About Cellast

Our vision and mission

Cellast is building long-term cell preservation for skin health and appearance. We help clients collect, process, and store their own dermal fibroblasts so they can keep options open for the future.

What is our long term vision?: We are a biotech company based in Scotland, UK. We aspire to be a global leader in cell therapy research and production.

Our vision is focused on bringing the cost of cell-based therapeutics down to a level of genuine affordability. We believe this can only be achieved by building highly standardised, scalable, and automated manufacturing systems, supported by deep biological understanding, rigorous quality control, and responsible regulatory engagement.

We have chosen to begin this journey with one of the safest and most clinically familiar applications of cell therapy: autologous fibroblast-based approaches in aesthetic and skin-related indications. This area represents a market-friendly and well-understood starting point, allowing robust manufacturing processes, quality systems, and clinical pathways to be developed under conditions of relatively low biological and regulatory risk.

By establishing reliable, repeatable infrastructure through these early applications, we aim to accelerate the broader adoption of personalised cell therapies over time. We believe this stepwise approach, starting with simpler, autologous use cases before progressing toward more advanced therapies is essential for allowing the full potential of regenerative medicine to be realised safely, responsibly, and at scale.

What we do today

• Today, Cellast focuses on the safe collection, expansion, and long-term cryopreservation of a client’s own skin-derived fibroblast cells. Our current service begins with a small skin sample taken at a partner clinic. From this sample, fibroblast cells are isolated, expanded under controlled laboratory conditions, and preserved in liquid nitrogen for long-term storage.
• This process allows clients to bank biologically younger cells at an earlier stage of life, preserving their quality for potential future applications as regenerative medicine continues to evolve.
• At present, Cellast does not offer cell reinjection or therapeutic use of preserved cells. All stored cells are maintained solely for preservation purposes, in compliance with current regulatory frameworks. Any future clinical use would be subject to additional research, clinical validation, and regulatory approval.
• Our role today is to provide a secure, and scientifically rigorous biobanking service, laying the solid groundwork for the next generation of personalised cell-based medicine.

Note: Clinical procedures (e.g., skin sampling, any future re-injection) are performed by independent, licensed providers under their own protocols.

What differentiates us?

Cellast is founded on a simple but often overlooked biological principle: cell quality declines with age, and this decline is cumulative and irreversible. Fibroblasts collected later in life exhibit reduced proliferative capacity, altered gene expression, and diminished functional activity compared with those collected earlier. Preserving cells at a younger biological age therefore preserves a higher baseline of cellular function.

Rather than attempting to reverse cellular ageing after it has already occurred, our approach is based on anticipation rather than correction. By banking autologous fibroblasts earlier in life, we aim to preserve a population of cells with greater biological potential, before age-related decline becomes pronounced. This strategic timing is fundamental to our philosophy.

Previous efforts in personalised cell-based therapies often relied on cells harvested at advanced ages, developed within early-stage manufacturing paradigms, and supported by financial models that were difficult to sustain. In many cases, the underlying science, production technologies, and economic structures were not sufficiently mature to allow long-term scalability or affordability.

In contrast, Cellast is being built at a time when cell culture techniques, cryopreservation methods, quality control systems, and automation technologies are well established and widely validated. This maturity allows us to focus not on experimental novelty, but on robustness and scale.

Our model integrates three elements that were historically misaligned: biologically younger starting material, modernised and scalable manufacturing infrastructure, and a sustainable economic and operational framework designed for long-term operation rather than short-term clinical deployment. Together, these elements form the foundation of a system intended to support the responsible adoption of personalised cell therapies over time.

Team

CEO — Dr. Mohammad Elshahawy

Dr. Elshahawy is a pharmaceutical scientist with nearly two decades of experience across small molecules, biologics, advanced cell and gene therapy, and diagnostic development. He began his career in 2005 in biopharmaceutical manufacturing before completing a PhD in bioanalytical science, followed by postdoctoral research appointments focused on biomolecular measurement and analytical technologies.

His deep and long experience in high-precision biopharamceutical quality control, regulated workflows, translational research environments and multidisciplinary background qualifies him to lead Cellast’s mission: building robust, scalable, and accessible cell-based technologies grounded in scientific rigour and long-term manufacturability.

Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) — To be announced

The CSO will oversee scientific direction, protocol development, cryobiology strategy, and translational pathways for future therapeutic applications.

Chief Operating Officer (COO) — To be announced

The COO will lead operational execution across clinical partnerships, laboratory coordination, logistics, and long-term biobanking infrastructure and expansion strategy.

Quality Manager & Qualified Person — To be announced

Responsible for implementing Cellast’s quality framework, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards, and preparing the groundwork for future GMP-aligned capabilities.

Regulatory & quality

• Storage and handling follow applicable quality and security practices.
• Clinical procedures are performed by independent, licensed providers under their own protocols.