Oxford University linked UK de-aging firm in £2.7m collapse

Liquidators for OxStem Limited, which was based on Park End Street in Oxford, has asked for those who claim to be owed money by the firm to prove their debts by June 19.

In particular this call is aimed at ‘unsecured creditors’, meaning an individual or business which has loaned money without taking collateral to secure the debt.

READ MORE: Award-winning UK housebuilder collapses with £1.4m owed and jobs lost

In the latest document on Companies House (dated to May 2025) these are estimated at totalling £15,448, but a further claim worth over £3m from Oxford University is reportedly subject to arbitration proceedings.

This follows the collapse of the company which once raised £16.9m in order to fight age-related conditions such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s.

First founded in 2014, the biotech firm announced the almost £17m investment in 2016, with it representing a record amount for a UK academic spinout – a company designed to commercialise research – at the time.

OxStem was based at Park End Street (Image: Google Maps)

According to Fierce Biotech – which reported on the investment – this followed other firms which were looking to ‘cure old age’, with the money going towards developing small-molecule drugs that can activate repair mechanisms that already exist within the body.

Among those cited as founders of the firm were several Oxford University scientists including Professor Steve Davies and Professor Angela Russell.

Both individuals are associated with the Department of Chemistry.

Professor Davies said in 2016: “We are tackling many of the worst conditions associated with ageing: dementia, heart failure, cancer and macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world.”

Oxford University (Image: Other)

In addition a number of subsidiary companies were founded including OxStem Ocular and OxStem Neuro, which have since either been dissolved or are also in liquidation.

In 2019, things seemingly remained positive for the firm with reports indicating that they were looking for funding so their ‘regenerative medicine strategy’ could advance to clinical trials.

However, following that, financial difficulties appeared and in 2022 liquidators from Quantuma Advisory Limited were appointed.

In its financial accounts to June 2021, OxStem revealed creditors falling due within one year of £2.7 million, although it also reported cash at the bank and in hand of £2.4 million.

READ MORE: Leading UK charity collapses with £430K owed and jobs lost

At that time the average number of employees on the books was nine, with all staff having since been dismissed.

Though the company had already collapsed, the liquidation proved more complex in part because of the University of Oxford’s creditor claim and due to complexities around the selling of assets.

As such, the liquidation process is still ongoing.