Portal Biotech Raises $35 Million Series A, Leveraging AI to Deliver the World's First Full-Length Single-Molecule Protein Sequencer

Associated Press

13 hours ago

LONDON, June 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Portal Biotech, a pioneering biotechnology company headquartered in London, today announced a $35 million Series A raise, representing one of Europe's largest investments into a life sciences tools company. This significant milestone positions Portal Biotech as the leading innovator set to deliver the 'holy grail' of full-length single-molecule protein sequencing - a breakthrough never before accomplished - and promises transformative impact on drug discovery, precision medicine, and global biosecurity.
The oversubscribed round was co-led by the NATO Innovation Fund and Earlybird Venture Capital, with substantial participation from existing investors SCVC, Pillar VC, 8VC, Amino Collective, and Outsized, as well as new investors We Venture Capital, British Business Bank and WS Investment Company (Wilson Sonsini's venture arm).
Proteins drive virtually every biological process, so huge gaps in how we currently read proteins and measure the complexity of the proteome derail drug pipelines, cloud diagnostics, and leave biosecurity blind spots. Legacy tools like mass spectrometry shred proteins into fragments and miss critical protein modification patterns that change protein function, which costs industries billions in failed drug trials and misdiagnoses.
Led by veterans of nanopore genomics, and powered by breakthroughs in nanopore biosensing from more than 10 years of academic research in the Maglia lab, Portal Biotech's nanopore-based platform technology is set to transform proteomics by delivering rapid, full-length, single-molecule protein characterisation at the point of need for a fraction of the price, empowering earlier go/no-go decisions, more reliable diagnostics, and stronger biosecurity responsiveness worldwide.
'Portal Biotech's technology offers unprecedented capabilities in protein identification and characterisation, providing unmatched detail on protein structure and modifications at the single-molecule level—on accessible desktop instruments that bring this state-of-the-art characterisation to any lab,' said Andy Heron, co-founder and CEO of Portal Biotech. 'These powerful advances are essential for accelerating drug discovery and enhancing diagnostic precision, positioning Portal Biotech as the frontrunner in the race to unlock the full potential of protein sequencing.'
Portal Biotech's platform delivers the world's first technology for sequencing intact full-length proteins at the single-molecule level to completely characterise all protein mutations and modifications. Coupled with advanced AI methods, this data gives researchers a detailed view into the complexities of the proteome that traditional technologies cannot match, laying the groundwork for new foundational AI models of the dynamic proteome that will reshape our understanding of protein biology and accelerate breakthroughs throughout the life sciences.
Portal Biotech's benchtop platforms are set to transform proteomics from a specialised, capital-intensive procedure into an agile, cost-efficient workflow that can be performed in any lab. Its accessible and high throughput instruments sidestep the expense and inaccessibility of traditional mass spectrometry, streaming whole-protein data directly to the bench so teams can accelerate early drug-discovery pipelines and make rapid diagnostic decisions.
'Portal Biotech's ability to characterise proteins at the molecular level onsite anywhere could help detect engineered biological threats faster and more accurately — crucial in defending against biowarfare and preparing us for the next pandemic, boosting the resilience of Allied nations for generations to come,' said Dr. Ana Bernardo-Gancedo, Senior Associate, NATO Innovation Fund. 'The scientific and commercial track record of the Portal Biotech team gives us tremendous confidence that they will play a defining role in the next era of proteomics.'
With the genome decoded, Portal Biotech turns the spotlight to proteins to unlock new discoveries in medicine and biology that are still not accessible from genomics alone.
'We believe Portal Biotech is uniquely positioned to revolutionise protein analysis and sequencing in much the same way next-generation DNA sequencing revolutionised genomics,' said Dr. Rabab Nasrallah, Principal at Earlybird Venture Capital, Health Fund.
Amid the global push to unlock the human proteome, this substantial funding will fast-track Portal Biotech's commercialisation roadmap, deepen collaborations with leading pharmaceutical and biotech innovators, and expand its R&D, engineering, and data-science teams.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b40a374e-1f13-4239-b7f2-f68ca1eb2cd2
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