UK-based human cell programming company bit.bio has raised $25 million in a Series D funding round. The company will use the investment to expand its range of human cell models and make its technology more widely available to pharmaceutical companies, biotech businesses and research organisations.
The funding round included support from existing investor M&G Investments and Dr Jonathan Milner, the founder and former CEO of Abcam. The latest investment follows bit.bio’s Series C funding round earlier this year.
Researchers need reliable ways to test new medicines and understand how they may work in the human body. Traditional animal testing has some limitations because animals and humans have different biological systems. As a result, researchers are increasingly looking for alternatives that use human cells and can provide more accurate results.
Artificial intelligence is also changing the drug discovery process. AI tools are helping researchers identify and develop potential new medicines faster. However, these medicines still need to be tested using reliable human cell models to understand their safety and effectiveness.
bit.bio aims to solve this challenge through its proprietary opti-ox™ technology. The platform allows the company to produce specific types of human cells in large quantities with consistent quality. It also helps reduce problems linked to differences between cell donors and limited cell supplies.
The company’s ioCells portfolio currently includes more than 50 types of human cells, including heart, liver and central nervous system cells. Researchers use these cells for disease studies, drug discovery, toxicology testing and genetic research. With the new funding, bit.bio plans to expand its cell portfolio and make its technology available to more organisations.
Dr Emma Pepperell, CEO of bit.bio, commented on the growing demand for human cell models: “The industry is reaching an inflection point in drug discovery. AI is changing the speed at which new medicines can be discovered, while the move towards animal testing alternatives is creating growing demand for models that better reflect human biology. What these fundamental shifts have in common is the need for vast quantities of consistent human cell models. Someone needs to be able to supply those cells at scale and our investors believe bit.bio is the company capable of achieving that aim.”
bit.bio plans to use the new funding to develop more types of human cells and make them available to more researchers. With its manufacturing facilities already in place, the company wants to meet growing demand, expand its business and support the development and testing of new medicines.
