Drug discovery needs this technology - now Scottish firm is backed with £5 million to deliver it

Cytomos said its oversubscribed funding round was led by existing investors Archangels with participation from Old College Capital, Scottish Enterprise and British Business Bank. The business employs 21 people, largely based at its new premises in Roslin, and expects to add a further four staff over the next year as it continues to scale operations.

New investment will allow the firm to drive sales of its first commercial product, Celledonia, built on its cell-analysis technology platform AuraCyt, which is already said to be generating “significant market traction”. Celledonia is a cell analyser that aims to significantly enhance single-cell analysis, potentially transforming biological drug discovery, development processes and biologics manufacturing.

The firm said it had a pipeline of trials planned with global partners as well as “strong interest” in co-development opportunities from high-profile technology developers and a “top ten pharma company”.

Scientists are under pressure to bring novel therapies to market, faster and cheaper. However, securing access to the right information at the right time is seen as a major challenge, frequently resulting in crucial information being compromised at critical stages.

David Rigterink, chief executive at Cytomos, said: “Successfully raising £5m within a difficult market has been a huge boost for the business. The result is testament to the team’s hard work in delivering our first commercial product with international early adopters.

“Cytomos now has the right building blocks in place to scale quickly, establish a foothold in the US, and continue developing our single cell analysis technology to support advancements in biological drug development and manufacturing automation.”

Sarah Hardy, director and head of new investments at Edinburgh-based angel investment syndicate Archangels, added: “Cytomos has gone from strength to strength, achieving commercialisation earlier this year marks a critical inflection point for the business. With new premises secured and a robust plan to derisk the supply chain, we’re looking forward to helping David and the team scale their operations and secure access to new markets.”