BioOrbit
BioOrbit is a British startup that raised £9.8M seed in 2026 to manufacture cancer drugs in space. It develops an autonomous unit called BOX that uses microgravity to crystallize anti-cancer antibodies in purer form, potentially enabling subcutaneous administration formulations.
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Podcast Episode
🎙️ Deep Dive
Daily News — May 1, 2026
Listen to the episodeAbout BioOrbit
BioOrbit is a British startup backed by LocalGlobe, BREEGA, Auxxo, Seedcamp, Type One Ventures and 7percent Ventures, having raised £9.8M (approximately €11.4M) in a seed round in 2026. The company develops BOX, an autonomous biomanufacturing unit designed to operate in microgravity — aboard space stations or future orbital vehicles. The goal is to exploit the unique properties of microgravity to crystallize anti-cancer monoclonal antibodies with superior purity to what is achievable on Earth. The potential outcome is a drug formulation enabling subcutaneous administration — more accessible and less invasive than traditional hospital intravenous infusion. BioOrbit transforms space from scientific frontier to pharmaceutical industrial infrastructure, aiming to make existing cancer treatments more accessible.
The Story
Founded in 2023 in London by Dr Katie King — PhD in Nanomedicine from the University of Cambridge, former NASA intern — and Dr Leonor Teles, an oncology researcher. The two co-founders identified microgravity as an industrial tool capable of improving the crystalline form of monoclonal antibodies beyond the physical limits achievable on Earth, opening the path to a new class of self-injectable drugs for home use.
How BioOrbit works
Business Model
70% of the world's highest-grossing drugs are administered intravenously in clinical settings. BioOrbit uses microgravity in low-Earth orbit to crystallize these drugs into purer forms, reformulating them as subcutaneous self-injectable treatments — shifting cancer care from hospital to patient's home. The first BOX mission has already taken place aboard The Exploration Company's Nyx spacecraft; the second is scheduled for 2026, with up to two missions planned for 2027.
Revenue Model
Contracts with pharmaceutical companies for the in-orbit production of crystallized formulations of cancer drugs.
Market & Clients
Key Customers
It targets oncology pharmaceutical companies interested in producing monoclonal antibodies in crystallized form for subcutaneous formulations.
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