10 things we’ve learned in 10 years of biologics at CPI

1. Adaptability is everything

When we started out in 2015, our focus was on monoclonal antibodies and AAV. Very quickly, the needs of the sector pushed us to expand into recombinant proteins. Today, we’ve supported more than 9 different product types, from vaccines and live therapeutics to cutting-edge cell-free systems. 

That adaptability has also meant expanding our expertise across a wide range of production systems. We began with CHO, HEK and E. coli processes, and have since grown into Pichia, insect cells, and cell-free platforms. Each brings different advantages in yield, speed, and scalability, giving us the flexibility to support the right approach for every partner. 

Adaptability has also meant pivoting in response to external events. After Brexit, we diversified funding sources to ensure resilience, and during COVID-19, CPI became a trusted partner to UK Government as part of the Vaccine Taskforce, scaling our RNA capabilities at pace. As new areas emerge, like cultivated meat and bacteriophage therapies, we’ve been ready to transfer our expertise and open new doors for innovation. 

2. Collaboration delivers outsized impact

If there’s one thing we’ve seen proven again and again, it’s that collaboration accelerates progress. 

In the last decade, we’ve delivered more than 230 R&D projects in biologics, representing around £91 million. That’s meant working with over 200 organisations, from ambitious start-ups to global pharmaceutical leaders. In the past 3 years alone, we’ve averaged around 40 projects every year. 

Each partnership has taught us something new. With Touchlight Genetics, for example, we helped scale their cell-free DNA platform – a disruptive technology that now underpins advanced therapies and vaccine development. That collaboration not only sped up the manufacturing process by up to 5 times compared to traditional methods, but also helped Touchlight secure major investment, expand its workforce, and grow its presence in the UK biosynthetics sector. 

And through the Soteria project, we worked alongside Intract Pharma, SGS Quay Pharma, Pharmidex and CPI colleagues to develop the world’s first oral antibody capsule for inflammatory bowel disease – a treatment that could transform life for 500,000 people in the UK living with Crohn’s and colitis. 

These are just two examples of how collaboration accelerates ideas from concept to clinic. 

3. RNA is here to stay and preparedness matters

RNA technologies have transformed what’s possible in medicine. Our experience during the pandemic showed how fast we could adapt when we worked on new capabilities to support the UK Vaccine Taskforce. 

In 2023, we opened the RNA Centre of Excellence as an extension to our biologics centre in Darlington, positioned next door, with specialist capabilities to accelerate RNA development and GMP manufacture for pre-clinical supply. Since then, investment in RNA has only grown. 

In August 2025, UK Government announced £29.6 million for the UK RNA Biofoundry, based at CPI’s RNA Centre of Excellence in Darlington. The biofoundry will act as a national hub for RNA therapies, enabling rapid, clinical-grade RNA manufacturing. It’s designed to help researchers move innovative RNA ideas from lab to market more effectively – while strengthening the UK’s pandemic preparedness by being able to quickly transition to rapid vaccine production if needed. 

Just a week later, CPI signed a joint venture with Quotient Sciences. Together, we’re integrating RNA synthesis, lipid nanoparticle formulation, clinical manufacturing, and early-phase clinical testing, building an end-to-end RNA therapy development platform. By linking CPI’s expertise with Quotient’s Translational Pharmaceutics® platform, the partnership aims to take therapies from plasmid to clinical dose in as little as 2 months. 

Together, these developments position CPI as the UK’s anchor for RNA innovation and a critical part of our preparedness for future health emergencies. 

4. Investment in people brings the biggest returns

When the centre launched, we had just 16 people. Today, there’s more than 70 of us, and the growth has been powered not just by new hires but by the way people have built their careers here. 

For me, that growth has been deeply personal too. I joined CPI in 2015 as a lab scientist, and over the past decade, I’ve grown into my current role as Technology and Innovation Officer. My journey has taken me from focusing on biologics to working across many of CPI’s centres and into new sectors such as pharmaceuticals, MedTech and AgriTech. Along the way, I’ve developed skills in stakeholder engagement, strategic foresight, and cross-sector collaboration, things I never imagined when I first stepped into the lab. CPI has been more than a workplace for me; it’s been a place of growth, challenge, and inspiration. 

We’ve seen colleagues progress from entry-level roles into leadership positions. And our alumni have gone on to make an impact across the industry. Abby Clark, now Manufacturing Programme Manager at the BIA, began her journey with a degree-level apprenticeship at CPI. And Lucy Foley, once our lead bioprocess engineer, is now CEO of Exmoor Pharma. 

This is about more than internal development. We’re proud to seed the market with highly skilled, interdisciplinary talent, as well as deliver formal training and skills programmes to strengthen the wider ecosystem. Investing in people creates impact that goes well beyond one organisation. 

5. Strong roots make strong communities

We’re proud to call Darlington and the Tees Valley our home. From day one, we’ve worked with local councils, colleges, combined authorities, and universities to make sure the benefits of our growth ripple out across the region. 

Our collaborations with partners like Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies and the National Horizons Centre at Teesside University have strengthened our skills and impact. We’ve supported the development of Darlington Science Park into a thriving innovation cluster. And we’ve built strong ties with local businesses so that CPI’s success contributes directly to the wider community. 

That local pride, rooted in the North East, is part of who we are. 

6. Innovation knows no borders

While our roots are firmly in Darlington, our reach extends across the globe. Some of our most exciting programmes have connected UK capabilities with international partners. 

We’ve worked with CEPI and Caltech on a broad-spectrum coronavirus vaccine platform. We’ve supported a transatlantic initiative to accelerate virus-like-particle vaccines. We’re a partner in PHARMECO, advancing sustainable pharmaceutical manufacturing. And in 2025, we joined a Canada – UK partnership developing AI-powered bioreactors that could transform the future of biologics manufacturing. 

These collaborations bring fresh perspectives, complementary technologies, and global scale. They show that what starts in the North East can make an impact around the world. 

7. Leading by looking ahead

Delivering projects is important, but so is helping shape the future of the industry. Over the last decade, we’ve contributed to roadmaps, funding strategies, and policy dialogues that set direction for the UK’s medicines manufacturing landscape. 

That includes authoring the BioPhorum Digital Technology Roadmap, supporting Innovate UK’s Transforming Medicines Manufacturing programme, and contributing to the Tony Blair Institute’s RNA report. Our experts have also represented the sector at the House of Lords, in regulatory discussions, and in regional mapping projects. 

This ensures that the UK remains a place where innovative therapies get both discovered and manufactured. 

8. Continuous and high-throughput processing change the game

We’ve invested heavily in the technologies that make biologics faster, more affordable, and more sustainable. 

Our approach to process intensification – from high throughput experimentation using ambr® systems enabling data-rich process development — to continuous manufacturing programmes such as Continuous 2 have pushed forward new integrated approaches to upstream and downstream processing including modular design and integrated systems. 

For our partners, that means processes that are quicker to develop, cheaper to run, and more sustainable to scale. This helps to get the right products to patients faster, while keeping costs and environmental impact down. 

9. Cross-market collaboration sparks new solutions

Biologics doesn’t stand alone at CPI. Some of our most important breakthroughs have come from working across sectors. 

We’ve partnered with our engineering biology colleagues to explore alternative proteins. With the Intracellular Drug Delivery Centre, we’ve advanced RNA-LNP formulation and characterisation. With our HealthTech team, we’ve supported the development of diagnostic devices, from antibodies to enzymes. And with our Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre in the Glasgow City Region, we’ve brought digital and sustainable manufacturing approaches into pharma. 

Breaking down silos sparks ideas that wouldn’t surface in isolation. 

10. The future is full of opportunity

Looking ahead, the opportunities are huge. 

Microbiome therapies are emerging as a new frontier. Digitalisation and automation are moving from pilot projects into practical, everyday tools that reduce waste and improve quality. Process intensification is delivering the step changes we need for sustainable, cost-effective manufacturing. And global health priorities like antimicrobial resistance will require the kind of collaboration and innovation that CPI is built to deliver. 

The next decade will be about pushing boundaries further, harnessing digital tools, and helping therapies reach patients even faster. 

A decade of impact and just getting started

From 16 people in a single building to an internationally recognised hub for biologics innovation, the first 10 years of our biologics centre have been defined by adaptability, collaboration, and ambition. 

We’re proud of how far we’ve come, and even prouder of the people and partners who’ve shared the journey. Here’s to the next decade, and to working together to deliver medicines that transform lives.