Our February Company of the Month, LifeCellsNI was founded to address a critical gap in Northern Ireland’s healthcare and research infrastructure, the lack of locally regulated, long term stem cell and tissue storage.
Currently, families and clinics must ship their therapeutic cells to and from the mainland UK, increasing costs, risks, and delays. Drawing on first hand experience of these challenges and recognising the growing importance of cellular therapies, LifeCellsNI was established to create Northern Ireland’s first dedicated, Human Tissue Authority (Human Applications) licensed stem cell storage and contingency biobank facility.
Founder and CEO, Catherine King, tells us about her journey so far: “The company’s development was significantly shaped through engagement with the AMP ecosystem in Derry/Londonderry, where key mentorship helped refine the concept, validate the market, and build fundraising confidence. Participation in the AMP Pre Accelerator Programme was a major catalyst, leading to strong technical partnerships and the successful raise of £590,000 in pre-seed funding through Clarendon Investment Group and angel investors.”
LifeCellsNI is now supported by regional innovation bodies, industry mentors, regulatory advisors, and private investors, all aligned around a shared vision to strengthen Northern Ireland’s life sciences capability and deliver secure, cutting edge local biobanking solutions.
“As the CEO and Founder, my role involves leading the strategic development of the company, overseeing regulatory alignment with the Human Tissue Authority, coordinating facility design and build, managing strategic partnerships, and driving the long term vision for cellular storage and donor hub services.
“LifeCellsNI is designed to support both patients and clinicians requiring secure, long term biological storage. As well as researchers and private life sciences companies seeking access to regulated biobanking infrastructure and services. These activities operate under strict governance frameworks, with clear separation between patient and family owned stored samples and any research or commercial services, ensuring consent, ownership, and ethical compliance are fully protected at all times.
“I founded LifeCellsNI after identifying a clear and urgent need to establish this capability in Northern Ireland. My focus is on ensuring that patients and clinicians have access to safe, compliant, and future ready biological storage locally, without reliance on facilities outside the region, while also strengthening Northern Ireland’s wider life sciences and research ecosystem.
“LifeCellsNI is based in Northern Ireland, with our facility currently being developed in Derry/Londonderry.
“Northern Ireland is an ideal location for this venture. The region has a strong and growing life sciences sector, excellent clinical expertise, world class research institutions, and a clear gap in local biobanking infrastructure. Establishing LifeCellsNI here strengthens regional healthcare resilience, supports innovation, and ensures patients can store critical cellular material close to home within a safe, regulated environment.”
LifeCellsNI will provide:
- HTA licensed long term cryogenic storage of stem cells and therapeutic tissues
- Local contingency biobanking for patients, clinics and healthcare providers
- Controlled laboratory processing in a cleanroom environment
- Secure chain of custody and compliant cold chain logistics
- Future expansion into ethically sourced donor cell collection and supply for research
- Controlled access to its licensed cleanroom and laboratory facilities on a fee-for-service basis under LifeCellsNI governance and quality systems.
“Our services will benefit both families choosing to preserve cord blood and healthcare/research organisations requiring compliant local storage and processing.”
LifeCellsNI is innovative because it introduces an entirely new category of regulated healthcare infrastructure to Northern Ireland.
“We are creating the region’s first dedicated, locally based stem cell storage and contingency biobank facility, compliant to HTA standards and designed for future scalability into advanced cellular services.
“By combining compliant cryogenic storage, clinical grade laboratory processing and secure logistics under one regional hub, LifeCellsNI removes reliance on off shore facilities and enables Northern Ireland to participate more fully in emerging regenerative medicine and cellular research.”
Laboratory construction is currently underway, with cleanroom installation commencing this month.
“Over the coming months, we will progress equipment installation, commissioning and validation activities, alongside key license regulatory milestones and partnership development, ahead of operational launch in 2026.
“In parallel, LifeCellsNI will begin enabling fee-for-service access to licensed biobanking infrastructure, including secure long term sample storage, controlled laboratory processing, and cleanroom facilities for approved research, clinical, and life sciences organisations. These services will allow companies, universities, and clinical partners to store and process their own materials locally within a compliant, HTA-aligned environment, without the need to invest in their own infrastructure.
“Looking further ahead, LifeCellsNI aims to expand into a trusted donor and cellular supply hub, supporting ethically governed medical research and future advanced therapy programmes across the island of Ireland.
“LifeCellsNI represents a major step forward for Northern Ireland’s life sciences capability. Being selected by HIRANI as Company of the Month is a strong endorsement of both the importance and potential impact of establishing regulated stem cell storage and advanced cellular infrastructure locally.
“As we progress towards launch, LifeCellsNI will be holding a series of short information sessions across Northern Ireland initially, and subsequently across the island of Ireland, to outline what is involved in benefiting from LifeCellsNI’s services for expectant mothers, partners, and their families. These sessions will focus on education, consent, governance, and the long-term value of local, compliant stem cell storage.
“Research organisations, health trusts, universities, and private life sciences companies are also encouraged to get in touch to learn more about fee-for-service options, including secure biological sample storage and access to laboratory and cleanroom facilities.”
To find out where and when upcoming sessions will take place, or for further information on LifeCellsNI’s services, please contact Catherine King at catherineking@lifecellsni.com.
