Funding supports expansion of manufacturing and commercial capacity for SemaCyte microcarrier platform
Semarion, a University of Cambridge spin-out company from the Cavendish Laboratory combining materials engineering and cell biology to tackle unmet drug screening needs, today announced it has raised £2.9 million. The fundraise was led by Parkwalk, and joined by The FSE Group, Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, Oxford Innovation Finance, Found Capital, Cambridge Capital Group, and Start Codon. The investment will facilitate commercial expansion and scale manufacturing of the Company’s SemaCyte® platform which enables adherent cell models to be handled as assay-ready, barcoded reagents for more flexible, data-rich, scalable drug discovery.
With a growing pipeline of opportunities and strong industry interest, Semarion is focused on broad-scale customer adoption, strengthening partnerships and preparing for its next phase of growth. The funding will be used to drive further commercialisation of the SemaCyte platform, enabling the Company to increase manufacturing throughput and expand the field application support team.
Semarion’s technology has already been adopted by leading global pharmaceutical organisations, including top 10 pharma companies, across the US and Europe, with multiple pilot programs progressing towards broader commercial rollout. The Company has also established collaborations with global life science tools providers including Revvity, which has integrated compatibility for SemaCyte detection into its imaging and analysis platforms, and SPT Labtech, combining the microcarrier technology with SPT Labtech’s liquid handling platform to advance automated cell-based assay workflows.
Jeroen Verheyen, CEO and Co-Founder at Semarion, said: “This funding marks an important step as we scale to meet growing demand from the industry. Scientists are under increasing pressure to generate more cell-based data, improve automation and drive operational efficiency. SemaCytes enable them to do this within existing workflows and infrastructure, and we are now focused on translating that momentum into broader adoption.”
Paul Lyristis, Investment Manager at The FSE Group, commented: “Semarion is bringing a genuine step change to cell-based research, offering a practical solution to long standing bottlenecks in drug discovery. The team has demonstrated impressive technical progress and strong commercial traction, particularly with top tier pharma companies. Their technology has clear scalability, strong sustainability benefits and a compelling market opportunity. We are delighted to support their next stage of growth and look forward to seeing the company continue to expand its customer base and product capabilities.”