Fresh $12m takes Nuclera Series C to $87m
Nuclera, which also has facilities in Boston in the US, is working to accelerate drug discovery by providing rapid, easy access to functional proteins through its benchtop eProtein Discovery™ System.
The fresh raise was led by Elevage Medical Technologies, principally based in Texas and whose parent company is Patient Square Capital, and serial Cambridge entrepreneur Dr Jonathan Milner. They were joined by existing investors British Business Bank and GK Goh.
The investment will accelerate the integration of antibody expression and binding validation capabilities into the company’s eProtein Discovery benchtop system, which enables multiplex protein screening, characterisation, and expression in-house.
Expanding eProtein Discovery with antibody-specific capabilities represents a strategic step as Nuclera moves into AI-enabled protein engineering, addressing a critical industry need for scalable, standardised, and high-quality datasets that can be used to power next-generation AI models in biologics discovery. The advancement will enable researchers to perform end-to-end expression, purification, and binding validation of full-format antibodies on an integrated, high-throughput system.
Since the closure of its previous Series C financing in 2024, Nuclera has advanced its eProtein Discovery capabilities with the addition of a membrane protein workflow, extended its global footprint to broaden customer access across APAC and the Middle East and initiated a collaboration with Cytiva to accelerate the path from DNA to fully purified and characterised proteins to better understand drug-target interactions.
In parallel, the eProtein Discovery system was installed at Cambridge company Domainex, the first CRO implementation of the system, streamlining protein production services and further validating the system’s commercial and scientific impact.
Dr Michael Chen, CEO and co-founder, Nuclera, said: “This financing underscores our growing momentum and demonstrates that we are expanding eProtein Discovery into one of the fastest-growing segments of biologics R&D.
“Scientists increasingly require scalable, high-quality datasets to power AI models in biologics discovery. We are positioning Nuclera to become a foundational platform for the future of protein and antibody engineering, ultimately accelerating therapeutic discovery timelines.”
Dr Michael Wasserman, Chief Operating Officer, Elevage Medical Technologies, commented: “Since our initial investment, Nuclera has made meaningful progress in expanding the capabilities, adoption, and global reach of the eProtein Discovery platform.
“The extension of the system into full-format antibody expression, purification, and binding validation represents a significant step forward, particularly as biologics discovery becomes increasingly driven by AI-enabled workflows that require scalable, high-quality datasets.
“Elevage is proud to continue supporting Nuclera as it evolves into a foundational platform for protein and antibody engineering, helping researchers accelerate discovery timelines and reduce friction across the drug development process.”
Dr Milner, Chairman of the Nuclera Board, founder and former CEO of Abcam, Inc and CEO of Meltwind Advisory, added: “Nuclera is solving one of the most pressing bottlenecks in biologics discovery - the slow, fragmented, and resource-intensive process of synthesising full-format antibodies.
“The team’s success in membrane proteins, one of the most challenging protein classes, combined with their microfluidic expertise, places them in a unique position to transform antibody development workflows.”
Combining unique cell-free expression systems, novel digital microfluidics, and robust screening data, eProtein Discovery provides clear guidance on which protein has the best chance of success early on, thereby reducing the time, cost, and uncertainty traditionally associated with protein expression and purification.
Taylor Wessing LLP acted as legal adviser to Nuclera on the financing.
