Biotechnology company Imperagen announced A £5 million ($6.7 million) round led by PXN Ventures on Thursday, with participation from IQ Capital and Northern Gritstone. The company, in 2021, scientists from the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology Dr. Andrew Currin, Dr. Tim Eyes and Dr. It was founded by Andy Almond and left the university.
The startup seeks to improve enzyme engineering by making it faster, more efficient and less costly than the slower, more physical, trial-and-error process currently used.
Imperagen uses three key technologies to redefine enzyme engineering. Specifically, it uses quantum physics-based simulation instead of trial-and-error enzyme mutations in the lab. Imperagen predicts the behavior of enzyme variants on a computer using advanced quantum physics modeling that can examine millions of mutations. It then turns that data into personalized AI models trained on the enzyme problems Imperage wants to investigate. Finally, to maintain AI models, Imperagen uses robots and automation to generate experimental data fed back into the AI model in a process called closed-loop simulation.
Enzymes are incredibly important in many industries, especially pharmaceuticals, as they are essential for drug development. Startups like Imperagen hope to accelerate enzyme engineering because it can create a domino effect, such as making drug discovery faster and more efficient. Enzymes are also used in sectors such as food, biofuels and agriculture. Sustainability experts are also looking for to enzymes – and the AI technologies that surround them – making industrial production and manufacturing more sustainable.
Others in this space include Biomatter, Cradle Bio and Absci.
On Thursday, Imperagen also announced that Guy Levy-Yurista will take on the role of CEO. Speaking to TechCrunch, he said that the process of enzyme engineering is currently lagging, even though many new AI-powered technologies can be tried and tested but fail when applied on an industrial scale.
Imperagen hopes its technology will make enzyme development “faster, more reliable and more commercially available, helping companies bring better bio-based products to market without the long timelines and uncertainty that have traditionally held back the field,” TechCrunch said.
Levy-Yuristan has expertise in artificial intelligence, life sciences and enterprise technologies. While the founders will remain with the company, Levy-Yurista has been brought in to help build new technologies, including a vertical AI infrastructure for biocatalysis (a process that speeds up chemical reactions using natural catalysts such as enzymes), while expanding the startup’s AI strategy, commercial models and industry partnerships.
The company has raised £8.5 million ($11.42 million) to date, and the new capital will be used to hire more AI experts, focus on research and development, expand experimental lab capabilities and build a go-to-market function over the next two years.
“Ultimately, Imperagen hopes that the wider use of engineered enzymes will help industries reliably produce products that are cleaner, safer and better for people and the planet, while making commercial sense for the companies that adopt them,” said Levy-Yurista.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This does not affect our editorial independence.
