Dundee biotech Cellexus eyes new markets after key hire

Cellexus, the Dundee-based biotechnology firm, is eyeing a push into new markets after unveiling a key appointment.

Fiona Bellot joins the firm as its sales director, bringing with her a “wealth of experience” across the life sciences industry from previous appointments with Proteintech Group and RoslinCT, among others.

She will lead the business through a period of growth as it sets its sights on new markets, including advanced therapies, recombinant antibody and vaccine production, and the emerging clean meat sector.

Cellexus, which was formed in 2017, manufactures the patented single-use CellMaker bioreactor systems. CellMaker is used by scientists to scale up cell culture in their laboratories to develop new products and vaccines.

Fiona Bellot, sales director at Dundee-based Cellexus.

Bellot said: “I am very excited to have joined Cellexus during this period of growth. I am looking forward to bringing the CellMaker into laboratories across the globe and helping scientists to scale-up their production and bring new vaccines and therapeutics onto the market.”

Chief executive Gavin Hands added: We are delighted Fiona has joined the team. Her experience and knowledge will better equip us to approach these new target markets whilst serving our existing customers and secure the future growth of Cellexus.”

Culturing cells takes place inside single-use bioreactor bags in the CellMaker, which means scientists can switch between production runs quickly without the need to clean and validate a glass or stainless steel bioreactor.

The CellMaker uses airlift technology, bubbling gases up through the bioreactor bag to mix the media containing cells, rather than stirring with a mechanical arm.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven’t already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription: www.scotsman.com/subscriptions