5 May 2026
“This investment marks an important step in scaling a fundamentally new approach to DNA manufacturing"
Newcastle University spinout NunaBio has secured £6.5m in funding to scale-up its proprietary DNA platform backed by north-east universities.
The funding will allow NunaBio to continue its advances in a new approach to DNA manufacturing. In doing so, it will address a critical bottleneck in biotechnology by producing high-quality synthetic DNA rapidly and at scale, supported by the development of a global infrastructure network. This will enable faster development of vaccines, gene therapies, diagnostics and other life-changing technologies.
The investment was led by Northstar Ventures which deployed capital from the North East Innovation Fund, the North East Spinout Inspire Fund and the Northstar EIS Growth Fund. All support the commercialisation of high-impact technologies emerging from the region.
The £22.5m North East Spinout Inspire Fund is backed by the universities of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Sunderland and Teesside, as well as The North East Combined Authority (via the North East Fund). It has been set up to commercialise the research and innovation emerging from the North East’s five universities.
Additional participation came from a group of UK and US investors, including Maven Capital Partners (via the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II), HIT Investments (US), and a syndicate of North East angel investors, alongside continued support from existing backers.
Joe Hedley, CEO and Co-Founder of NunaBio, said: “This investment marks an important step in scaling a fundamentally new approach to DNA manufacturing. Our focus is on enabling DNA that others cannot produce and translating that capability into a robust, industrial platform.
“Our long-term vision is a globally deployable network of DNA micro-foundries—compact, automated production units applying semiconductor-style manufacturing principles to biology. By standardising and modularising production, we can deliver scalable, high-performance DNA manufacturing without the constraints of traditional approaches.”
Alex Buchan, Investment Director at Northstar Ventures, said: “NunaBio is developing a highly differentiated approach to DNA manufacturing with significant potential across a range of high-growth applications. We identified Nunabio’s potential to transform industry economics from early on. We are pleased to support the company as it scales its technology and commercial reach.”