Semarion, a University of Cambridge spin-out combining materials engineering and cell biology for drug screening, secured $3.8 million (£2.9 million) in funding led by Parkwalk with participation from The FSE Group, Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, Oxford Innovation Finance, Found Capital, Cambridge Capital Group and Start Codon. The investment will support commercialization and manufacturing scale of the SemaCyte® platform.
Scalable Cell-Based Screening Technology
Semarion’s SemaCyte platform transforms adherent cell models into assay-ready, barcoded reagents, enabling flexible and scalable drug discovery workflows. The technology supports automation, improves data generation and integrates with existing laboratory infrastructure. Leading pharmaceutical companies and life science tool providers across the US and Europe have already adopted the platform through pilot programs and collaborations.
Jeroen Verheyen, CEO and Co-Founder at Semarion, added: “This funding marks an important step as we scale to meet growing demand from the industry. Scientists are under increasing pressure to generate more cell-based data, improve automation and drive operational efficiency. SemaCytes enable them to do this within existing workflows and infrastructure, and we are now focused on translating that momentum into broader adoption.”
Commercial Expansion Plans
Funding will accelerate manufacturing throughput, expand field application support and strengthen partnerships with pharmaceutical and life science organisations.