Magnitude Biosciences, a specialist contract research organisation (CRO) and Durham University spinout, has secured £1.3m in funding to accelerate the commercialisation of VivoScanTM, its pioneering in vivo high-throughput screening (HTS) platform, which provides pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with faster and more cost-effective ways to identify promising new treatments for ageing, longevity and neurodegenerative diseases.

VivoScanTM is unique in providing high-throughput screening for drug discovery in a whole organism. The platform uses hundreds of nematode worms, C. elegans, as a biological model to evaluate potential therapies. By combining worms with advanced imaging, machine learning, agentic AI, automation and robotics, Magnitude Biosciences can generate highly detailed whole-organism data in weeks rather than years. Such advances offer a faster, predictive alternative to traditional drug testing models while supporting the growing industry shift towards non-mammalian research models.

Northstar Ventures has led this recent round of investment, committing capital from the North East Spinout Inspire Fund, the North East Innovation Fund and the Northstar EIS Growth Fund. The £22.5m North East Spinout Inspire Fund is backed by the universities of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside, as well as the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority (via the North East Fund). It has been set up to commercialise the research and innovation emerging from the North East’s five universities. Maven’s managed regional funds including NPIF II – Maven Equity Finance, which is managed by Maven as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II), the Finance Durham Fund, established by Durham County Council and overseen by Business Durham also invested, alongside new angel investors. The funding will also mean that Magnitude Biosciences can access a £217,000 Innovate UK Investor Partnership grant.

The funding will be used to scale Magnitude Bioscience’s VivoScanTM platform, expand commercial activity with global pharmaceutical companies, invest in additional equipment and automation, as well as recruit new staff as the business enters the next stage of its evolution. The investment will support Magnitude’s ambition to become a leading provider of next-generation drug screening services, reinforcing the North East’s growing reputation as a centre for life sciences innovation.

The investment comes at a time when the global drug discovery market is undergoing significant change. Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly seeking faster, more cost-effective and more predictive approaches to early-stage drug discovery, while regulatory and commercial pressures are driving greater adoption of alternatives to traditional animal testing methods. The high-throughput screening market is

expanding and is forecast to grow from $27.66 billion in 2026 to $45.90 billion by 2031.*

Magnitude’s solution has genuine potential to play an important role in transforming how new drug therapies are discovered and developed. In areas such as ageing and neurodegenerative disease, traditional models have often struggled to deliver meaningful results. By enabling researchers to screen thousands of compounds rapidly while producing detailed biological insights from a whole-organism system, the company is helping to bridge the gap between laboratory research and clinical development, accelerating the development of new drugs designed to extend the healthspan of our ageing population.

Dr Will Cousins, Investment Manager at Northstar Ventures, says: “The North East continues to generate world-class innovations with the potential to compete on the global stage. Supporting ambitious companies with the capital they need to grow is essential if we are to unlock that potential. Having worked closely with Magnitude Biosciences throughout its journey, we have seen first-hand the strength of the team, the technology and the opportunity ahead. We are proud to continue backing a business that is helping to shape the future of drug discovery.”

Dr Fozia Saleem, CEO, Magnitude Biosciences, says: “Our ambition is to become the first company to provide a platform to screen millions of compounds in a whole organism. This investment in VivoScan™ gives us the opportunity to turn that ambition into reality and fundamentally change the scale and speed at which drug discovery can be done.

“We are building a platform that can move beyond simply screening more compounds. VivoScan™ generates rich, whole organism biological data that can help researchers understand how potential therapies affect health, ageing and disease. By making data generation faster and more cost effective, we will be able to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies identify better drug candidates earlier and ultimately accelerate the development of new treatments.”

Sarah Newbould, Senior Investment Manager at the British Business Bank, said:

“We’re continuing to back the businesses that are driving innovation across the UK economy, with this new funding round helping to bring Magnitude Biosciences’ new technology to market. With NPIF II providing initial investment in May last year, we’re able to support businesses throughout their journey, fuelling the Government’s Industrial Strategy and ensuring the North East’s life sciences sector continues to thrive.”

*High-Throughput Screening (HTS) Market – https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/high-throughput-screening-market-134981950.htm