Nuclera to scale in US and Europe after closing $75m Series C
The deal is set to underpin a fresh upswing in growth for the business, which is led by co-founder and CEO Dr Michael Chen. The cash will accelerate the commercialisation of Nuclera’s eProtein Discovery platform, to optimise protein expression and purification workflows within research labs globally.
The fundraise was led by Elevage (backed by California’s Patient Square Capital), and joined by British Patient Capital – the largest domestic investor in UK venture and venture growth opportunities – Cambridge Innovation Capital, serial biotech entrepreneur Jonathan Milner, GK Goh in Singapore, M&G Catalyst, E Ink Holdings, Michael D. McCreary, Uni Power Group, and Verve Ventures. Taylor Wessing advised Nuclera on the transaction.
Nuclera’s eProtein Discovery system is designed to speed up protein expression and purification in research labs, including those using AI for protein design.
The system is said to reduce the time and cost of these processes by automating construct screening, allowing for protein scale-up, and producing milligram amounts of protein in less than 48 hours compared to the months or years other methods can take.
Using digital microfluidics, protein quality assays, and cell-free protein synthesis on eProtein Discovery cartridges, eProtein Discovery provides rapid access to high-quality proteins at scale, whether using cell-free or cell-based methods.
The eProtein Discovery system has already been installed at contract research organisations (CROs), biotech and biopharma companies, as well as at leading academic institutes, including University College London, University of Cambridge, University of Southampton, University of Manchester, The Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) in Belgium and the CRUK Cambridge Institute.
Dr Chen said: “This significant investment demonstrates continued confidence in our team, our eProtein Discovery system, and our potential to revolutionise the way proteins are made.
“This funding will accelerate our mission to provide ready-to-use benchtop protein screening and making tools to empower protein scientists around the world.
“We are excited to enhance our support for our customers, enabling them to make proteins for drug discovery more efficiently and effectively for many years to come.”
Dr Michael Wasserman, Chief Operating Officer, Elevage Medical Technologies, added: “Nuclera has developed a solution for one of the leading obstacles in drug discovery: access to proteins that are needed throughout the drug discovery process.
“The demand for Nuclera’s technology is expanding rapidly, as AI and structural biology continues to drive the pace of new discoveries in life sciences and drug development.
“Elevage is proud to support Nuclera and its leadership team as it continues to bring the eProtein Discovery System to drug discovery researchers across the globe to address their need for bespoke, rapid and convenient delivery of quality proteins.”
Dr Jonathan Milner, Chairman of the Nuclera Board, had told Business Weekly exclusively earlier this year that he was confident the company would be Cambridge’s next unicorn.
The founder and former CEO of Abcam, Inc and CEO of Meltwind Advisory, adds: “The ability to screen multiple protein expression profiles and print purified proteins in as little as 24 hours will revolutionise laboratory workflows and make a demonstrable impact in research and drug discovery timelines.
“Aligning with Nuclera more closely following my appointment as Chairman, I am excited as the company’s pioneering solution continues to be recognised by the industry and demonstrated through this funding round.”
Nuclera won the Life Science Scale-Up category recently at the Business Weekly Awards. Today’s funding announcement takes the total raised by the company to $145.8m.
