Skip to main content

Carcinotech

ServiceEdinburgh, United KingdomFounded 2018· One of 2176 Service companies tracked by AMPulse

Develops 3D bioprinted living tumor models from patient-derived cells to accelerate oncology drug discovery and personalized medicine.

CEO / Founder
Lorna Ewart
Team Size
11-50
Stage
Active
Total Funding
$7.56M
Latest Round
Pre-Series A
Key Investors
Eos Advisory, Tricapital, Gabriel Investments, Scottish Enterprise, SIS Ventures, Alba Equity, Maven Capital Partners, Old College Capital, Investing Women Angels

Technology & Products

Key Products

Carcinotech develops 3D-bioprinted tumor models and utilizes Carcino3D technology for preclinical oncology services, accelerating cancer research and precision medicine.

Technical position · AMPulse analysis

Claimed to be the only company using 3D-printed living tumors for drug testing; technology validated through partnerships with Cancer Research UK and Cellink.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Replicates the complex tumor microenvironment using patient-derived cells to provide more accurate drug testing results than 2D or homogenous 3D models, accelerating the drug development timeline.

How They Differentiate

Utilizes living 3D-printed tumors with patient-specific immune cells and mutational data, whereas competitors primarily use 2D models or homogenous 3D models.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Pharmaceutical companies, Contract Research Organizations (CROs), surgeons, pathologists, and clinicians.

Industry Verticals

Oncology; Pharmaceuticals; Personalized Medicine; Clinical Pathology

Competitors

Cellink

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Secured £4.2m funding for US expansion; developed tumor models for 5 cancer types (brain, lung, breast, colorectal, ovarian).

Major Milestones

Founded 2018 (UoE research); Commercialized Carcino3D 2021; Seed ~$2.1M (2022); Pre-Series A $5.3M/£4.2M (2024) for expansion; Cellink & Cancer Research UK partnerships; Ishani Malhotra stepped down as CEO Apr/Jul 2025; Lorna Ewart Fractional CEO from 28 Jul 2025; Nikki March appointed CSO (2025)

Notable Customers

Cancer Research UK; CELLINK; University of Edinburgh (Usher Institute)

https://www.carcinotech.com

AM patents

AM-relevant patents linked to this company.

Patents
4
Granted
0
Families
4

Leading domains: process (4)

Filings by year: 2023: 2 · 2019: 2

  1. CULTURE DEVICE3987014 · EP
  2. CANCER MODELS04705435 · EP
  3. CANCER MODELS2024228032 · WO
  4. CULTURE DEVICE20220317112 · US

Funding rounds

  • Pre-Series A£4.2M (~$5.3M)2024-01
  • Seed£1.6M (~$2.1M)2022

Why this company matters

AMPulse analysis, not a company disclosure

Carcinotech develops 3D-bioprinted living tumor models that replicate the complex tumor microenvironment using patient-derived cells. Founded in 2018 from University of Edinburgh research, the company addresses a key gap in preclinical oncology: conventional 2D cultures and homogeneous 3D spheroids fail to capture the cellular heterogeneity and immune interactions of real tumors, leading to poor predictivity in drug screening.

The core technology, branded Carcino3D, uses material extrusion bioprinting to combine patient-derived biopsies, primary cells, immune cells, and cancer stem cells with specialized bioinks. These living constructs incorporate the patient's mutational data and immune profile, enabling more physiologically relevant drug response testing. Carcinotech has developed characterized tumor models for five cancer types: brain, lung, breast, colorectal, and ovarian.

Target customers include pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations, surgeons, pathologists, and clinicians. The company has established partnerships with Cancer Research UK, CELLINK (for extracellular matrix and laminin-based bioinks), and the University of Edinburgh's Usher Institute. Carcinotech has raised £7.3 million from investors including Eos Advisory, Tricapital, Gabriel Investments, and Scottish Enterprise, and secured £4.2 million specifically for US market expansion.

A key differentiator is the use of living 3D-printed tumors that include patient-specific immune cells, whereas most competitors rely on 2D models or homogeneous 3D constructs. The company claims to be the only firm using 3D-printed living tumors for drug testing. The primary competitive risk is whether the platform can scale from research partnerships to routine use in pharmaceutical pipelines, and whether its cost and throughput can compete with established high-throughput screening methods.