£100,000 Investment For Microbiology Company

A Company which offers bespoke microbiological testing has secured £100,000 investment.

Perfectus Biomed, based at Sci-Tech Daresbury, received £50,000 from The North West Fund for Biomedical, managed by SPARK Impact, and another £50,000 from venture capital company Midven.

Perfectus Biomed specialises in testing for bacteria growing in so-called ‘biofilms’ which are estimated to be the root cause of up to 80 per cent of all infections in the body. The Biofilm formulation can also lead to infections in medical devices such as urinary catheters and central venous catheters.

Perfectus Biomed carries out test tube research to investigate biofilm- encased bacteria to help their clients develop antimicrobial properties of devices for use in areas including wound care, medical implants, dentistry and contact lenses.

The North West Fund for Biomedical is part of the wider £155m North West Fund, financed jointly by the European Regional Development Fund and the European Investment Bank.

The funding will be used by Perfectus Biomed to expand the company’s research team to meet the growing demand for testing. It also plans to implement a marketing strategy across the UK and in Europe, and to invest in capital assets in order to improve service and develop management systems within the company.

Dr Samantha Westgate, business and scientific director of Perfectus Biomed, said: “We are delighted to receive this investment. It will support the growth and development of Perfectus Biomed, enabling us to increase employee numbers and drive our exciting expansion into new sectors.”

Dr Penny Attridge, senior investment director at SPARK Impact and manager of The North West Fund for Biomedical, said: “Perfectus Biomed has developed a novel research based approach to microbiological testing and we’re pleased to support the firm in its growth plans.

“Its work supports key medical sectors and we believe it to be a huge asset to SPARK’s biomedical portfolio.”

Dr Andrew Muir, Director of Midven and Investment Director of the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, said: “There are very few companies that provide the services of which Perfectus can be justifiably proud, so there is considerable potential for growth. “The importance of biofilm testing is being increasingly recognised across the consumer and medical device sectors and Perfectus is uniquely poised to take advantage of this. They are precisely the sort of organisation which can benefit from venture capital funding as they look to grow their laboratory as well as the sales resource, both of which are key in helping move the company on to the next stage.”

Perfectus Biomed is The North West Fund for Biomedical’s 57th investment to date and the 38^th company to be supported by the Fund.