Reinnervate gets funding to commercialise 3D cell growth technology
Durham University spin-out company Reinnervate, which is revolutionising the way cells are grown in the laboratory, is preparing for commercial manufacture and global sales after securing
Durham University spin-out company Reinnervate, which is revolutionising the way cells are grown in the laboratory, is preparing for commercial manufacture and global sales after securing £750,000 funding in a deal led by NorthStar Equity Investors (NSEI), a venture capital firm specialising in early-stage high-growth technologies.
Led by Dr Stefan Przyborski chief scientific officer of Reinnervate and a researcher at Durham University, the company has developed a polystyrene foam scaffold which enables cells to grow in 3-dimensions in a similar way to how they grow in the human body. Traditionally, cells have been grown in 2-d single layers on a flat-polystyrene substrate, either in culture vessels or flat plates containing a number of wells. Studies suggest however, that cells grown on the 3-d scaffold behave more naturally which for drug testing purposes is not only more cost effective but gives a truer reading of how the drug would perform within the body.
The company received £550,000 through NSEI's Co-Investment Fund, while a further £200,000 was raised through Angel Investors. Reinnervate has also received significant support from Cels (the Centre for Excellence in Life Sciences) in the form of a loan and consultancy guidance.