Pinpoint secures new investment to develop "ground-breaking" products

ImpactAir microbial air samplers developed by Pinpoint Scientific.

The financial backing will help the company to develop a new generation of microbial air monitors that enables continuous monitoring as demanded by the Annex 1 revision.

Cherwell Laboratories and Development Bank of Wales (DBW) have both invested in Pinpoint and taken a minority share in the business. The investment not only secures jobs in South Wales, a key objective of DBW, but also allows the business to bring to the market some exciting new products within the ImpactAir range. Cherwell is an existing distributor of ImpactAir products within the UK and Andy Whittard, Cherwell’s Managing Director, has also taken a seat on the Pinpoint board to help with business strategy and planning.

Gethin Jones, Managing Director of Pinpoint and the designer of the ImpactAir product said: “This is an exciting time for Pinpoint. We have been working on very innovative ideas to develop a new generation of microbial air monitors to meet the new pharmaceutical regulations. This investment is perfect timing for Pinpoint and allows us to create a range of ground-breaking products for this market.”

Andy Whittard added: “I am really excited to join up with Gethin and the team at Pinpoint to help create an exciting range of products for pharma EM. The Annex 1 revision is potentially going to shift the dynamics for EM within grade A spaces and I think Pinpoint is well placed to service that need with innovative and highly effective monitoring devices.”

Sarah Smith, Investment Executive with the Technology Venture Investment team at the DBM said: “Our Wales Technology Seed Fund provides businesses like Pinpoint with the funding that they need to further develop their products. Together with Cherwell Laboratories, we will work with the team to support their growth in this niche sector as providers of continuous air quality for life science cleanrooms. This is an exciting time for the team as they look to capitalise on their existing customer base and scale the business. We wish them every success.”

The ImpactAir range of microbial air samplers is shortly to be expanded with the introduction of the new ImpactAir ISO-90 Monitoring Platform. ImpactAir is designed for continuous monitoring in high-grade areas, where in-process sampling of viable particles is often critical. The ImpactAir ISO is a modular system designed to integrate into isolators or RABS, using an external controller and local or remotely located air mover. It can be designed in almost any orientation using standard or custom-made connections. The ISO-90-Monitoring Head features a chamber for 90-mm agar plates and a highly efficient slit to agar sampling method. The low D50 value and ability to sample for long periods makes the ISO-90 ideal for continuous monitoring as demanded by the Annex 1 revision.