- ZOMP, a life science spinout from the University of Cambridge, combines whole-cell 3D imaging with flow cytometry to revolutionise the way cells are analysed and sorted
- Its applications are currently used in many areas including immunotherapy, drug discovery and cancer diagnosis
- Investment will enable ZOMP to recruit additional team members, and invest in product development and marketing
WAE Technologies (“WAE”) Foresight Group (“Foresight”) has announced a £0.5m investment into ZOMP Group Limited (“ZOMP” or “the Company”), a spinout from the University of Cambridge that is developing a new instrument to revolutionise the way cells are analysed and sorted. The investment has been made from the WAE Ventures and Foresight teams, through the Foresight WAE Technology Funds (“FWT”).
ZOMP was established in February 2022, to commercialise research carried out by academic co-founders Prof. Steven Lee and Dr Kevin O’Holleran. ZOMP’s innovative technology combines the ability of a flow cytometer to make fast, high volume cell measurements, with the 3D imaging capability of a microscope. Existing flow cytometers typically provide two-dimensional images. However, flat images can only capture individual slices of a cell; excluding various elements, such as how big the cell is, or what shape the nucleus is. ZOMP effectively provides high quality ‘whole cell’ imaging, on a scale 100 times more sensitive than other imaging cytometers, and very quickly.
Alongside supporting recruitment and marketing initiatives, the investment will enable ZOMP to continue its research and development. ZOMP is currently developing the next generation of flow cytometry instruments for image-based cell counting and sorting. This will allow for 3D reconstructions of cells which will support new experiments in life science and biotechnology applications.
FWT led the investment round, investing £0.5m alongside the Business Growth Fund (“BGF”), Cambridge Enterprise and Zeiss Corporate Ventures. The total round is £2 million.
Julian Peck, Investment Manager at WAE, comments: “ZOMP’s micro-lens array and image-processing software is a potentially transformative innovation. FWT is delighted to support ZOMP, not merely with a financial investment but also engineering expertise and support for the team as they commercialise their first instrument.”
Andy Bloxam, a Director at Foresight, added: “ZOMP has developed a technology that has the potential to disrupt the flow cytometry market and enable new research in drug discovery. We are excited to support Steven, Kevin and the whole team on their journey to commercial success.”
Professor Stephen Lee, CEO at ZOMP, concluded: “We are excited to start our journey in building the world’s first whole cell imaging flow cytometer and Foresight WAE is a perfect early investor to give ZOMP the very best chance of success”.
