Derry-based health and life sciences start-up LifeCellsNI has raised £590,000 (€689,000) in pre-seed investment to build Northern Ireland's first dedicated Human Tissue Authority (HTA)-licensed stem cell storage and contingency biobank facility, according to The Irish News. The funding addresses a critical infrastructure gap that has forced patients, clinics and research organisations across the region to ship biological material to mainland UK facilities, adding regulatory complexity and cost.

The Irish News reported that the funding round was led by the AMP Angel Syndicate with support from Co-Fund III, managed by Clarendon Fund Managers. Cleanroom installation is already under way, with commissioning, validation and licensing milestones planned ahead of an operational launch in April.

The company, founded by Catherine King, is developing a fully regulated cryogenic storage and laboratory processing hub operating under HTA governance frameworks, with strict separation between patient and family-owned samples and research or commercial services to ensure consent, ownership protection and ethical compliance.

King said the facility is designed to serve families preserving cord blood as well as Health Trusts, universities and private life sciences companies requiring compliant storage and processing capability without investing in their own infrastructure.

She added that infrastructure determines participation, stating that without regulated biobanking capability, a region is limited in its ability to engage fully in advanced therapy programmes and regenerative medicine research.

LifeCellsNI was incubated within the AMP Growth Incubator ecosystem and has received support from Invest NI, Founder Labs Pre Accelerator, Health Innovation Research Alliance North Ireland (HIRANI) and Derry City and Strabane District Council.

The facility is positioned to support Northern Ireland's growing life sciences sector by providing locally regulated, long-term storage infrastructure for stem cells and therapeutic tissues for the first time.

Explore the full details of Northern Ireland's first stem cell biobank here.