Healthcare technology company Fluidic Analytics has secured £1.56 from a funding group led by Cambridge Enterprise and including DFJ Esprit.
The other parties in the funding round are IQ Capital, Parkwalk Advisors and Amadeus Capital Partners.
The Cambridge-based business has developed technology that will vastly reduce the amount of time it takes to characterise proteins in the human body.
This, along with the ongoing work on DNA, is key in determining why some people are susceptible to various illnesses throughout their life.
Vishal Gulati from DFJ Esprit told Growth Business improving the way proteins are measured will improve understanding in the area in the same way research on DNA has rapidly moved research forward.
>See more: Shire’s acquisition of NPS Pharmaceuticals ‘makes good sense’
“This new technology means we will be able to examine proteins in minutes rather than days, so it will make a huge difference,” he said.
Gulati, who will sit on the board of Fluidic Analytics, added that the relationship between DNA and proteins is analogous to that of “the script and the actors”.
“DNA is the script, so with all of the breakthroughs in the field we understand fairly well now what the script says,” he explained. “The proteins are the actors in the play. When we understand what they are doing we’ll have a much better idea of the whole picture.”
Fluidic Analytics CEO Dr Andrew Lynn said the funding would allow the business to being its first product to market quickly – as well as exploring “exciting pipeline opportunities” identified by its customers.
“To welcome such a strong consortium of investors is a tremendous asset for our company’s long-term future,” he added.
Further reading on fundraising: Top marks for AAA Linen Supplies as it secures £4m capital investment