Atelerix, a Newcastle-based biotech specialising in hydrogel encapsulation for cell preservation and biological transport, has appointed Sunil Shah as chair and Dr Catherine Elton as non-executive director.

Shah is chief executive of o2h Ventures and co-founder of the o2h Group. He has over two decades of experience in founding, scaling and investing in biotech companies, and serves on the boards of several UK life sciences firms, as well as the BioIndustry Association.

Elton is chief business officer at Axol Bioscience and the founder of Qkine, a University of Cambridge spin-out producing bioactive proteins for cell models and regenerative medicine. She has held senior roles at Abcam and led international expansion and partnerships in the life sciences sector.

“Catherine and Sunil are widely regarded across the biotech sector for their scientific expertise and successful track record in company building,” said Atelerix chief executive Alastair Carrington.

“Their support and guidance at this time will be invaluable as we continue to grow Atelerix on a global scale.”

Shah said Atelerix’s hypothermic gel technology was “redefining how biological materials are preserved and transported” and Elton described the platform as addressing “a significant unmet need” in markets from clinical trial logistics to cell therapy.