Facer · Project

Fully Automated Cell Culture Machine That Makes Cell Therapies Affordable at Scale

healthPilotedTRL 7

aglaris.co.uk

Growing cells for medical treatments today is like artisan baking — you need highly trained specialists, expensive clean rooms, and constant hands-on attention. Aglaris built a machine that does all of this automatically: you feed it a tiny tissue sample of about 500,000 cells and it grows billions of high-quality cells on its own, no human touch needed. Think of it as replacing a hand-crafted workshop with a reliable automated factory line, except the product is life-saving cells for cancer and diabetes patients. The result is dramatically cheaper cell therapy production that regular hospitals could actually afford.

By the numbers

Billions of cells

Output from a single tissue biopsy of ~500,000 cells

€3 million

Cash invested in development over 5 years

3 units

Fully-functional Facer units produced and demonstrated

TRL 7

Technology readiness level at project start

€60 million

Projected turnover by 2024 (5 years from first sale)

€36 million

Projected EBITDA by 2024

EUR 1,435,700

EU contribution under SME Instrument Phase 2

The business problem

What needed solving

Cell therapies for cancer and diabetes are proving effective but remain prohibitively expensive because growing enough high-quality cells requires specialized cleanroom infrastructure and highly trained personnel that most hospitals and manufacturers cannot afford. The industry needs an automated, scalable way to produce therapeutic cells at a fraction of current costs to make these treatments accessible beyond a handful of elite centers.

The solution

What was built

Aglaris built the Facer — a fully autonomous cell culture platform that grows billions of high-quality cells from a small tissue biopsy without human intervention, using a patented iterative process. The project produced 3 fully-functional demonstration units and worked toward CE marking and commercial launch readiness.

Audience

Who needs this

Cell therapy CDMOs looking to cut manufacturing costsUniversity hospitals wanting to bring CAR-T and other cell therapies in-houseRegenerative medicine companies scaling up for clinical trialsBiotech startups developing cell-based treatments for diabetes or oncologyPharmaceutical distributors seeking next-generation bioprocessing equipment

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Pharmaceutical & Biotech Manufacturing

mid-size

Target: Cell therapy manufacturers and CDMOs (contract development and manufacturing organizations)

If you are a cell therapy manufacturer struggling with the high cost of skilled cleanroom operators and low batch consistency — this project built a fully autonomous cell culture platform at TRL 7 that produces billions of cells from just 500,000 starting cells without human intervention. With over €3 million invested in development over 5 years and 3 fully-functional units already produced, this could replace your manual cell expansion workflows and dramatically cut your per-dose production costs.

Hospital & Clinical Networks

enterprise

Target: University hospitals and cancer treatment centers running cell therapy programs

If you are a hospital wanting to offer cell therapies like CAR-T but cannot justify the specialized infrastructure and personnel costs — this platform was designed to let you culture cells on-site without dedicated bioprocessing staff. The Facer units are autonomous and the product is being prepared for CE marking, meaning it could integrate into your existing clinical workflow and make in-house cell manufacturing financially viable for the first time.

Regenerative Medicine & Tissue Engineering

SME

Target: Companies developing diabetes or oncology cell-based treatments

If you are a regenerative medicine company whose biggest bottleneck is scaling cell production while keeping quality consistent — this project delivered 3 fully-functional autonomous units that use a patented iterative process to grow billions of cells at quality levels the team claims are superior to any commercially available competitor. With EU contribution of EUR 1,435,700 backing the Phase 2 commercialization push, this is technology actively seeking distribution partners and launching customers.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does the Facer platform cost and what savings can we expect?

The project does not disclose unit pricing. However, the objective states that production costs are significantly lower than current methods, and the company projected over €60 million turnover and €36 million EBITDA by 2024 after 5 years of sales, suggesting a premium product with strong margins. The core value proposition is eliminating the need for specialized personnel and infrastructure.

Can this scale to industrial production volumes?

Yes — the platform is designed specifically for large-scale cell manufacturing. Each Facer unit autonomously produces billions of cells from a starting sample of about 500,000 cells. Three fully-functional units were built and demonstrated during the project, and the system was designed to be scalable across multiple units.

What is the IP situation and can we license this technology?

The Facer uses a unique patented iterative cell culture process developed over 5 years with over €3 million in cash investment. The technology is owned by Aglaris Limited (UK). Based on available project data, the company was seeking distribution partners rather than licensees, but commercial arrangements would need to be discussed directly.

What regulatory approvals does the Facer need?

The project objective explicitly states the Facer is not classified as a medical device. CE marking preparation was part of the Phase 2 work plan. This simpler regulatory path means faster time-to-market compared to products that require medical device certification.

How ready is this for deployment in our facility?

The Facer was at TRL 7 at the start of the project, with the Phase 2 work focused on finalizing the product and validating it with external partners. Three fully-functional units were produced and demonstrated. The project ended in December 2020, so the technology should be at or near commercial readiness.

What technical integration is required?

The platform is described as fully autonomous — it requires no human intervention once a tissue biopsy sample is loaded. Based on available project data, it appears to be a self-contained unit rather than something that integrates into existing bioprocessing lines, which should simplify installation.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a single-company project — Aglaris Limited (UK) is the sole partner, which is typical for SME Instrument Phase 2 funding. The company is a private research-performing SME that invested over €3 million of its own capital before receiving EUR 1,435,700 in EU funding. The 100% industry consortium with zero academic partners signals this is a commercial product, not a research exercise. The absence of hospital or pharma partners in the consortium means external validation was planned but not yet structurally embedded, which is something a prospective buyer or partner should verify in terms of current clinical validation status.

AGLARIS LIMITEDCoordinator · UK

How to reach the team

Aglaris Limited (UK) — contact via company website aglaris.co.uk or use SciTransfer matchmaking service

Order a report on this consortium See AGLARIS LIMITED profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the Facer team? SciTransfer can arrange a direct briefing with Aglaris on licensing, distribution, or purchasing options. Contact us for a one-page technology brief.

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