Newcells Biotech develops 3D models that mimic human tissues to help speed drug development and reduce reliance on animal testing. The company offers models of the retina, kidney and lung and also provides testing services on customers' behalf. Newcells says its models enable companies to bring drugs to market more quickly and at lower cost than using animal testing and better predict how a drug will behave in the human body. The firm intends to use new funding to build its customer base and pursue partnerships with companies offering complementary products to enhance its offering. Newcells was founded in 2015 as a spin-out from the University of Newcastle and is based in Newcastle, UK. Newcells Biotech builds 3D models of human tissues (retina, kidney, lung) and offers bespoke assay services used by pharmaceutical companies for efficacy and toxicity testing. The company’s models are used worldwide to support decisions on drug development and human trials. It plans to use the latest funding to add powerful imaging technology to produce more data faster, expand marketing activity, and create 10 new jobs. Newcells is a 2015 spin-out from the University of Newcastle and is Newcastle-based. The firm employs 49 people, works with over 100 customers internationally, and reported a 56% revenue increase in the last financial year. To date the company has raised over £12 million in funding. Newcells Biotech develops human tissue models using proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) and cell-biology technology to generate organoids and other 3D models for drug safety, efficacy and pharmacology testing. The company supplies products and services to global pharmaceutical and biotech customers and says its models have helped lower the risk of early drug-discovery projects. Newcells is focused on commercialising kidney and retina treatment models for its major North American market and accelerating development of liver and lung models. The lung models could support SARS-CoV-2 research and related treatments. Management plans to use recent funding to expand commercial operations and accelerate international growth, particularly in the USA. The company is described as commercial-stage and has attracted repeat investment from existing backers. Newcells Biotech produces and differentiates human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and develops 2-D and 3-D (organoid) cell-based assays. The company focuses on incorporating advanced biology into assays to better mimic in vivo physiology for pre-clinical disease modelling and drug safety evaluation. It has launched a validated assay for kidney transporter function and nephrotoxicity measurement. Its development pipeline includes hiPSC-based models of the human retina and skin for drug safety assessment, pharmacokinetics and disease modelling. Newcells secured £2m in funding to expand its capabilities and accelerate plans to develop and launch new cell-based assays for pre-clinical drug discovery and development. The company was founded on technology from Prof Lyle Armstrong and Prof Majlinda Lako of Newcastle University and is based in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Total raised

$15M

Funding rounds

4

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Dec 2024