Imperagen raises £5 million for quantum-AI enzyme engineering
Original: Imperagen raises £5 million to use quantum physics, AI on enzyme engineering
Why This Matters
Could accelerate drug discovery and sustainable manufacturing by making enzyme engineering faster and more reliable.
UK biotech Imperagen raised £5 million seed funding led by PXN Ventures to accelerate enzyme engineering using quantum physics simulations and AI models. The Manchester university spinout aims to replace traditional trial-and-error methods.
Imperagen, spun out from Manchester Institute of Biotechnology in 2021, secured £5 million ($6.7 million) in seed funding from PXN Ventures, IQ Capital, and Northern Gritstone. The company uses quantum physics-based simulations to predict enzyme behavior across millions of mutations, feeding data into custom AI models trained on specific enzyme problems. A closed-loop system uses robots to generate experimental data that continuously improves the AI models. Guy Levy-Yurista joined as CEO to scale the technology and build commercial partnerships. Enzymes are critical for pharmaceuticals, food, biofuels, and sustainable manufacturing. The company has raised £8.5 million total and will use funds to hire AI specialists, expand R&D, and build go-to-market capabilities over two years.