Biocentis secures £9.9m seed to cut mosquito‑borne disease via gene editing, AI
This article covers Biocentis, an Imperial College London spin-out biotech company, which has raised £14.4m ($19m) to advance a platform that engineers insects to reduce fertility and uses AI to model real-world impacts. The funding will support progression of its first programmes toward field trials in the US, Brazil and other markets, targeting disease-carrying mosquitoes and invasive fruit flies and affecting public health, agriculture and biodiversity as chemical pesticides face increasing scrutiny.
Biocentis has raised £14.4m ($19m) to advance a platform that engineers insects to reduce fertility and uses AI to model real-world impacts. The Imperial College London spin-out says the funds will take its first programmes toward field trials in the US, Brazil and other markets — a development that matters for public health, agriculture and biodiversity as chemical pesticides face increasing scrutiny.
Why it matters
Disease-carrying insects and invasive pests are a growing global challenge. The company cites that disease-transmitting insects infect hundreds of millions of people annually and cause almost a million deaths, while agricultural pests can destroy as much as 25% of global crop yields. Rising temperatures and international trade are expanding the ranges of many harmful species, turning local outbreaks into cross-border problems.
Chemical pesticides have been the primary response for more than a century, but concerns about efficacy and environmental harm are mounting. Biocentis references a report by Deep Science Ventures that labels pesticides as a highly concerning class of toxic chemicals, and notes more than 25,000 peer-reviewed articles linking pesticides to human disease and ecological damage. That context helps explain investor interest in alternatives that aim to reduce reliance on broad-spectrum chemicals.
Inside the product
Biocentis combines genome engineering with AI-driven simulation. Its core approach is to design genetic traits that reduce fertility in target insect species so released insects that mate with wild populations drive down population size, while minimising impact on non-target species. The company also builds digital twins to simulate how modified insects would behave in real environments, which it says accelerates development and helps anticipate outcomes.
The first targets in Biocentis’ pipeline are a mosquito species associated with dengue, Zika, yellow fever and chikungunya, and a highly invasive fruit fly that poses a threat to fruit production. Mosquito control links directly to public health outcomes, while controlling invasive fruit flies addresses crop losses and trade risks. Biocentis positions its platform as extensible to additional species and applications.
Who are the investors?
The financing comprises a £9.9m ($13m) seed equity round led by The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment (US) and Algebris Investments (Europe). Other participants named in the release include Neurone, Corbites, Novaterra and a network of entrepreneurs said to include founders of two European tech unicorns. In addition, Biocentis has secured a separate £4.6m ($6m) award from Wellcome, bringing the round total to £14.4m ($19m).
The company says the capital will fund progression of first-in-species solutions into field trials in priority markets and further development of its platform across new targets. As a spin-out from Imperial College London with teams in London and Milan, Biocentis sits at the intersection of academic research and early-stage commercialisation.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Giorgio Rocca, Co-founder and CEO at Biocentis, said:
Our approach combines exceptional effectiveness with true sustainability. Our insects instinctively seek out and mate with others of their own species, ensuring precision and high efficacy.
Our software allows us to predict outcomes and build confidence among stakeholders — helping them foresee and manage future challenges. And because we don’t use toxic substances, humans and other species remain unharmed. It’s a smarter, safer, and integrated approach to tackle some of the world’s toughest challenges.
Rocca frames the work as an integrated package of engineered organisms and predictive modelling intended to deliver targeted control with reduced environmental collateral.
The bigger picture
Biocentis joins a broader wave of biotech spin-outs exploring genetic approaches to pest management and disease control. Such technologies promise more targeted tools than broad-spectrum pesticides, but they also raise regulatory, ecological and public-acceptance questions that vary by jurisdiction. Field trials in the US, Brazil and elsewhere will require local approvals and stakeholder engagement.
The deal reflects interest from biotech investors in approaches that could lower pesticide use and offer alternative public-health tools. Wellcome’s award underlines public-health funder engagement in non-chemical interventions.
This funding round is another example of UK and European biotech innovation moving from university labs towards field testing and commercial development. As companies such as Biocentis progress, regulators, farmers, public-health authorities and conservation groups will all have roles to play in determining how — and where — programmable biology is deployed.
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