AvantiCell Science Ltd

Their core work

AvantiCell Science develops cell-based assay platforms and automated screening technologies for drug discovery and preclinical testing. Their core innovation combines additive printing techniques with biological assays to create reproducible, high-throughput in-vitro test systems. They serve pharmaceutical and biotech companies seeking faster, more predictive alternatives to animal testing. The company also provides training environments for early-stage researchers through multiple Marie Curie training networks.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

AvantiCell's early H2020 work (2014–2016) centred on building their core technology: the ANAPRINT platform combining additive printing with cell-based assays for automated drug screening. This was their own product, developed through the SME Instrument pathway from feasibility to full-scale project. From 2016 onward, they shifted toward applying this platform across diverse biomedical domains — neurodegeneration (CENSUS, EuroNeurotrophin), cancer biology (TRANSMIT), and nano-safety (PANDORA) — predominantly as a partner in MSCA training networks rather than as a technology developer.

AvantiCell transitioned from building proprietary assay technology to deploying it as a service platform across multiple disease areas, positioning themselves as a go-to SME partner for academic consortia needing industry-grade screening capabilities.

How they like to work

AvantiCell operates as both a project leader and a valued consortium partner, with 3 coordinated projects and 4 participations. Their 57 unique partners across 16 countries is remarkably broad for an SME of this size, driven largely by participation in large Marie Curie training networks (MSCA-ITN). This pattern suggests an organization that is well-networked in European academia and trusted enough to train PhD-level researchers alongside its commercial activities.

Extensive pan-European network spanning 57 partners across 16 countries, built primarily through MSCA training networks. For a small Scottish SME, this is an unusually wide reach, indicating strong reputation in the cell-based assay community.

What sets them apart

AvantiCell occupies a rare niche as a commercially-focused SME that bridges additive manufacturing and biological assay development — two fields that rarely overlap. Their SME Instrument success with ANAPRINT (progressing from Phase 1 to Phase 2) demonstrates a validated business case, not just research curiosity. For consortium builders, they offer something hard to find: an industry partner with genuine screening infrastructure who can also host and train early-career researchers.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ANAPRINT
  Flagship project funded through both SME Instrument phases (EUR 1.3M total), combining additive printing with cell-based assays — their core commercial technology.
• CENSUS
  Coordinated project (EUR 676K) applying their assay platform specifically to neurodegeneration, signalling expansion from general drug screening into a disease-specific niche.
• PANDORA
  Demonstrates cross-sector versatility — applied cell-based assay expertise to nano-object safety testing, an environmental and regulatory application far from their pharma origins.