A Cambridge female founder is rethinking brain science — and the venture world is paying attention
(Image: Dr Nat Hastings, Founder & CEO of Cellestial Health)
Cellestial Health, a biotech spinout from the University of Cambridge, has raised £515,000 in pre-seed funding to pursue a new approach to neurodegenerative disease, as per Business Weekly.
The startup, founded and led by Dr Nat Hastings, is developing therapies that target astrocytes—a type of brain cell that has been largely overlooked in drug development despite its central role in brain function and inflammation.
The round was led by Zinc VC, with participation from SFC Capital and Alma Angels, a network backing female founders. The company also secured £340,000 in early-stage grants from Parkinson’s UK and Cambridge Enterprise.
At the heart of Cellestial’s approach is a shift away from the industry’s long-standing focus on neurones. Instead, Dr Nat Hastings and her team are building human-relevant brain models that include astrocytes—cells increasingly understood to be key players in diseases like Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and Alzheimer’s.
They’re also developing brain-penetrant small molecules that aim to restore astrocyte function—offering the possibility of slowing or even halting disease progression, rather than simply managing symptoms.
The case for astrocytes
For decades, drug development in neurology has prioritised neurones-understandably, given their role in movement, memory and cognition.
But astrocytes, once relegated to the margins of neuroscience, are proving to be far more than passive support cells.
Astrocytes:
regulate neurotransmitter levels and ion balance
maintain the blood-brain barrier
support metabolism in the brain
play a critical role in neuroinflammation
In neurodegenerative diseases, astrocytes become reactive and can worsen disease progression. Yet, they are almost entirely absent from the preclinical models used to screen central nervous system (CNS) drugs.
This omission is not about irrelevance—but about fit. Astrocytes didn’t align with how the pharmaceutical industry was set up to study, model, or invest in brain science.
Most tools weren’t built to study them. Most drug targets weren’t designed with them in mind. And most clinical pathways didn’t account for their role.
As Dr Nat Hastings puts it:
“We’re opening new possibilities by targeting astrocytes—essential brain cells that have traditionally been neglected in drug development.”
A system not built for complexity
The failure to include astrocytes in preclinical testing has consequences. Drugs that show promise in animal models often fail in human trials, not because the science is wrong, but because the models are incomplete.
The problem isn’t just scientific—it’s structural. Consider that neurone-centric models became the default, in part because they were simpler to work with, easier to fund, and better understood by regulators.
Drug development has long favoured:
familiar mechanisms (dopamine, for Parkinson’s)
linear cause-effect models
single cell-type systems (eg neurone-only cultures).
This creates a high bar for complexity—and a low tolerance for deviation.
Potential breakthroughs were delayed not because they weren’t valid, but because they didn’t fit the mould.
But now new tools, human-cell-based models, and translational frameworks (think: helping to move scientific discoveries from the lab into real-world medical treatments), are making it easier to include astrocytes from the outset.
A founder trained in ‘systems’
Dr Nat Hastings has spent over a decade studying astrocytes in the context of neurodegeneration. With a background in bioengineering and clinical research, she brings a systems view to a field that has traditionally preferred precision over integration.
Rather than tweak the existing model, she’s building a new one. One that accepts complexity and focuses on interactions between cell types, not just on isolated mechanisms.
This is why Cellestial Health is innovative in its design and approach.
The role of diverse leadership
It’s no coincidence that many of the most compelling shifts in deep tech and health are being led by women who challenge legacy frameworks.
Diverse founders tend to bring interdisciplinary thinking, are often more willing to question dominant assumptions, and build teams around systems, not silos.
Dr Nat Hastings is part of a growing group of female biotech leaders who are not only advancing the science, but redesigning how we approach translational medicine.
It follows that backing diverse founders expands the range of problems being solved, and the methods used to solve them.
Backed by investors rewriting their own playbooks
One of those backers is Alma Angels, a UK-based angel investor network supporting women building science and IP-led ventures. Its goal is clear: unlock $1 trillion in women-led wealth by 2050.
Alma Angels offers more than capital - it brings strategic access, community, and deep expertise in early-stage startups. Their investment in Cellestial Health is part of a broader commitment to support female-led companies that tackle high-friction, high-potential sectors.
What to watch
Cellestial Health is still at an early stage, but its scientific and strategic direction is clear. With grant funding, early validation, and clinical partnerships in place, the company is laying the foundation for a new class of brain therapeutics.
It’s also a reminder that transformative science often comes from the edges, not the centre. And that reshaping drug development isn’t just a scientific challenge, it’s also a leadership one.
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