ProKyma, a spin-out from the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), has won a £470,000 funding round led by Merseyside Special Investment Fund's Liverpool Seed Fund
The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta), Rainbow Seed Fund and ProKyma management also participated in the round.
The investment will allow ProKyma to develop its Sonic Separation technology, which uses ultrasound waves to purify and concentrate bacteria from samples like blood, faeces, soil and water, for more rapid, sensitive and accurate analysis.
The ultimate objective is to concentrate and purify bacteria to allow detection in hours instead of days as is currently necessary.
So far the company has proven that the ultrasound can be used to purify extremely low numbers of bacteria from complex samples such as soil or blood and allow very sensitive detection using molecular tests such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Sonic Separation has also been demonstrated to allow automated rapid analysis of blood groups for use in blood transfusion.
With the funding and support of its investors, Prokyma will be looking to develop its technology to a point where it can raise a Series A funding round.
Currently based at the Diagnox Laboratory in Oxfordshire, the investment will also help ProKyma relocate to a larger space in the MerseyBio Incubator facility in Liverpool.
Liverpool Seed Fund investment manager Mike Bakewell said: "Prokyma's move to Liverpool highlights the region's ability to attract businesses from some of the UK's leading areas in technology development.
"We are delighted to be supporting the business and believe it has strong commercial potential".
Commenting on their support, Jonathan Kestenbaum, CEO of Nesta said: "ProKyma is a young and innovative company with significant potential they are developing a very exciting technology that could have a real impact on the detection of disease.
"With the right funding and support they are likely to make significant progress and are a prime example of why early-stage investment is of such great importance".
Damian Bond, chief executive of ProKyma, added: "This investment has come at a very good time for us and will help progress our business significantly.
"We are now able to complete our feasibility analysis of the different sample types and are beginning to look at the engineering requirements to miniaturise the laboratory equipment we've developed as well as process larger and multiple samples".
Andy Tulloch, chief executive of Dstl's commercialisation company, said: "ProKyma's move to the north west region reinforces Ploughshare's commitment to commercialise Dstl technologies across the UK".
