MANCHESTER — Imperagen announced a £5 million seed funding round led by PXN Ventures with participation from IQ Capital and Northern Gritstone. The round brings total funding raised by the enzyme engineering company to £8.5 million.

The company said it will use the new capital to hire AI specialists, support research and development, expand experimental lab capabilities, and develop a go-to-market function within two years. Imperagen was founded in 2021 as a spin-out from the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology by Dr. Andrew Currin, Dr. Tim Eyes, and Dr. Andy Almond. The company applies three core technologies in its enzyme engineering process.

Rather than relying on trial-and-error enzyme mutations carried out in a laboratory, Imperagen uses a quantum physics-based simulation to predict enzyme variant behavior. The company said the advanced quantum physics modeling can explore millions of mutations.

Simulation data is then translated into custom AI models trained on specific enzyme problems. Imperagen uses robots and automation to generate experimental data that is fed back to its AI models in a closed-loop simulation process.

Enzymes play roles across multiple industries, including pharmaceuticals, where they are essential to drug development. They are also used in food, biofuels, and agriculture. Experts in sustainability are exploring the use of enzymes and AI technologies to make industrial production and manufacturing more sustainable.

Other companies operating in the enzyme engineering and AI space include Biomatter, Cradle Bio, and Absci.