From Academic to Startup Co-Founder
Author: Prof. Matt Gibson, Co-founder and CSO of CryoLogyx
Two and a half years after founding CryoLogyx Ltd, it's now time to look back on our journey (as they always say on TV talent shows!). Back in December 2009, when I began my academic career at Warwick, one of the big questions I wanted to ask was: ‘Can we create synthetic polymers that mimic antifreeze proteins?’ Little did I know how deceptively challenging this endeavour would be. The first funded project we had on this was from the Leverhulme Trust (a resource that the UK is lucky to have, known for supporting unconventional and innovative ‘crazy’ ideas that don't neatly fit into established disciplines), which allowed me to hire Tom Congdon as a PhD student, who eventually become CryoLogyx’s co-founder with me, as well as our CEO.
We made a lot of academic progress and filed some patents along the way, but we did not have the ‘killer tool’ that would let us deploy these polymers to really transform cryopreservation. It was not until later, from around 2015, when we shifted our focus to the question of whether we could design polymers to target specific mechanisms in cryobiology? The breakthrough we made in macromolecular cryoprotectants was a real ‘WOW’ moment: we managed to freeze cells whilst still attached to tissue culture plastic and recover them, showing them to be viable and healthy. The results we were seeing was simply not possible with standard cryopreservation technology, which mostly involves mixing different combinations of organic solvents and sugars. We knew it was innovative, as it was not easy to publish!
After building up our knowledge base, it become clear that there was a unique angle for us to exploit: Instead of focusing on selling cryoprotectants, which still requires a lot of skill, knowledge and know-how needed to get good results, we wanted to be in the business of ‘selling cells’. In a true story, this idea was actually inspired by me watching the movie 'The Founder,' which depicted how Kroc expanded and ultimately profited from McDonald's.
We realised we can displace the so-called assay ready cells, which in practise require extensive handling, centrifugation, and pipetting. Our cells are provided in the format users need, so they just thaw them, and use with minimal manipulation. In short, by having the best cryopreservation technology, we can help cell culture users spend more time getting date instead of spending two weeks preparing, which they do now. We saw the potential to reduce single use plastic at the customers’ point of use, and to enable more people to access cell models easily without advanced training. We have also expanded our CryoShield™ platform now to many cell types and even spheroids.
To get CryoLogyx off the ground, our tech-transfer officer from Warwick Ventures, James Lapworth, helped Tom Congdon undertake the fabulous iCURE programme, and we managed to secure a grant from InnovateUK and partner with Oxford Technology Management (OTM), who are willing to invest in Biotech at the very early stages. In summer 2023 we moved into dedicated labs and the team is expanding. The rest, is history in the making.
As a reflection as an academic, I did not aim to make a company when I began my career. I set out (and still do) to ask interesting questions and to do good science. Real innovation comes from bottom-up science, as well as focussing on urgent problems.
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