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LanthaGen Bio

Using biomagnets for precious metal extraction from E-waste and mining tailings 

Rare earth metals are a group of 17 elements that have seen an explosion in demand in recent decades for applications including electronics, defence, and renewables. 90% of all rare earth metals processed each year come from China and in today’s geopolitical climate, countries are looking for ways to reduce their reliance on this superpower for their material needs. President Trump’s tariffs have exacerbated this issue as countries become more protectionist and import taxes add to raw material costs. The UK has few deposits of rare earth metals, as well as a near non-existent mining industry which hampers efforts to reshore the production of these metals which is where LanthaGen Bio comes in. The company is developing a biobased solution to extract and separate precious metals including rare earth metals from waste streams such as E-waste and mining tailings, using proprietary proteins with selective binding affinities. 

LanthaGen Bio is a relatively young startup, having been founded in August 2025 by Dan Healy (CEO), Sahara Bhanot (CSO), and Ellie Goulding (CTO) who were close friends and coworkers at The University of Manchester. A few months earlier in March, the trio were working on their PhDs and post-doctoral research looking at metabolic engineering for applications including plastic degeneration, therapeutics, and biofuels. Having seen that these industries were quickly becoming saturated with other startups and industry players, they looked to apply their expertise in a budding industry. This is when they came across the growing need for rare earth metals and they soon began using computational software to assess the feasibility of a protein based capture technology for metals.  

After successfully proving that the technology could work in silica, the team was keen to progress to lab validation. In June 2025, LanthaGen Bio entered the Ideas With Impact (IWI) funding competition and won second place leading to £75k of equity-free funding which was used for initial testing with a contract research organisation. Still hungry for more investment to grow, LanthaGen Bio entered the Tech Metal Competition run by SPRIND – Bundesagentur für Sprunginnovationen in Germany. Despite competing against more developed startups and technologies, the team came out triumphant securing a further £1.12 million equity-free investment in December last year, which they plan to use to set up their own lab space, hire personnel, and grow the portfolio of precious metals they can extract. There is also the potential to receive further investments from SPRIND (stage-gated up to £5 million) for scaling and a pilot plant. 

LanthaGen Bio’s technology consists of using de novo proteins (named Biomagnets), immobilised on a surface, that can selectively bind metals in solution, while letting unwanted impurities and materials pass through the system. A subsequent wash then releases the target elements. The company’s key USP is the ability to separate the precious metals in one vessel, a process that is currently done using solvent extraction, and takes at least 15 steps. Originally, LanthaGen Bio focussed on rare earth metals (primarily lanthanides, with atomic numbers 57-71, including cerium and neodymium). However, they soon realised that with the power of computational modelling, they could produce Biomagnets for an extended range of metals such as gold, platinum, palladium, and cobalt. Their aim is to fully develop solutions across the metal extraction process, from initial leaching (solubilisation) of the metals from solid feedstocks into solution, to extraction and separation, and functionalisation of the resulting metals for buyers (eg gold nanoparticles for medical diagnostics). At present, their technology has been validated in the lab and they hope to start testing their solution in relevant environments in the coming months. Furthermore, LanthaGen Bio are already in contact with potential commercial users of their functionalised metals, who are keen to test prototypes when they become available. 

LanthaGen Bio is currently looking to raise equity through match funding with a pre-seed funding round. This will enable them to scale their technology further and develop a broader portfolio of Biomagnets for a range of precious metals. The company is currently carrying out market scope evaluations with trips to Canada and Australia to assess the integration of their technology for E-waste and mining tailings. These have been financed through the use of Innovate UK’s Global Business Innovation Programme (GBIP) which helps businesses explore future opportunities and to better understand what is needed to be successful on the global stage. 

Strategic Allies Ltd (SAL) is excited to see how LanthaGen Bio’s technology will evolve and look forward to seeing their Biomagnets being adopted by industry in order to promote reusability and waste valorisation, shifting away from the take-make-dispose model. If you would like to know more about LanthaGen Bio, SAL is happy to make introductions to the founders for further discussion. 

Images courtesy of LanthaGen Bio