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Reserve your lab space today. We'll be in touch to talk about your optimised lab in the BioHotel  and arrange for a deposit to hold your space while we get your lab turn-key ready for Q3/4 2022.

In the meantime, once the deposit is sorted, you can enjoy all member benefits right away for FREE.
FAQ
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StartupScaleGrowUnicorn

Grow Lab

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4-8
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20 m
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BSL2+
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£5980

Description

The Grow lab is designed for biotech startups starting to scale, with additional space that will comfortably fit 4-8 people. If you've joined the BioHotel from one of our Start Labs, we will work with you to link the labs so that they neatly fit with your newly extended workflow.

As a BioHotel member, you'll want to get to know all the services, such as being able to book into the Automation lab, Diagnostic suite and Imaging Suite with Tissue Culture Lab. We also invite you to bring in and hook up any of your equipment to our IoT sensors, which are monitored by the Lab Operating System, Alfred, meaning you can check in on your experiments at any time, from the comfort of your home.

Lab Design

With a Grow Lab, the two rooms can be daisy-chained together to allow you to conduct parallel protocols in a unidirectional or linear workflow. The labs, although linked, will be separated with one-way doors and reinforced by positive and negative air flow to prevent aerosols from flowing in. This is perfect for PCR tests, sequencing protocols that make use of our OxfordNanopore. 

As you enter your Grow Lab, you’ll come through a dedicated gowning room - a negative air pressured section of the lab where you can get suited and booted with a freshly laundered lab coat and shoe coverings. The gowning room also houses a glass wash and sanitisation station with a sink, glassware drying rack, managed waste facilities, and massive amounts of additional storage above the sink.

Our Grow Labs are ideal for innovations in tissue culture, synthetic biology, diagnostics or therapeutics, and we will work with you to set up your lab so you have the right equipment and that our IoT sensors are all hooked up to our Lab Operating System for data collection and monitoring. Through our software, you’ll have access to real-time data on your experiments at any time, from anywhere.

With up to 20m of workbench space between your two spaces, we'll work with you to design your workflow and build in our fully configurable, and adaptable equipment units. Our in-house design team will work with you to build and organise your lab layout and equipment units to suit your protocols, which can be adapted in the future as your protocols change and develop.  

Your workbench, a 1400mm x 650mm Trespa tabletop, has a magnetic backboard for keeping accessories and tools to hand, an adjustable equipment shelf with power supply for of your small pieces of equipment (vortexes, mini centrifuges etc), large pull down cabinets to store all of your media, reagents, equipment, consumables and more.

BioHotel labs are IKEA storage solutions for the life sciences world; fridges, freezers and incubators seamlessly integrated into the workspace (rather than on your workbench!), a space for all your centrifuges, orbital shakers, PCRs, gel document readers, balances and liquid handlers.

We’ve also kitted our labs with plenty of sockets, located above your workbench so that you never need to waste time untangling cables again. 

BioHotel labs are made with startups in mind, and as your scale, your labs can too so make sure you take a peek at our Scale Labs as you're considering next steps.

Location

Located in either the heart of the White City Innovation District or the emerging East London life sciences sector, you'll be joining one of the most exciting and dynamic biotech ecosystems in the UK. No matter where you rent your BioHotel lab, you'll be surrounded by a like-minded biotech-loving community.

Services

Ultrapure water
Our water stations will give you ultrapure water, on tap, whenever you need it.
Comprehensive waste management
That's right! We'll dispose of your clinical, chemical and general waste.
All-inclusive rent
No hidden costs here, water and electricity are part of the monthly rent.
Lab consumables on demand
Get a 10% discount & free delivery of fully validated consumables to your workbench.
Cryogenic freezer storage
Don't want a freezer in your lab? Chill, we can take care of your samples.
Sequencing services
Drop off your sample at our sequencing service for the next day's results.
Be the star of your startup story!
Our in-house media team will work with you to develop a 30-second film about your startup is changing the world!
Lab coat laundry
Make sure you start every day on the right foot, with a freshly cleaned and laundered lab coat.
Make it your own
Our in-house design team will work with you to plan and build your dream lab.
Bookable specialist lab suites
All BioHotel members can book into our Automation lab, Diagnostic and Imaging Suite with Tissue Culture Lab.
IoT sensors and dashboard
We're pretty well connected, to our labs, the equipment and more! You can also monitor your experiments remotely through the Dashboard.
Glass washing and autoclaving
With the click of a button on LIMS, your glassware will be whisked away and returned to you spick and span.
Gas bottles on demand
We deliver gas bottles to your lab from C02 to nitrogen on demand.
Dry ice shipments & deliveries
Place an order and we’ll receive and put it in the correct temperature storage.
Alfred, our Lab Operating System
Our digital BioHotel concierge, Alfred. He's plugged into all the equipment through our IoT and keeps a watchful eye on your lab.
Accreditation & regulatory support
You'll automatically have all the quality and compliance checks you need for regulatory bodies audit taken care of.

Member benefits

Reserve your lab space now and enjoy all member benefits right away.
Lab consumables on demand
Get a 10% discount & free delivery of fully validated consumables to your workbench.
Be the star of your startup story!
Our in-house media team will work with you to develop a 30-second film about your startup is changing the world!
Make it your own
Our in-house design team will work with you to plan and build your dream lab.
Bookable specialist lab suites
All BioHotel members can book into our Automation lab, Diagnostic and Imaging Suite with Tissue Culture Lab.
IoT sensors and dashboard
We're pretty well connected, to our labs, the equipment and more! You can also monitor your experiments remotely through the Dashboard.
Alfred, our Lab Operating System
Our digital BioHotel concierge, Alfred. He's plugged into all the equipment through our IoT and keeps a watchful eye on your lab.
Accreditation & regulatory support
You'll automatically have all the quality and compliance checks you need for regulatory bodies audit taken care of.

FAQ

Can't find the right answer? Just get in touch at info@opencell.bio

When will the labs be available?

Q3/Q4 2022

Where is the BioHotel? 

There are currently sites in East London, Hammersmith and White City. 

Can I have labs in more than one BioHotel? 

Sure! Get in in touch at info@opencell.bio and we’ll see what we can do.

Are there BSL1 labs I could access? 

Yes, in some of our locations we offer BSL1 labs. Get in touch if you're interested!

How can I make sure I have a lab
when the BioHotel opens? 

Fill out the form on the lab that you’re interested in, have a chat with
us and pay your deposit to guarantee that you’ll have a space when
the BioHotel opens its doors.

What do I get for my deposit? 

Firstly, you’ll automatically receive the BioHotel member discount on
our consumables store plus free delivery! 

We’ll also be inviting members to come and beta test our IoT software
with various bits of equipment so that it will be optimised for when you enter the lab. 

If you’re keen to get your story out there, we’ll book you in with our
OpenCell media team to create a 30 film about your startup story.
Check out some of our previous work with Better Dairy and Multus Media here.  

Can I get my deposit back? 

100%. We'll take you through the terms and conditions before you pay your deposit.

What’s the minimum lease?
And the maximum? 

The minimum rent agreement is three months for your own Start, Grow, Scale or
Unicorn lab.

Can I change BioHotel locations? 

Sure, if your needs change we can accommodate.

How can I keep up to date with
the BioHotel progress? 

Our newsletter will give monthly updates to members on the BioHotel’s
progress and we’ll soon be starting a Slack channel so that you can start
to get connected. 

We’re also very social! You can follow us on Twitter, Linkedin and
Instagram or watch our videos on YouTube

How much notice do I have to give?

One month.

How is rent paid?

Either through direct debit or via Alfred.

Tell me about your equipment and
products - are they validated?

Yes! We’ve fully validated all our consumables and equipment and made
sure that they're fully compatible with each other. You'll find the
validation certificate for each product on the OpenCell Store website.

How do the shared services work?

To order autoclaving, waste collection, sequencing services, collection of
your samples for cryogenic freezer storage or a gas bottle delivery, simply
let Alfred know by pressing a button and we’ll aim to turn it around and get
it back to you as quickly as possible.

Can I buy and bring in my own
consumables?

Unfortunately not, for the quality and maintenance of our equipment we need
to make sure that all the equipment has been validated and checked by us.

What’s included in my rent?
And what’s not? 

Rent includes: access to your BioHotel lab, all ultrapurified water and electricity
(subject to our Fair and Acceptable Use policy), glassware, glassware washing and
autoclaving, lab coats and the lab coat laundry, access to the cryogenic freezer
storage, comprehensive waste management for all clinical, chemical and general
waste, our IoT sensors and lab operating system, Alfred.

As a member, you have access to some of our specialist equipment for a small fee.
This includes the Automation lab with liquid handling robots, Diagnostic Suite with
QuantStudio qPCR machine and Imaging Suite with Tissue Culture Lab which has a
JuLI microscope, Incucyte® Live-Cell Analysis Systems and an Operetta High Content
Imaging System.

What comes in the lab? 

Whatever you need! Once you’ve paid your deposit, we’ll connect you with our
team who can design your lab around your workflow.

Can I have a completely empty lab?

Sure!

I need to ship products from my lab,
do I need to find my own courier?

No! We can help you shipping your samples and or reagents and make sure
they are shipped on dry ice and/or as special delivered such as UN3373.

Can I bring my own equipment in? 

Yes, we just need to PAT test it before.

Is there any storage onsite? 

The labs have lots of clever storage solutions built into them, but if you need
something more substantial, you may need to find nearby storage solutions.

Will I be able to access my lab outside
9am to 5pm? What about weekends? 

Yes, the access to the labs will be 24/7. However, if you require to work outside
office hours, we encourage you to avoid lone working. If lone working is necessary,
you will need to let OpenCell staff know and introduce periodic checks with your
supervisor or a colleague.

Additionally, you will require further training in emergency situations since,
in case of emergencies, it is possible that no qualified person will be able to
reach the space immediately.

Will I be able to have ducted fume hoods? 

Yes, there will be a limited amount of private ducted fume hoods and shared
ducted fume hoods

What if my glassware goes missing
during cleaning?

We have a tracking system to make sure all your items gets back to your lab.

Our community

See what our amazing members have to say about us!
"[OpenCell] gave us the space... to set up our own lab and access to the communal facilities here, but also engage with the community around us. For an early-stage startup having access to space like this, that is cheaper than you’d find in London, it is really great for us. This has been the reason that we've been able to carry onto this point”
Cai Linton, CEO Multus Media
Multus Media
Watch Multus Story
"Through this work to sequence every COVID-19 positive sample in Jersey - at the airport indeed - and inform local public health decision making, the OpenCell team have demonstrated the benefits of rapid, decentralised sequencing - in COVID-19, but also potentially for tackling future outbreaks"
Gordon Sanghera, CEO, Oxford Nanopore Technologies
Oxford Nanopore
Watch Oxford Nanopore's Story
“OpenCell was a great step for us. We went from a bunch of boxes in the corner of a room, and then all of the sudden, we came here and had a proper space. We were able to build up a full lab [...] and it really enabled us to structure our manufacturing to create more protocols that we can follow accurately and to really demonstrate small-scale manufacturing which can project how a company can expand and actually hit the market in a feasible time frame.”
Francesco Verderosa, Lead Bio-design Engineer at BIOHM
BIOHM
Watch Biohm's Story
“I think [...] it is really the community that they've provided, alongside having our own bespoke space at a pretty reasonable price point. [This] is a big draw for us being an early-stage startup. [...] We’ll definitely be here as long as we can be ´[while] we make our way to the next step of our company”.
Jevan Nagarajah, Founder & CEO of Better Dairy
Better Dairy
Watch Better Dairy's Story

Our community on YouTube