MicrofluidX: Fueling cell & gene therapy with Innovate UK Grant

MicrofluidX (MFX), a UK-based developer of technologies that streamline the development and deployment of cell and gene therapies, is delighted to announce that it has been awarded £685,000 in funding from Innovate UK via their Investor Partnership programme. The lead Investor Partner is Longwall Ventures in a project totalling £1million. This award will allow MFX to progress the development of its stackable multi-bioreactor instrument - the Cyto EngineTM Stack.

Cell and gene therapies are complex and costly to manufacture. The ability to stack multiple bioreactors in a single automated instrument, which controls and monitors each process independently, will allow cell therapy manufacturers to intensify their manufacturing without the need for increased facility footprint. This funding will allow MFX to develop the first generation prototypes of this concept whilst also continuing with the development of the Cyto Engine platform for process development. The first Cyto Engine product is scheduled for launch in early 2025.

Antoine Espinet, CEO of MFX, said: “We are extremely excited to be able to resource the development of this next instrument in the Cyto Engine family - a system designed to stack multiple bioreactors in a single footprint. We’re very thankful to Innovate UK and Longwall Ventures for their continued support and look forward to developing this novel concept”

Rebecca Todd, Investment Director for Longwall Ventures, commented: “We’re delighted to continue our support of MFX alongside Innovate UK and are excited to see the Stack concept of multiple bioreactors in the same instrument become a reality in this project. Whilst Cell and Gene Therapies have huge clinical potential, manufacturing constraints are limiting their widespread deployment. MFX’s efforts to address these challenges could have a significant impact on the field.”