Company Directory

Benchtop super-resolution microscopes for single-molecule biological imaging

Oxford Nanoimaging (ONI) is an Oxford-based manufacturer of compact super-resolution fluorescence microscopes and consumable application kits for life science research. Its instruments enable researchers to visualise individual proteins, DNA, RNA, viruses, and nanoparticles at 20 nanometre resolution without specialist infrastructure. Applications include drug target validation, extracellular vesicle characterisation, antibody research, and spatial cell biology. Customers span academic institutions and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide.

Automated bioreactor platform for cell and gene therapy manufacturing

microfluidX is a UK instruments company developing automated bioprocessing platforms for cell and gene therapy research and manufacturing. Its core product is a microfluidics-based bioreactor system designed for parallel cell culture process development and scalable cell expansion. The platform integrates online process analytical tools and data analytics and is intended to support the development and manufacture of autologous cell and gene therapies from research scale through to clinical and commercial production.

Drug discovery platform targeting biomolecular condensates

Transition Bio is a biotechnology company developing a drug discovery platform based on the biology of biomolecular condensates, the membrane-less cellular structures implicated in a range of diseases. Using droplet microfluidics and machine learning, the company maps and modulates condensate behaviour to identify small-molecule candidates against targets previously considered undruggable. Lead programmes include a collaboration with Voyager Therapeutics targeting TDP-43 in ALS and frontotemporal dementia, and an internal oncology programme targeting MYC-driven cancers.

Surface acoustic wave nebuliser platform for inhaled drug delivery

Nebu~Flow is a UK medical technology company developing next-generation nebuliser devices using patented surface acoustic wave technology to aerosolise drugs into precisely controlled droplet sizes for deep lung deposition. The platform is designed to enable inhalation delivery of biologics, RNA-based formulations, and other hard-to-nebulise drugs that currently lack viable pulmonary delivery routes. The company works with pharmaceutical partners to validate the technology ahead of regulatory submission.

Nanopore platform for single-molecule full-length protein sequencing

Portal Biotech is a biotechnology company developing benchtop nanopore instruments for single-molecule proteomics and metabolomics. Its platform uses bioengineered nanopores coupled with machine learning to sequence intact, full-length proteins at the single-molecule level, capturing protein mutations, modifications and heterogeneity in real time. Evolved from over a decade of academic nanopore research in the Maglia Lab at the University of Groningen, the technology targets drug discovery, diagnostics and biosecurity applications.

Ultra-sensitive DNA detection platform

InvenireX is developing a nucleic acid detection platform that uses programmable DNA nanostructures captured within microfluidic chips, read by a proprietary AI-powered imaging system. The technology detects genetic markers at concentrations below the threshold of conventional methods such as PCR, with potential to identify tumours earlier than current diagnostics. Applications span early cancer detection and agricultural screening. The company builds on PhD research at Newcastle University and has raised £2 million in seed funding.

Mass photometry instruments for single-molecule biomolecular characterisation

Refeyn is an analytical instrumentation company and the pioneer of mass photometry, a light-scattering technique that measures the mass of individual molecules in solution without labels. Its benchtop instruments serve pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic customers for characterisation of proteins, nucleic acids, antibodies, and viral vectors including AAV and lentiviral vectors used in gene therapy. Applications span drug discovery, biotherapeutic development, and gene therapy manufacturing quality control.

Automated liquid handling and sample management instruments

SPT Labtech is a designer and manufacturer of laboratory automation instruments and consumables for liquid handling, sample preparation, and sample management. Its product portfolio includes nanolitre liquid handling systems for drug discovery and genomics workflows, cryo-electron microscopy sample preparation instruments, and automated compound management and biobanking solutions. Products serve pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic research customers globally, with applications spanning NGS library preparation, high-throughput screening, structural biology, and protein crystallography.

Automated single-cell isolation and cloning instruments for cell biology

Iota Sciences is a developer of automated single-cell handling instruments and cell-line engineering services. The company's platform automates single-cell isolation and cloning in nanolitre volumes, supporting monoclonal cell line development with integrated viability monitoring and documentation. GRID Technology provides a microfluidic alternative to standard microtitre plates for cell culture workflows. Services include bespoke genome-engineering of induced pluripotent stem cell lines for researchers requiring precisely edited cell models.

Analytical instruments, consumables and services for life science laboratories

Agilent Technologies LDA UK Limited is the principal UK subsidiary of Agilent Technologies, Inc., a global provider of analytical instruments, software, consumables, and services for life science, diagnostic, and applied chemical laboratories. UK operations include a major R&D facility at Harwell Campus housing the Raman spectroscopy business and Laser Spectroscopy Center of Excellence, alongside UK commercial and distribution operations based in Cheadle. Products span chromatography, mass spectrometry, spectroscopy, genomics, and flow cytometry.

Microfluidic avidity platform for preclinical cell therapy validation

Avigen is a contract research organisation providing preclinical validation services for cellular immunotherapies using a proprietary microfluidic platform. The platform measures cellular avidity, the total binding strength between immune and cancer cells, at high throughput using fluid shear stress, enabling identification and isolation of the most potent immune cell candidates from large pools. Avigen's services support cell therapy developers across multiple modalities including CAR-T, NK cell, and TCR-T therapies.

3D immune-microtumour platform for cancer treatment selection

Pear Bio is a biotechnology company that tests cancer treatment efficacy directly on patient-derived tumour samples using three-dimensional immune-microtumour cultures and computer vision analysis. By culturing tumour biopsies with matched patient immune cells and imaging drug effects over time, the platform generates functional biomarkers to predict individual treatment response, independent of genomic profiling. The company runs clinical trials across NHS sites and uses data from non-responding patients to drive an internal oncology drug discovery pipeline.