Pictured: Dr Sioned Jones, Dr Lydia Mapstone and Tara O’Driscoll, C-founders of BoobyBiome
Discovery Park Ventures (DPV) has announced investment in two more early-stage life science and technology companies, allowing them to scale and progress further towards commercialisation.
The investment fund, launched earlier this year by Discovery Park in Kent – one of the UK’s leading centres of life sciences innovation – provides risk capital to growing businesses in the thriving life sciences and technology sectors.
BoobyBiome, a female-led start-up founded by scientists Dr Lydia Mapstone, Dr Sioned Jones and Tara O’Driscoll, has developed a novel product for babies who do not have access to the beneficial microbiome in breast milk. It has received £100,000 from DPV which is part of a wider £1.3m raised by BoobyBiome in equity and grant funding.
Neobe Therapeutics has also received £100,000 from DPV to help drive its work in improving the response to immunotherapies in ‘cold’ tumours – those which have low response rates to treatments. The company harnesses synthetic biology to create bacteria which have the potential to disrupt the tumour’s microenvironment and increase drug efficacy. The investment by DPV is part of a wider £500,000 raised by the company in non-dilutive and pre-seed equity funding.
Mayer Schreiber, Chairman, Discovery Park Ventures, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to announce the latest recipients of investment funding from Discovery Park Ventures. BoobyBiome’s products have the potential to transform infant and life-long health and we chose to invest in Neobe Therapeutics because of the incredibly innovative science it has to treat cold tumours. Both companies will benefit from our expertise and networks.
“Since launching Discovery Park Ventures earlier this year we have provided investment capital to four growing life science start-ups which have real potential to disrupt the market with their innovative technologies and importantly, delivering viable solutions to the healthcare issues we face.”
Dr Lydia Mapstone, CEO of BoobyBiome, commented, “We are thrilled to receive investment from Discovery Park Ventures as it supports us on our exciting journey. As we develop a clearer picture of the breast milk microbiome, BoobyBiome is focused on developing a life-changing product for babies worldwide.”
Dr Pedro Correa de Sampaio, CEO of Neobe Therapeutics, said “Neobe Therapeutics wouldn’t be able to advance its anticancer research without the support of investors such as Discovery Park Ventures. We look forward to continuing to work with our collaborators on our mission to double the number of cancer patients that respond to immunotherapies through engineered live biotherapeutics.”
Discovery Park Ventures launched earlier this year by investing £100,000 in ophthalmology company VisusNano and £140,000 in drug delivery start-up Vitarka Therapeutics.
