Case Study: Logical Biological
Logical Biological supplies key biological materials used to develop and make tests that check for diseases and monitor health outside the body.
Logical Biological is a leading supplier of critical biological materials for in vitro diagnostics developers and manufacturers. In vitro diagnostics are medical tests performed on samples outside the body to detect disease and assess health status.
The company provides a broad range of biological materials to the leading global players and clients worldwide, including biospecimens, antigens, bulk disease state plasma (native and engineered), tissues and cells. Supporting diagnostics R&D and manufacturing quality control, the company’s mission is to improve health outcomes for all, by enabling better disease detection and identification.
The company is headquartered at Discovery Park, with state of the art laboratories and offices located in Building 500. From an initial Founder – now non-executive Chair of the Board – Logical Biological has rapidly grown and appointed an experienced Executive team to drive the scale-up phase of the business which has reached a $5m revenue milestone and expanded the team to 20, all bringing significant industry expertise to the mix. The organisation received a King’s Award for Enterprise in 2024, recognising excellence in international trade, along with featuring on the 2024 Financial Times list of ‘Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies’.
“Covid-19 shone a light on the value of diagnostic tests and how they can support clinicians across many fields, which has stimulated demand for the materials we are perfectly placed to source, customise and supply. The turning point for Logical Biological was actually its ability to plan and swiftly execute pivot post Covid, to become a critical partner to the largest IVD companies in the world and grow with them by building strong capabilities in multiple product categories, underpinning a broad range of disease diagnosis.”
Addressing Global Challenges
Logical Biological was founded by Dr James Steggles in 2019, witnessing a need among human biospecimen customers for an improved level of reliability and responsiveness. He believed that putting customer service, accuracy, and quality assurance at the heart of the organisation would resonate with purchasers and scientists. Local to Whitstable, James visited a number of science parks looking for a base for his company, selecting Discovery Park due to the strength of the existing scientific ecosystem and capability for growth.
In 2024, having led Logical Biological through its start-up phase successfully, James appointed Stephane Argivier as CEO to succeed him and take the business to the next stage in its growth journey. An experienced management team was built to scale up and grow the business through a combination of an operational excellence programme, including a move to expanded state-of-the-art laboratories opened by Lady Colgrain, Lord Lieutenant of Kent, in October 2024. This enabled the business to rapidly build strong development and processing capabilities for complementary bulk critical components.
In summer of 2025, Logical Biological launched a sister company, Logical Antigen, focused on rapid and customised delivery of high-quality antigens and biologicals. Born from the need for faster and more flexible development, Logical Antigen delivers customised antigens within weeks, accelerating the industry-standard timelines which traditionally have taken years. The company is also based alongside Logical Biological at Discovery Park.
The benefits of Discovery Park
Flexibility has been important to Logical Biological, with the team upsizing their space three times in five years to match team growth, along with securing an additional lab for their sister company. The team believes with their current pace of growth, an even bigger lab space at Discovery Park might be on the cards soon.
Working with human biological materials, Discovery Park is able to provide secure labs with ‘Containment Level 2’ protection. Alongside high-specification space which allows for operational excellence, Discovery Park also offers plentiful social spaces and meeting rooms, helping to maintain culture for the hybrid-working team. Logical Biological has also benefited from the work-life balance offered by Discovery Park and living in Kent, enjoying the community garden onsite and easy commute options.
The scientific ecosystem at Discovery Park has also been a valuable resource for Logical Biological. The rich talent pool onsite and long Pfizer pedigree has made it easier to hire experienced team members. “Lots of the CVs we receive from potential team members inevitably mention Pfizer which demonstrates the quality of the skills on offer, and our hybrid working enables us to recruit highly skilled employees from with-in the diagnostics industry.”
The team has also enjoyed collaborating with other leading biotech and health companies, with one of their first customers being a fellow Discovery Park resident. As they’ve grown, the Discovery Park community has been able to help with contacts or recommendations, including lab equipment, photography and public relations. Logical Biological also continues to support the wider scientific community at Discovery Park, with founder James involved with the park’s growth programme for life science startups, ‘Discovery Spark’, passing on wisdom to the next generation of founders.
“Discovery Park offered the space and the all-important containment facilities, and a welcoming approach that made it easy for us to choose to move here. We’ve benefitted from the community of like-minded companies with shared values, and we have developed a strong partnership with other tenants. Being among business owners and scientists who are open to collaborate here means that Discovery Park is a great environment in which to grow.”
Future growth plans
With the leadership of experienced biotech CEO Stephane Argivier, Logical Biological is undergoing a strategic expansion, increasing their R&D and customisation capabilities. The new Logical Antigen team is amongst the very best in the world at what they do, providing deep expertise in protein purification, as well as serum and plasma engineering. The company continues to invest into capabilities to deliver critical components at large scale for IVD controls and calibrators, with further capability expansion and exciting partnerships planned for the future.
Aiming to be ‘One Logical Partner’ for all companies seeking critical IVD materials, Logical Biological is maintaining their strong focus on quality, technical expertise and customer service. “Our success has been built on doing things right through integrity and reliability and an extreme commitment to our customers. Repeat business and referrals from existing customers has driven our growth. Seeing our work come to fruition gives all of the team huge satisfaction, and drives us to be even better.”
