Oxford Genetics secures £7.5 million investment

Investment will fund a new office in Boston, US, an extension of its UK facility at the Oxford Science Park, and R&D capabilities to increase its intellectual property portfolio.

This investment will fund a new office in Boston, US and a 6,000-sq. ft. extension of its UK facility at the Oxford Science Park by November 2017. The extension will include state-of-the-art cell line engineering capabilities, viral vector production and purification suites, high-throughput robotic screening systems and process development facilities.

The company also plans to invest in its research and development capabilities to increase its intellectual property portfolio and support the growth of its of technology-enabled licensing business.

Ryan Cawood, CEO of Oxford Genetics, said: “The future is looking genuinely exciting for Oxford Genetics. Over the last few years there has been a huge number of promising steps in the complex biologics field towards delivering real patient benefits and Oxford Genetics is pleased to be working with so many of the companies tackling some of medicines most significant challenges. This latest investment will allow us to further strengthen our solid foundations of innovative technologies and operational excellence and deliver on our mission to improve the overall efficiency of the biotherapeutic industry through the application of synthetic biology.”

The announcement follows a successful year for Oxford Genetics with a rapidly increasing number of clients, key appointments, and market momentum in the growth areas of cell and gene therapy. It has also signed a number of licenses for use of its technologies, including two collaborative partnerships with gene therapy companies designed to develop its IP offering further, as well as filing five new patents intended to improve the discovery, development or delivery of biotherapeutics.

Matthew Mead, chief investment officer at Mercia said: “Our latest investment into Oxford Genetics reflects its rapid growth as the business continues to grow and expand into the US market. Since first investing in Oxford Genetics via our third party managed funds in 2013 and then transferring it to Mercia's direct investment portfolio of 'Emerging Stars' in December 2015, we have seen the business continue to accelerate its commercial progress, in what is proving to be a very attractive sector and growing market.”

The investment into Oxford Genetics’ offering is exceptionally well-timed with the rapidly increasing demand for solutions that improve the discovery and development of biotherapeutics driving the need for expert technology providers to support and scale companies’ research efforts.