CLEANROOMS Case study: Oxford Medical Products
Oxford Medical Products (OMP) is a UK-based biotech firm that has developed a proprietary gastroretentive hydrogel platform that enables new approaches to treating obesity and delivering medicines.
The challenge Having previously collaborated with OMP on a successful project, we were pleased to support their latest venture – a move into clinical trials, requiring a state-of-the-art facility for product production. Given the nature of the products and the importance of clinical trial protocols, precise controls at various levels were essential across the new facility.
The solution A comprehensive solution was tailored to OMP’s specific requirements. Starting with the User Requirement Specification (URS), a collaborative approach ensured alignment with OMP’s vision and goals. OMP opted for TCA’s Monobloc system, and chose a build incorporating three distinct areas within the facility. Each area was carefully designed to accommodate varying air quality specifications crucial for the production of OMP’s weight loss products. To address the diverse requirements, the building included a bespoke Air Handling Unit (AHU) capable of delivering precise environmental controls throughout the facility.
Results The implementation of the tailored solution enabled OMP to embark on their clinical trials with confidence and efficiency. The specific cleanroom build, combined with the AHU chosen, ensured optimal conditions throughout the production facility, preserving the integrity of the weight loss products under development.
Harnessing energy recovery Energy recovery technologies that re-use waste energy are now a more mainstream and accessible option than a few years ago. Incorporating heat recovery and heat exchangers ensures that waste heat can be captured and reused. This helps to meet eco goals as well as reducing overall expenditure on energy bills and operating costs. In addition, organisations are increasingly exploring on-site renewable energy solutions, offering increased energy self-sufficiency coupled with more predictable pricing. Solar panels, for instance, can offset a proportion of a traditional energy bill, while using heat pumps can be highly effective in reducing long-term operational costs and carbon footprint.
An evolving regulatory landscape The regulatory environment for cleanrooms is becoming increasingly stringent across the UK, EU, and beyond. Compliance is essential to demonstrate excellence in operations, traceability, and environmental responsibility, as well as to meet legislative requirements. Ensuring that a cleanroom is designed, constructed, and commissioned in accordance with recognised standards is essential. Meeting ISO 14644 requirements for cleanrooms is sure to also be required, with the standard split into nine classes. ISO 14644-1 defines cleanroom classifications, with ISO Class 1 representing the highest level of air cleanliness. A cleanroom that meets these standards from the outset will ensure project milestones are achieved more quickly, while reducing commissioning risks, associated costs, and can provide immediate readiness for research, testing, or manufacturing purposes. Meeting the accreditation standard for laboratories
is another important goal for many. In the UK, ISO/IEC 17025 is a specific accreditation for laboratories and cleanroom constructors, ensuring that their clients can achieve ISO, GMP, and global standards for provision of accurate and reliable results from laboratory testing, calibration, sampling, and measurement services. Working with a cleanroom supplier that understands and is accredited to these requirements can significantly streamline the path to compliance.
158 Health Estate Journal October 2026 Laboratory facilities typically need to meet ISO 14644
and ISO 17025 before operating. New innovations in the healthcare sphere are allowing more targeted medicines and treatments, tailored to individuals. This high growth sector of medicine creates a demand for smaller cleanroom facilities, tailored to small or one- batch production where avoidance of cross-contamination is essential. New developments such as these and innovations in
high-growth markets such obesity are contributing to the demand for advanced contamination control technologies. Markets including infection control, bioburden testing, and sterility testing are all experiencing strong growth, driven by tighter regulatory requirements and increased focus on contamination control. The UK sterility testing market alone is forecast to grow at around 14 per cent CAGR through to 2035.
Whole-life performance and lifecycle thinking As sustainability targets become more ambitious, organisations are increasingly taking a whole-life view of cleanroom performance rather than focusing solely on upfront capital expenditure. This shift reflects a broader understanding that the majority of a cleanroom’s environmental impact and cost sits within its operational phase – often spanning 10–20 years or more. A whole-life approach considers not only the materials and construction methods used, but also ongoing energy consumption, maintenance requirements, adaptability, and eventual decommissioning. Modular cleanrooms are particularly well aligned with this philosophy. Their ability to be disassembled, relocated, or reconfigured significantly reduces end-of-life waste, while also preserving the value of the original investment. Material selection also plays an increasingly important
role. The use of recyclable or lower-impact materials, reduced reliance on high-carbon components such as concrete, and the adoption of prefabricated elements all contribute to lowering embodied carbon. In addition, factory-controlled manufacturing environments help to minimise waste during production and improve overall build quality, reducing the likelihood of defects and rework.
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