ATELERIX
Founded by scientists in Newcastle, Atelerix is transforming the way the world preserves and transports biology. By moving away from the limitations of traditional cryopreservation, their patented alginate hydrogel technology allows for the stabilization of cells, tissues, blood products, and viruses at room temperature.
ABOUT THE SUPPLIER
Atelerix: Simplifying Biopreservation
Atelerix is a biotechnology company that provides patented alginate hydrogel technology to stabilize cells, tissues, and viruses at room temperature. Spun out from research at Newcastle University, the company offers a scalable alternative to cryopreservation, allowing biological materials to be stored and transported without a cold chain.
The technology is inspired by the African pygmy hedgehog (Atelerix), which can “pause” its activity through hibernation. By keeping biological samples in a similar state of “happy hibernation,” the platform eliminates the need for dry ice, simplifying global logistics while reducing costs and carbon emissions. From discovery research to clinical diagnostics, Atelerix provides easy-to-use kits that preserve viability and streamline transport for scientists and biotech firms worldwide.
PRODUCT PORTFOLIO
Atelerix Product Portfolio: Ambient Preservation Solutions
Atelerix offers a range of innovative products that use seaweed-derived hydrogel technology to stabilize biological samples at room temperature, removing the need for traditional cold-chain logistics. The portfolio is categorized by sample type and application:
By substituting energy-intensive freezers and hazardous refrigerants with these “ready-to-use” kits, the portfolio simplifies global shipping, reduces costs, and maintains high sample viability across more than 70 validated biological types.
Cells & Viruses
- CytoStor™ and BeadReady™ are designed for the transport of suspension and adherent cells, viruses, viral vectors, and mRNA-LNPs without dry ice.
Blood & Apheresis
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LeukoStor™ preserves the quality of fresh leukapheresis material for cell therapy manufacturing, while BloodReady™ is optimized for whole blood storage.
Tissues & 3D Models
- TissueReady™ and TissueReady PLUS™ provide solutions for encapsulating organoids, spheroids, and fresh tissue biopsies, extending their shelf life for up to one week.
In-Plate Applications
- WellReady™ enables the preservation of cells and microtissues directly in multi-well plates, allowing for “assay-ready” delivery to collaborators or customers.
By substituting energy-intensive freezers and hazardous refrigerants with these “ready-to-use” kits, the portfolio simplifies global shipping, reduces costs, and maintains high sample viability across more than 70 validated biological types.
CytoStor™
Used to store and transport fresh cells, viruses, and viral vectors at room temperature or 2-8°C without cryopreservation
CytoStor™ is a hydrogel encapsulation technology designed for the hypothermic storage and transport of fresh cells, viruses, and mRNA-LNPs. It provides a cryo-free logistics solution that maintains viability and function for 3 days to over two weeks, depending on the specific biological sample.
While the technology is primarily used for room-temperature (15-25°C) transport, it is also validated for refrigerated (2-8°C) storage for specific types such as PBMCs, NK cells, and HeLa cells, based on Atelerix Product Compatibility Table. By eliminating the need for dry ice or freezing, CytoStor™ simplifies global shipping and extends the shelf life of sensitive biological materials.
LeukoStor™
Used to preserve and transport fresh leukapheresis material for up to 5 days without cryopreservation.
LeukoStor™ is a hydrogel technology developed to preserve the quality of fresh leukapheresis material for cell therapy manufacturing. It provides a cryo-free solution for stabilizing key immune cells—including T cells, NK cells, B cells, and monocytes—while maintaining high viability, phenotype, and function.
By using a simple encapsulation and release workflow, LeukoStor™ extends the shelf life of samples to 5 days, allowing for flexible global transport without the risks and costs of cryopreservation. According Atelerix Product Compatibility Table, the required storage temperature depends on the specific cell type: 20-25°C (Room Temperature) is used for T cells and NK cells, while 2-8°C (Refrigerated) is required for monocytes and B cells.
TissueReady™
Used to encapsulate and transport fresh organoids, spheroids, and microtissues at room temperature.
TissueReady™ is a hydrogel technology designed for the encapsulation, storage, and transport of organoids, spheroids, and microtissues. By protecting 3D biological models from mechanical injury and “pausing” their biological state, it allows for the global transport of fresh samples without the need for freezing or dry ice.
According to Atelerix Product Compatibility Table, TissueReady™ maintains the integrity and viability of complex models for 3 to 10 days. The technology primarily enables storage and shipment at room temperature (15-25°C), which is validated for a variety of organoid types (including brain, cardiac, and lung cancer) as well as embryos. This approach provides a practical alternative to cryopreservation, ensuring that high-quality samples can be sent directly to collaborators or customers ready for downstream analysis.
TissueReady™Plus
Used to encapsulate and transport fresh tissue biopsies and resections at room temperature or 2-8°C without freezing.
TissueReady™ Plus is a specialized hydrogel technology designed for the encapsulation and preservation of small tissues, fresh biopsies, and surgical resections. This “ready-to-use” kit includes a gel solution pre-mixed with a recommended medium, making it optimized for simple, field-based collection. It extends the shelf life of fresh tissue by up to five times, allowing samples to be transported for histological, molecular, or viability analyses without the need for immediate freezing or dry ice.
According to Atelerix Product Compatibility Table, TissueReady™ Plus maintains sample quality for 2 to 10 days. Depending on the tissue type and intended analysis, samples are stored at either room temperature (15-25°C)—as seen with human cancer biopsies and skin—or refrigerated conditions (2-8°C), which is validated for hair follicles and murine tissues. This flexibility builds significant efficiency into clinical supply chains and research workflows.
BeadReady™
Used to immobilize and transport fresh suspension cells in transparent hydrogel beads for imaging and co-culture without cryopreservation.
BeadReady™ is a hydrogel encapsulation technology specifically formulated for the immobilization, storage, and transport of fresh cells in suspension. Unlike other formats, BeadReady™ is optimized for 3D imaging and co-culture applications, providing a fully transparent matrix with optimal mass transfer properties. This allows scientists to examine secretome responses or the spatial distribution of immobilized cells directly in situ, even after storage.
While the specific validated combinations for BeadReady™ are often customized for research needs, the technology is designed to preserve a broad range of cell types (such as PBMCs) by keeping them in a state of “happy hibernation.” The simple workflow involves creating cell-laden hydrogel beads that can be stored or shipped hypothermically and later recovered using a gentle dissolution buffer, ensuring cells are ready for culture or analysis upon arrival.
BloodReady™
Used to preserve and transport fresh whole blood and umbilical cord MSCs at 2-8°C or room temperature without freezing.
BloodReady™ is a first-of-its-kind hydrogel encapsulation technology designed to extend the shelf life of fresh whole blood samples. It preserves granular cell populations and maintains the integrity of surface epitopes, making it an ideal solution for clinical diagnostics, immunophenotyping, and biopharmaceutical research. By using a simple vial-based format, it allows for more reliable disease monitoring and flexible global transport without the need for chemical fixation or cryopreservation.
According to Atelerix Product Compatibility Table, BloodReady™ can stabilize whole blood for up to 3 days at refrigerated temperatures (2-8°C), maintaining over 95% leukocyte viability. Additionally, it has been validated to preserve Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (Umbilical Cord) for up to 5 days at room temperature (15-25°C). This technology effectively eliminates logistical bottlenecks by allowing samples to be stored and shipped in a viable, “assay-ready” state.
WellReady™
Used to encapsulate and transport assay-ready cells and microtissues directly in multi-well plates without cryopreservation.
WellReady™ is a hydrogel preservation technology designed for the in-plate encapsulation of cells, organoids, and microtissues directly in multi-well plates. This format enables the distribution of “assay-ready” plates to collaborators or customers, allowing biological models to be used immediately upon arrival. By providing a protective matrix, WellReady™ maintains cellular phenotype and function while shielding complex 3D structures from mechanical injury during transport.
The system is highly versatile, supporting storage and shipment across various validated temperatures. According to Atelerix Product Compatibility Table. most applications—including iPSC-derived neurons, cardiomyocytes, and liver organoids—are validated for room temperature (15-25°C) for 1 to 14 days, WellReady™ also supports refrigerated storage (2-8°C) for airway and kidney epithelial cells. Notably, it is even validated for storage at 37°C for primary hepatocytes, ensuring high-quality sample delivery without the need for cryopreservation or dry ice.
Introduction to the Atelerix Solutions Data Pack
This data pack presents a suite of products developed by Atelerix designed for the hypothermic storage and transport of cells, tissues, and viruses. The technology uses a specialized hydrogel to maintain biological integrity at room temperature or refrigerated temperatures, providing an alternative to cryopreservation.
PRODUCT APPLICATIONS
Research
- Enhance flexibility in workflows by holding samples for longer
- Facilitate distribution of biological products between research organisations
Biosupply
- Increase quality and yield of cells
- Ship complex physiologically relevant cell types and models for ready-to-use assays
- Enhance global reach of sensitive biological samples
- Reduce recall of failed shipments
Drug Development & Diagnostics
- Preserve precious clinical samples
- Establish disease-relevant in vitro and in vivo models
- Monitor patients in clinical trials
- Use in advanced diagnostics and personalised medicine
Therapy
- Improve quality of cell therapy starting materials for optimised manufacturing
- Stabilise cryosensitive cell-based therapies for optimal performance