Protection and Security

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Protection and Security

We design and supply solutions and protocols that protect samples from the hazards intrinsic to cryopreservation.

We specialise in working with samples that are rare or irreplacable, so we secure every part of our operation.

Our systems are also designed for resilience: we have prepared for adverse events that could otherwise jeopardise our operations.

Quantum-safe Crypotography

We use Quantum-Resistant Cryptography to secure sensitive data, intellecutal property, and communications across our devices and data centres.

We only use algorithims approved by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Further details

Prime factorisation, the basis of public-key crypotography, will be readily achieved by post-classical computers (Shor 1994).

There is compelling evidence that the development of quantum computers is imminent.

This will have many benefits, but an important negative is that data lost in breaches that has been secured using asymetric cryptography may soon become accessible.

Blockchain
for Access Control

Access control protects our resources from inappropriate use and optimises information sharing.

We use a blockchain because it is tamper-evident, tamper-resistant and decentralised.

Further details

Blockchains allows us to embed scalability and trust whilst accomodating lightweight and pervasive information systems.

We use smart contract functions throughout our operation.

End-to-End
Cloud Security

We combine end-to-end and zero-access encryption. Files can only be decrypted using a private key, which we control. This is an important difference to widely used systems in which third-parties retain control over encryption keys

Our data centres comply with all relevent standards, and use SAS RAID storage alongside automatic failover support.

Further details

Our data centres comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679, and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Data centres are audited annually using System and Organisation Controls (SOC) processes in accordance with SSAE 18 criteria.

Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)

We follow the principles of Good Laboratory Practice developed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)

The quality of our materials and processes complies with the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

All our solutions are serum and protein-free.

Secure Supply Chain Management

We have partners and supply chains that stretch across the globe, and this intr

We monitor and manage risks in accordance with the ISO 2800 standard, which goes far beyond regulatory expectations, and expedites the transport of biological samples across borders.

Our location

We are based at Porton Down, six miles from Stonehenge – perhaps the world’s most famous prehistoric monument.

Our landlords are the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), an executive agency of the Ministry of Defence which uses science and technology for the defence and security of the UK. Our neighbours are the UK Health Security Agency, which is responsible for public health protection, responses to external health threats, and biosecurity.

We are close to the headquarters of the Royal Navy, the Field Army’s headquarters, and the British Army’s largest training area.

We came here because our environment and the people we meet shape our immediate ideas, broader imagination, and behaviour.

This is a place for people dedicated to protection, to security – and to building things that endure.