London- and Milan-based Biocentis, a life-science company pioneering genetic approaches to insect control, has secured $19 million to advance its efforts to protect health, agriculture, and biodiversity from the growing threats posed by harmful insects, as Vestbee was informed.
- Founded in 2021 by Giorgio Rocca, Teodoro D’Ambrosio, Andrew Hammond, Federico Guelpa, and Kyros Kyrou, Biocentis develops genetic insect-control technologies aimed at reducing the impact of disease-carrying and crop-damaging species.
- The company engineers insects to carry fertility-reducing traits that, once released, spread through wild populations and suppress their numbers without affecting other species.
- Biocentis pairs this biological approach with AI-driven modelling tools that simulate how insect populations behave in real environments, helping researchers and authorities evaluate risks, plan interventions, and anticipate emerging threats.
Details of the deal
- The round was led by The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment and Algebris Investments, with participation from Neurone, Corbites, Novaterra, and several entrepreneurial investors, plus a $6 million award from Wellcome.
- The firm will use the fresh funding to advance its first genetically engineered insect solutions into field trials in the US, Brazil, and other key markets, and to further expand its programmable biology and AI-driven technology platform to additional species and applications.
