In June 2022 Cellomatics Biosciences made the move to new, purpose-built laboratory facilities in Colwick, Nottingham. Since moving into our new premises, a lot has happened; our reputation has grown and been recognised with numerous awards, we have welcomed new faces, been featured in respected publications, and continued to increase service offerings within our specialist therapeutic areas.
The new lab represents a three-fold increase in the company’s footprint as the facility covers approximately 5,500 square feet across two levels. It is equipped with state-of-the-art imaging and analysis equipment and Class ll biological safety cabinets, fridges, freezers, and CO2 incubators, allowing us to build on our in vitro bioassay services to support our client’s drug development programmes.
Shortly after we settled into our new location, CEO and Founder, Dr Shailendra Singh, was invited to attend the Queen’s Award Royal Reception on 12 June 2022. The prestigious event was hosted by Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace and brought together the 232 organisations nationally recognised with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise that year.
Cellomatics was also awarded the Barclays Entrepreneur Award in August, in recognition of continuing expansion overseas. These awards highlight and recognise businesses from the UK that are changing their industries, the economy and society in unique, original, and positive ways.
In October 2022 long-term staff member Dr Anushuya Tamang was promoted to the position of Study and Operations Director. Anushuya has been with Cellomatics from the outset and is an integral part of the organisation, ensuring the smooth running of the labs and effective management of staff members.
Cellomatics was shortlisted for many awards during 2022, including; the Medilink Midlands Business award for Export achievement, the Scrip Award for Best CRO: Specialist Providers, and the OBN Award for Best CRO.
2023 began in celebratory mood as Cellomatics scooped both the Signature award for Excellence in Technology and the FSB award for Exporter of the Year. These awards emphasise the strides Cellomatics has been taking as an innovative and continuously expanding business.
CEO, Dr Shailendra Singh, contributed to an article on the evolution of assays for immuno-oncology which featured in the February 2023 edition of Drug Discovery World – a multi-platform global voice for the drug discovery community. The article, titled ‘The evolution of assays for immuno-oncology research’ studied the history of immuno-oncology, the rising demand in the assay market, and how the bespoke and customised approach can be used to further drug development.
A highlight of this year was the official Queen’s Award presentation in March 2023. This prominent event was held at Cellomatics’ new lab facility and included both the Lord Mayor of Nottingham, Cllr Wendy Smith, and the Lord Lieutenant of Nottingham, Sir John Peace. The afternoon celebration was attended by specially invited guests, clients and staff and saw Shailendra presented with a commemorative crystal bowl in recognition of the company’s outstanding export achievements.
April of this year saw research by Cellomatics’ Dr Mark Bird, Dr Anushuya Tamang and Professor David Lambert featured in a journal publication, titled In vitro sepsis upregulates Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ receptor expression and function on human T- but not B-cells. The article was published in the British Journal of Pharmacology and part of the study used a Cytokine 25-Plex Human panel kit and Cellomatics’ in house Luminex MAGPix™ detection system.
With the space and equipment provided by the new lab facility, Cellomatics has developed a formal in-house R&D strategy in order to generate new models and systems. One of these models was INNOBEX™, a new in vitro model of the blood brain barrier (BBB) created as a solution to commonly occurring issues with existing BBB models.
This spring and summer we have welcomed four new Bio-Assay Scientists, Filipe Hanson, Emma Barker, Dr Mireia Sueca-Comes and Mikayla Shelton to bolster the Cellomatics’ family and help with the ever-increasing workload.
We were also delighted to welcome Professor David Lambert as Cellomatics’ new CSO in May this year. Joining from the University of Leicester, Dave had previously worked with the team as a Scientific Advisor on a part-time basis, and so this move represented a natural progression both for him and the company.
Dave is a Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society and has a wealth of knowledge and expertise that he is using to help develop a pharmacology specialism at Cellomatics.
These last 12 months have represented the continued growth of Cellomatics as we provide innovative ideas and expertise to our clients, and we look forward to what the next year will bring.
For information on how Cellomatics can help you achieve your project goals, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
