a robotic scraper.
The owners replaced it with another low-emissions floor made in Germany, which, despite the farm’s regular emissions monitoring showing compliance with optimum levels, was not certified in the Netherlands.
As a result, Rijnmond Environmental Service, known as DCMR, sanctioned the farm.
Despite the farm’s emissions remaining within permissible limits, the lack of certification for the new floor led to sanctions.
This prompted the owners to opt for selling the cows and the farm, which can be relocated globally.
Producing approximately 600 litres of milk daily, the farm’s high-protein, butterfat-rich milk is primarily processed into milk, yoghurt, and cheese.
The floating farm was not just a novelty but a pioneering initiative in sustainable urban farming, highlighting the potential for food production in non-traditional environments.
However, the closure underscores the challenges faced by such innovative ventures in navigating regulatory landscapes.
SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO
News Editor
Urban Jungle has partnered with IKEA to launch home insurance for IKEA customers in the UK, marking IKEA’s first insurance partnership in the British market.
The range includes contents insurance, buildings insurance, and combined buildings and contents cover, with contents policies starting at £60 a year. Policies are available through IKEA’s website and price comparison sites, and customers can change or cancel cover without a fee.
The launch gives IKEA a new service category beyond home furnishings as retailers look for additional revenue streams and closer customer relationships. For Urban Jungle, the deal expands its white-label insurance model with a major consumer brand.
Contents cover offers protection of up to £120,000 and is aimed at renters, flatshares, students, and other households. Buildings insurance provides up to £1 million of cover as standard, with optional extras including accidental damage, home emergency, out-of-home cover, and legal expenses.
The companies are entering the market as underinsurance remains an issue in the UK, particularly among renters. Urban Jungle said only 57% of private renters currently have contents insurance.
Founded in 2016, Urban Jungle has served more than 300,000 customers in the UK across home and travel insurance. It sells directly to consumers and through partnerships with other brands.
Retail push
The agreement also broadens IKEA’s “life at home” services offer in the UK, which already includes home move and set-up services and a branded credit card. The insurance product is positioned as part of that wider push into services linked to household needs.
Insurance sold through retail and affinity partnerships has become a more established route to market for specialist providers, particularly in home, travel, and embedded finance products. These arrangements allow retailers to offer adjacent services without building their own regulated insurance operations from scratch.
Jimmy Williams, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Urban Jungle, said the deal was a significant milestone for the company.
“We are delighted to partner with IKEA, and this marks a significant milestone in Urban Jungle’s mission. We believe in fair insurance for everyone, and by joining forces with IKEA, we can bring our technology-driven, AI-powered, accessible home insurance to an even wider audience. We are proud to be the first insurance provider to collaborate with IKEA in the UK, offering insurance that truly puts the customer first,” he said.
IKEA said the product forms part of its effort to support customers beyond furnishing purchases.
“IKEA’s mission is to create a better everyday life for the many people, and that extends to feeling secure and protected in your home. By partnering with Urban Jungle, we are bringing a simple, functional, and affordable home insurance product to our customers, ensuring they have peace of mind that their homes and belongings are protected. As part of our wider life at home services offer, this partnership helps us support customers beyond home furnishing, making everyday life at home a little easier,” said Callum Leavy, Country Customer Experience Manager, IKEA UK.
New store DartSmart set up shop in unit 14 of Templars Square Shopping Centre, Cowley, with a grand opening event on Saturday, August 1.
The small, family-run business has been launched by Dwaine Jackson, an avid player who wanted to create Oxfordshire’s ‘new home of darts’.
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He is supported by his wife, Jay, who helped setting up the store while on maternity leave with their nine-month-old son, from her job as a personal assistant.
Mr Jackson said: “I have a passion for darts and I play regularly in the local Oxford leagues, but I noticed I needed to travel out of Oxford for accessories, or order online with delivery costs and longer wait times.
“So, I wanted to bring an accessible darts shop central to Oxford and surrounding towns to fulfil the needs of the local dart players.”
DartSmart sells premium equipment and accessories for all levels, for beginners to professionals, stocking major brands.
It also offers a trade discount for pubs, clubs and league venues, to support the sport the owner loves so much, and has two dedicated oches so customers can try before they buy.
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A spokesperson for Templars Square Shopping Centre said: “Whether you’re inspired by world-class players like Luke Littler or picking up your first set of darts, DartSmart has everything you need to enjoy the game, from darts and dartboards to flights, shafts and cases.
“Pop in and give them a warm Templars Square welcome.”
DartSmart is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 6pm, and until 4pm on Sundays.
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