Latest Lab Talk News in Brief: Investment, acquisition, appointments, partnerships, awards, training, R&D

The Durham University spinout uses C. elegans nematodes, advanced imaging, machine learning, agentic AI, automation and robotics to generate whole-organism data for drug discovery. The company says the platform can produce detailed biological data in weeks rather than years and is designed to complement conventional high-throughput screening.

Fuse has raised £1m to accelerate commercialisation of its Flip molecular diagnostics platform and expand manufacturing at its Cambridge headquarters.

The company is developing rapid, laboratory-quality molecular tests for pathogens and contaminants for use outside specialist laboratories. The funding will support expansion across life sciences research, bioprocessing, food safety, water quality, veterinary diagnostics and plant agriculture.

Big Picture Bio has closed a £1.5m pre-seed funding round to develop cancer combination therapies using generative AI.

The company is developing a generative world model to study interactions between tumours, immune cells and surrounding tissue across different disease sites and patient groups. The funding, combined with £700,000 in non-dilutive Innovate UK support, will take its initial drug combinations from computational design into laboratory validation.

Astoriom has acquired Roylance Stability Storage and Roylance Scientific, the Glasgow-based UK operations of Sampled.

The acquisition expands Astoriom's sample stability and biorepository storage capabilities in the UK, complementing its existing facility in Rochdale.

Acumetis has appointed Ramil Burden as chief executive officer.

Burden brings more than 20 years' experience in pharmaceutical, healthcare and life sciences, including as CEO of Optum Life Sciences and 17 years at GSK. Founder and outgoing CEO Brent Herspiegel will retire but remain on the company's board.

Nuclera has appointed Carl Raimond as chief executive officer with immediate effect.

Dr Michael Chen, Nuclera's co-founder and former CEO, becomes chief scientific and business officer, continuing to provide scientific leadership and supporting market development and strategic partnerships.

Orange Business has partnered with French health-tech company Biolevate to support pharmaceutical and life sciences organisations using AI.

The partnership combines Biolevate's AI agents and knowledge-driven automation with the clinical research, data and AI expertise of Orange Business affiliate Enovalife.

Alveo Technologies has expanded its partnership with veterinary diagnostics company Royal GD to develop additional molecular tests on the Alveo platform.

The companies have already collaborated on an on-farm avian influenza test, which has been commercially deployed for 18 months. The expanded partnership will support tests for pathogens affecting swine and cattle, as well as further poultry applications.

Dr Mais Maree of the Royal Veterinary College has received a Wellcome Early Career Award to investigate how antimicrobial resistance emerges and spreads.

Her research will examine genes transferred between bacteria in densely populated communities and during skin colonisation, with a particular focus on Staphylococcus aureus and its drug-resistant form, MRSA.

Professor Brian Cox CBE has joined Sen as a brand ambassador and investor.

Cox will support the company's efforts to reach wider audiences with its live video of Earth and space. Sen currently operates a 4K camera system on the International Space Station and plans to deploy further cameras to provide continuous views of Earth, the Moon and space.

Asecos is to host an online fire safety expo on 14 October, bringing together fire safety, insurance and hazardous materials specialists.

The programme will cover hazardous material storage, lithium battery management, gas cylinders and chemical incidents, alongside guidance on lithium battery safety.

A UCL-led trial has found that young people living with HIV had better viral suppression when receiving antiretroviral injections every eight weeks than when taking daily tablets.

The LATA trial, conducted in Africa and published in The Lancet, compared the two approaches in adolescents living with HIV. The researchers said the findings support efforts to improve access to long-acting injectable treatment for young people.

Pic (clockwise, top left) Royal GDAlveo, RVC's Maree, Magnitude Biosciences, R Biopharm Rhone