Nuclera raises $75M Series C for eProtein discovery system

Biotech Nuclera has raised a  $75 million Series C financing round. This brings the company’s funding to over $140 million.

The company is accelerating protein expression and purification workflows through its benchtop protein system, eProtein Discovery™, part of a mission to enable rapid access to proteins required for drug discovery research.

Nuclera’s eProtein Discovery benchtop system is designed to speed up protein expression and purification in research labs, including those using AI for protein design.

The system reduces the time and cost of these processes by automating construct screening, allowing for protein scale-up in less than 48 hours, compared to the months or years other methods can take. The system provides rapid access to high-quality proteins at scale, whether cell-free or cell-based.

The eProtein Discovery system has already been installed at contract research organisations, biotech and biopharma companies, and leading academic institutes, including University College London, University of Cambridge, University of Southampton, University of Manchester, The Flanders Institute for Biotechnology in Belgium, and the CRUK Cambridge Institute.

Elevage Medical Technologies led the round, backed by Patient Square Capital, and joined by British Patient Capital, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Jonathan Milner, GK Goh, M&G Catalyst, E Ink Holdings, Michael D. McCreary, Uni Power Group, and Verve Ventures.

Dr Michael Chen, CEO and co-founder, Nuclera, said: 

“This significant investment demonstrates continued confidence in our team, our eProtein Discovery system, and our potential to revolutionise the way proteins are made. This funding will accelerate our mission to provide ready-to-use benchtop protein screening and making tools to empower protein scientists worldwide. 

We are excited to enhance our support for our customers, enabling them to make proteins for drug discovery more efficiently and effectively for many years to come.”

Ian Connatty, Deputy Chief Investment Officer, British Business Bank, said: 

“British Patient Capital is pleased to partner with Nuclera at a pivotal stage in their development and to support the team through their Series C financing.”’

The investment will enable the continued commercialisation of Nuclera’s benchtop protein system, particularly in the US and across Europe. 

Lead image: Dr Michael Chen, CEO and co-founder, Nuclera. Photo: uncredited.