NanoBioDesign, a London developer of systems that screen experimental drugs against key liver enzymes, raised $1 million (£500,000) to support manufacturing of its protein-chip devices. The funding was provided by the Imperial Innovations Group and the Capital Fund.
NanoBioDesign is focused on a class of liver enzymes known as cytochrome P450, which play an important role in metabolism. Various forms of these enzymes can greatly impact the effectiveness of drugs, depending on how quickly they break down the drugs and clear them from the bloodstream. The company's approach immobilizes these enzymes on an electrode that can then measure an electric disturbance if the enzyme is activated, allowing a precise readout of the extent to which different P450 variants react with a drug.
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