InvenireX raises £2m seed to commercialise DNA nanotechnology for earlier molecular detection
This article covers InvenireX, a Newcastle biotech spin-out from Newcastle University, which has closed a £2m seed funding round to commercialise a programmable DNA nanotechnology platform. The development aims to improve molecular detection sensitivity and speed for applications across oncology, infectious disease and vaccine manufacturing, supporting research, diagnostics and biomanufacturing quality control.
InvenireX, a Newcastle biotech startup, has raised £2 million in Seed funding to commercialise a programmable DNA nanotechnology platform it says can detect molecular disease markers that conventional methods miss. If the sensitivity and speed claimed in pilot testing hold up, the technology could change how researchers and manufacturers detect low-abundance nucleic acid signals in oncology, infectious disease and vaccine production.
Why it matters
Detecting tiny amounts of genetic material early is a persistent challenge across diagnostics, therapeutics and genomics. Techniques such as PCR and digital PCR have been central for decades but can lose a large fraction of target molecules during sample preparation, limiting early detection and precise quantification.
InvenireX’s approach targets that detection bottleneck directly. The company argues the method could enable earlier cancer detection, more reliable infectious disease assays and new quality control capabilities for vaccine manufacturers — areas where earlier or more accurate molecular readouts would have clear downstream consequences for patient outcomes and production safety.
Inside the product
The platform combines programmable DNA nanostructures, which InvenireX calls Nanites, with custom microfluidic chips and an AI-powered reader. According to the company, Nanites selectively capture specific genetic markers within the chips, and the reader identifies and quantifies targets in real time.
Company-reported pilot results include:
- 200 times greater sensitivity than qPCR
- 60-fold improvement over digital PCR
- Testing time and cost reduced by around half, with quantitative results available in minutes rather than hours or days
These performance claims point to two practical advantages: the ability to detect very low-concentration targets and faster turnaround for assays. The company says initial use cases include oncology, infectious disease diagnostics, vaccine manufacturing quality control and basic research, where uncovering previously undetectable markers could open new lines of inquiry.
Founder perspective
InvenireX was founded in 2023 out of research by CEO Dr Dan Todd at Newcastle University and grew from the Conception X programme. The Seed funding is earmarked for team growth and an expanded pilot programme ahead of a commercial launch.
Our machine could pick up cancer, HIV or sepsis earlier. Any disease with a nucleic acid trace,
said Dr Dan Todd, CEO and founder of InvenireX.
We are made of DNA. That is the source code. If you can detect faults and errors in that code at the earliest stages, you can identify problems long before symptoms appear. We have built the ultimate needle in a haystack detector and we want to put it in the hands of scientists to enable the discoveries of tomorrow.
The company has completed a pilot with a diagnostics firm that has committed to purchasing the first instrument, and further pilots are underway with partners in vaccine manufacturing and infectious disease diagnostics. Those early commercial ties serve as validation and an initial revenue pathway if the pilots convert to wider deployments.
Who’s backing the round
The £2 million Seed round was led by DSW Ventures, with participation from XTX Ventures, Cambridge Technology Capital and a group of experienced biotech angel investors. The raise also includes grant funding from Innovate UK.
There are moments in life that make you tingle. Watching Craig Venter announce the first draft of the human genome was one. Hearing about Solexa and then Oxford Nanopore were others. Most recently, it was listening to Dan Todd describe InvenireX’s technology. I believe it is the UK’s next big technology,
said Jonathan O’Halloran, founder of molecular diagnostics company QuantuMDx and an angel investor in InvenireX.
If you're researching potential backers in this space:
- Explore our list of biotech venture capital firms in the UK
- Browse our directory of biotech angel investors in the UK
The bigger picture
InvenireX’s funding and pilot progress arrive at a time when UK biotech investment and public innovation funding are being directed toward platform technologies that promise to improve upstream detection and downstream manufacturing quality. The involvement of Innovate UK and a mix of venture and angel capital reflects a common UK route for early-stage life sciences companies: combine grant support and strategic pilot partnerships to de-risk technology before larger clinical or manufacturing commitments.
If InvenireX’s sensitivity and throughput claims are reproducible at scale, the technology could plug a long-standing gap in molecular detection and create new commercial pathways across diagnostics and biologics production in the UK and Europe.
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