University of Manchester start-up LanthaGen Bio wins £100,000 Coller AI Competition to fund new research

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LanthaGen Bio Ltd, a University of Manchester start-up developing AI -powered technology to recover valuable metals, has won the inaugural Coller AI Competition securing a £100,000 equity investment. The company will use the funding to advance research into recycling a new metal.

LanthaGen Bio was named the winner at the University of Manchester’s inaugural Innovation Festival following pitches from five shortlisted teams developing AI solutions to address real-world challenges.

LanthaGen Bio is developing technology that combines artificial intelligence, computational chemistry and physics-based modelling to accelerate the recovery of critical metals while reducing waste, costs and the need for resource-intensive laboratory testing.

Rare earth elements and other critical metals are essential to a wide range of technologies, including electric vehicles, smartphones and clean-energy infrastructure. However, recovering these materials efficiently and sustainably remains a significant challenge.

LanthaGen Bio aims to address this by developing proteins that selectively bind to target metals. These proteins known as Biomagnets, help recover valuable materials from existing waste streams, reducing reliance on conventional extraction and separation processes.

By combining computational chemistry, AI and physics-based modelling, LanthaGen Bio designs custom metal-binding proteins in days rather than months. This makes metal recovery faster, more efficient and sustainable.

LanthaGen Bio has already secured £2.4 million in grant funding, allowing their six-person team to build sustainably towards future development.

Dan Healy, co-founder of LanthaGen Bio Ltd, said: “This funding has unlocked our next project, meaning we can extend the contracts of our amazing PhD scientists in Greater Manchester, keeping talent local and allowing us to target an entirely new metal for recycling that we couldn't previously research. As well as delivering skilled employment in Greater Manchester, our product aims to vastly increase circularity and reduce carbon emissions for a metal that has no established supply chain in Europe.”

The Coller AI competition, established by The University of Manchester and the Jeremy Coller Foundation, supports early-stage ventures using artificial intelligence to tackle global challenges while ensuring technology is developed responsibly and for the benefit of people and society.

The competition attracted applications from students, staff and alumni across the University. The four other finalists were:

Health Equity Chain, building and AI tool that helps doctors and patients make better prostate cancer treatment decisions.

SporeSense, created an AI-powered early-warning system that detects crop disease before any symptoms are visible, helping farmers reduce losses and unnecessary pesticide use.

SenseVale, developing smart glasses to help blind and partially sighted people navigate their surroundings more independently.

Forkprint Ltd, developing AI-enabled models helping food businesses measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with ingredients and food preparation.

Professor Aline Miller, Associate Vice President (Enterprise) and CSO of Unit M at The University of Manchester said: “The quality of every pitch was exceptional and a powerful reflection of the ambition and growing entrepreneurial spirit across our University ecosystem. Huge congratulations to LanthaGen Bio - it has been fantastic to see how far the team has come over the past 18 months, since first winning an Ideas with Impact Award in 2025. The competition was a fitting way to close our inaugural Innovation Festival: a week full of energy, bold ideas and a real sense of excitement about what comes next.”

Jeremy Coller said: “AI will completely transform the way we live, work and communicate, solving challenges that have baffled us for generations and allowing humanity to achieve in the real world what was previously confined to our wildest imaginations. To make the most of that potential we have to support the innovators and entrepreneurs who are working so hard to unleash it, and that's what the Coller AI Competition is all about - identifying incredible people doing amazing things in the University of Manchester community and getting behind the very best of them.”

Jeremy Coller Foundation is the philanthropic vehicle of private equity entrepreneur Jeremy Coller. The Foundation supports initiatives focused on education, entrepreneurship, pensions innovation and the transition to a more sustainable food system.

The Coller AI Competition forms part of The University of Manchester’s Challenge Accepted campaign, which supports ideas with the potential to tackle major global challenges. Challenge Accepted | Give | The University of Manchester

The initiative run by Unit M brings together the University of Manchester’s research strength, entrepreneurial talent and commitment to responsible innovation, supporting students, staff and alumni.