Manchester-based biotech firm Imperagen, which builds an AI-driven enzyme engineering platform, has raised £5 million in a seed round led by PXN Group Ventures, with participation from IQ Capital and Northern Gritstone.
- Founded in 2021 by researchers from the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, Imperagen develops a platform that combines physics-based simulations, machine learning, and automated laboratory testing to design and optimize enzymes for industrial use.
- Its closed-loop system screens millions of enzyme variants using computational modelling, tests selected candidates in high-throughput wet lab experiments, and feeds the results back into its models to continuously improve performance.
- The company reports productivity gains of up to approximately 1,100 times within 12 weeks and enzyme performance improvements exceeding 600 times in specific programs, alongside reduced R&D costs and faster development cycles.
Details of the deal
- The new funding will be used to accelerate platform development, scale laboratory and AI capabilities, and strengthen industry partnerships to support the transition from research to commercial deployment.
