University of Edinburgh biotech spinout BIOCAPTIVA has raised £1.58 million for its liquid biopsy technology.
The raise was led by existing investor Archangels, with support from Old College Capital – the University’s in-house venture investment fund, BBI, Scottish Enterprise, and new investor EverQuest Capital Partners.
BIOCAPTIVA’s a novel magnetic bead technology is designed to solve one of liquid biopsy’s biggest bottlenecks: preparing blood samples for cancer research and diagnostics. By improving how cell-free DNA is captured from blood, the technology aims to make liquid biopsy testing more reliable, scalable, and accessible.
The company’s patented msX platform extracts DNA directly from whole blood without the need for centrifuges or additional reagents, delivering higher quality samples with simpler, faster processing. The technology has the potential to improve the pace and scale of cancer research by addressing a long-standing bottleneck in how samples are prepared for liquid biopsy, which is a growing market in non-invasive genetic testing.
BIOCAPTIVA was founded in 2021 by Professor Tim Aitman, then Director of the Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, now the Institute for Genetics and Cancer, and Professor Mark Bradley of the University’s School of Chemistry.
BIOCAPTIVA launched its msX kits for research use to build a body of evidence across a range of applications in Boston earlier this month.
The funding will also support R&D investment to expand BIOCAPTIVA’s product range and potential applications.
Jeremy Wheeler, CEO of BIOCAPTIVA, said:
Oncology is an exciting and vibrant sector. The scientists and technologists have been doing incredible things based upon the samples that they’re given, but there hasn’t been any particular movement in how the samples are prepared for years.
Our msX platform has the potential to revolutionise how samples are collected, allowing for larger samples, faster extraction, simpler processing, and fully automatable capabilities.
In practice, that means faster, better and deeper iteration and research on cancer, leading to better outcomes for potentially millions of people globally. This new funding brings us closer to achieving that goal.”
Head of Investment at Old College Capital, Kate Fox, said:
Old College Capital is delighted to continue investing in BIOCAPTIVA as it grows from a promising University of Edinburgh spinout into a global commercial player in the liquid biopsy market.
The launch of the msX beads in the US is a testament to the strength of the original research and the leadership team’s vision. We look forward to seeing the company's technology redefine the standards of cell-free DNA capture on an international stage."
