Imperagen raises £5m to use quantum physics and artificial intelligence in enzyme engineering

Biotechnology company Embragen announced on Thursday a £5 million ($6.7 million) seed round led by PXN Ventures, with participation from IQ Capital and Northern Gritstone. The company was founded in 2021 by Manchester Institute of Biotechnology scientists Dr Andrew Coren, Dr Tim Eyes and Dr Andy Almond, and spun out of the university.

The startup seeks to improve enzyme engineering by making it faster, more efficient, and less expensive than the slower, more physical, trial-and-error-focused process now used.

Imperagen uses three key technologies in its quest to redefine enzyme engineering. Specifically, it uses simulations based on quantum physics rather than trial-and-error enzyme mutagenesis in the laboratory. Imbergine predicts the behavior of enzyme variants on a computer using advanced quantum physics modeling that can explore millions of mutations, the company said. It then translates this information into custom AI models, which are trained on the enzyme problems Imperagen seeks to explore. Finally, to maintain its AI models, Imperagen uses robotics and automation to generate experimental data, which is fed back to the AI ​​model, in a process called closed-loop simulation.

Enzymes are very important in many industries, especially in pharmaceuticals, because they are essential for drug development. Startups like Imperagen hope to accelerate enzyme engineering because it could have a domino effect, making drug discovery, for example, faster and more efficient. Enzymes are also used in sectors such as food, biofuels and agriculture. Sustainability experts They are also searching To enzymes – and surrounding artificial intelligence technologies – To make industrial production and manufacturing more sustainable.

Other companies in this space include Biomatter, Cradle Bio, and Absci.

On Thursday, Imperagen also announced that Jay Levy-Urista will take over as CEO. Speaking to TechCrunch, he said that the enzyme engineering process currently is inadequate, as many new AI-powered technologies can go through trial and error but fail when put into practice on an industrial scale.

Imperagen hopes its technology will make enzyme development “faster, more reliable and commercially accessible, helping companies bring better bioproducts to market without the long timelines and uncertainty that have traditionally hampered the field,” he told TechCrunch.

Levy-Yurista has a background in artificial intelligence, life sciences, and enterprise technology. Although the founders will remain at the company, Levi Urista has been brought in to help build out its new technologies, including its vertical AI infrastructure for biocatalysis (a process that speeds up chemical reactions using natural catalysts such as enzymes), while scaling the startup’s AI strategy, business models, and industrial partnerships.

The company has raised £8.5 million ($11.42 million) in funding to date, and the new capital will be used to hire more AI specialists, direct them towards R&D, expand experimental laboratory capabilities, and build out its go-to-market function over the next two years.

“Ultimately, Embergen hopes that broader use of engineered enzymes will help industries produce cleaner, safer products that are better for people and the planet, while also making business sense for the companies that adopt them,” Levy-Urista said.