Biotechnology leader Nuclera has announced a $12 million extension to its Series C financing, bringing the round’s total to $87 million. Led by Elevage Medical Technologies and Jonathan Milner, the capital will accelerate the integration of antibody expression and binding validation into the company’s eProtein Discovery™ system. This expansion aims to provide researchers with a unified benchtop platform for high-throughput biologics discovery and AI-enabled protein engineering.
Revolutionizing Biologics with AI-Ready Data
The enhancement of the eProtein Discovery system is specifically designed to meet the growing industry demand for scalable and standardized datasets. As AI-enabled workflows become central to modern drug development, scientists require high-fidelity biological information to train predictive models for protein behavior. Nuclera’s platform generates these robust datasets in-house, significantly reducing the reliance on external providers and shortening experimental timelines.
Dr. Michael Chen, CEO and co-founder of Nuclera, emphasized that this funding underscores the company's momentum in the fastest-growing segments of biologics research. By providing rapid access to functional proteins, the system allows labs to move from DNA constructs to purified samples in less than 48 hours. This efficiency is crucial for researchers who must quickly validate drug-target interactions to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving market.
Advanced Technology and Market Adoption
The eProtein Discovery system stands out due to its unique combination of cell-free protein synthesis and digital microfluidics technology. Originally developed in collaboration with E Ink—the company behind Kindle displays—these "smart cartridges" use electrical pulses to move nanoliter droplets of reagents with extreme precision. This miniaturized automation enables scientists to screen 192 different expression conditions simultaneously, identifying the most stable and soluble versions of a protein without the need for traditional cell cultures.
Since closing its initial Series C tranche, Nuclera has expanded its global reach with successful installations at leading academic and commercial institutions across the UK, Europe, and Taiwan. The platform’s versatility was recently showcased through a specialized membrane protein workflow, which targets one of the most difficult classes of proteins for drug discovery. By proving success with these complex targets, Nuclera has validated the robustness of its microfluidic approach for a wide range of therapeutic applications.
Strategic Synergies and Global Reach
The company’s growth is further supported by high-profile collaborations, most notably an initiative with Cytiva to accelerate the path from DNA to purified proteins. This partnership integrates Nuclera’s rapid production capabilities with Cytiva’s Biacore™ surface plasmon resonance technology for immediate functional characterization. Together, the two companies have demonstrated the ability to produce and validate clinically significant proteins, such as kinases and growth factors, in just five days.
Nuclera is also strengthening its commercial footprint in high-growth markets like the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East through new distribution agreements. Recent installations at National Taiwan University and National Cheng Kung University highlight the platform's role in supporting international research into cancer and cardiovascular diseases. These milestones reflect a growing worldwide demand for benchtop systems that can provide on-demand access to the building blocks of modern medicine.
Nuclera’s $87 million Series C total positions the firm to transform the pharmaceutical industry’s approach to antibody and protein engineering. By eliminating technical friction and providing AI-ready data, the eProtein Discovery system serves as a vital catalyst for therapeutic breakthroughs. Supported by visionary investors, the company continues to redefine the speed and scale of global drug discovery workflows.