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Blacksheep Sciences - Life Science Tools Specialists

We help our partners develop world-leading instruments, processes and platforms in life sciences and biotechnology.

Experts in science
‍

Our team’s core is scientific rigor. We understand the biology, chemistry, and technology behind every system we build - ensuring your instruments work as intended and solve real-world problems.

Years of engineering excellence

Over two decades of building life science products that succeeded in the market. With deep expertise in biology, chemistry, microfluidics, and engineering, we create systems that not only function but excel.

Optimise. Refine. Optimize

We don’t stop at “good enough”. From design and development to testing and iteration, we keep improving functionality, usability and performance so your system can meet the needs of end users.

Work with us
Work with us
Build the right tools, processes and systems around your science.
Life Science Tools
Build the system your science deserves.
We develop life science instruments that blend scientific rigor with real-world usability. Our biologists, chemists, and engineers work together to design and build devices that are intuitive, robust, and tailored to your workflow - from early concepts to production-ready systems.
Microfluidics
Discover what's possible before you scale.
We help you explore new directions in microfluidics. Our team works at the bench to establish new workflows, optimise your processes, and develop production-ready platforms - whether it’s nanoparticle or microparticle manufacture, flow chemistry setups, or something no one’s done before.
Particle Systems
Shape the particle your application needs.
We develop microfluidic particle systems with controlled size, structure, and material properties. From early formulation and process testing to custom particle formats, our team helps you explore what is possible before moving towards application-ready systems.
Support Services
Get the right support at the right time
We help life science and microfluidics teams get results faster - from product idea to market success. With deep expertise and hands-on experience across R&D, engineering, applications, marketing, and customer support, we offer flexible services tailored to your business strategy.

Science-led. User-focused. Built to scale.

We don’t just create platforms that work - we build things that succeed. That means translating the biology and chemistry into intuitive engineering, testing it with real-world users, and making sure it’s ready for the market.

Fast-moving
and hands-on.

We’ve been in your shoes. We’re scientists and engineers who thrive on building real tools, not just slide decks. You’ll get direct access to our team and our full network - from design to prototyping to production.

Proven in
the field.

Our team brings deep experience from delivering high-impact solutions used in labs, clinics, and commercial platforms across the UK, US, and beyond. Clients trust us when the stakes are high and the timelines are short.

Engineering that enables science

Explore selected engineering-led projects showing how Blacksheep Sciences approaches control, usability, integration and product readiness across life science tools and microfluidic platforms.

Embedded pressure-control platform

A modular embedded platform designed to bring stable, scalable pressure control directly into microfluidic instruments.

Modular tubeless microfluidic system

A compact, tool-free setup that simplifies chip handling, sealing and fluid delivery for faster lab experimentation.

"Blacksheep Sciences (BSS) stood out for several key reasons. First, their engineering team possesses deep scientific expertise, which made it easy to communicate the intricate technical details required for our process. Second, their communication was consistently clear and efficient. Finally, unlike many teams that struggle with scope creep, BSS was excellent at defining deliverables and sticking to them. I highly recommend BSS to any startup in need of high-quality prototype designs."

CSO at a stealth startup

Inside microfluidic development

Explore selected articles and technical resources showing how we approach microfluidic processes, particle systems and life science tool development.

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PVP-Chitosan

Microfluidic particle systems: Choosing the right particle for your application

A practical guide to microfluidic particle types, materials, structures, and applications.
Blogs
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Droplets forming at a microfluidic junction in a microfluidic chip

Droplet junction designs in microfluidics: T-junctions, double emulsions, and multi-reagent systems

Droplet microfluidics relies on junction design to control droplet size, stability, and scalability from T-junctions to double emulsions.
Blogs
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Researcher holding a microfluidic chip for manufacturing and prototyping

Microfluidic chip manufacturing: Methods, examples, and practical advantages

Explore microfluidic chip manufacturing methods including soft lithography, molding, etching, embossing, and 3D printing for scalable product development.
Blogs
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Microscopy image of particles used to illustrate single-cell droplet encapsulation

Single-cell droplet microfluidics: From random encapsulation to predictable control

Learn how single-cell droplet microfluidics uses Poisson loading, modelling, and smart chip design to turn random encapsulation into predictable control.
Blogs
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droplets
Microfluidic flow in vascular chip
drawing on wall
Pump on the bench
Modular pressure pump system designed by Blacksheep Sciences for precise microfluidic flow control in life science applications.
Instrument image
droplets
Microfluidic flow in vascular chip
drawing on wall
Pump on the bench
Modular pressure pump system designed by Blacksheep Sciences for precise microfluidic flow control in life science applications.
Instrument image
Grounded in science. Based on science. Developed through science.
We’re a team of scientists and engineers who’ve spent over 50 years collectively building microfluidic systems and life science instruments for the real world. Whether it’s developing a custom assay, optimizing a process, or launching a new device, we partner with teams to make big ideas work - and work beautifully.
Our Management Team
Tom photo

Tom Osborne

Chief Executive Officer

Tom brings over a decade of experience in microbiology, biochemistry, and cutting-edge microfluidics to Blacksheep Sciences. With a Ph.D. from UCL and a career that spans academia and industry, he has led product innovations in lipid nanoparticle research, single-cell RNA sequencing, drug delivery systems and biosensor development.
Mark image

Mark Gilligan

Chairman

Mark studied Engineering and worked in the Aerospace and F1 industries before moving from UK to the USA to develop mail handling equipment and later the very first DVD players for Philips. Mark stumbled into scientific and medical device development, and in 2001 he started what has since become a group of companies called Blacktrace Holdings Ltd.
Sean photo

Sean Devenish

Head of Science

With over a decade of experience leading R&D and applications support, Sean brings deep expertise in product development and commercialization, particularly in protein analysis and microfluidics. Before joining Blacksheep Sciences, he formerly was Chief Scientist at Fluidic Sciences, where he helped advance tools for protein characterization.