Key points from article :
Magnitude Biosciences, a drug discovery company based in County Durham, has secured £700,000 in new funding to expand its pioneering research into age-related diseases. A spin-out from Durham University, the biotech firm specialises in in vivo drug discovery—research conducted within living organisms—and aims to revolutionise the process of finding new treatments through its innovative technology.
The funding round was led by Maven Capital Partners, with additional backing from Durham County Council’s Finance Durham Fund, Northstar Ventures, and a grant from Innovate UK. The investment will help Magnitude advance its WormGazer high-throughput screening (HTS) platform, which uses a combination of robotics, machine learning, and liquid culture systems to rapidly test thousands of chemical compounds each week. This approach could significantly cut the time and cost required to develop new drugs, particularly those that promote healthy ageing.
The company’s platform is already in use by several top pharmaceutical firms and is seen as a major leap forward in early-stage drug development. In addition to accelerating research, the expansion will create new high-skilled jobs in software engineering, robotics, and life sciences at the firm’s base in NETPark, a science park in County Durham.
Magnitude’s CEO, Dr Fozia Saleem, highlighted the technology’s potential to reduce reliance on traditional animal testing while speeding up the path to life-changing therapies. Supporters of the company also praised its role in driving innovation in the North East and advancing diversity in tech leadership.
