North West Fund for Biomedical
Funding to the value of £100,000 has been secured by microbiological testing company, Perfectus Biomed, from The North West Fund (TNFW) for Biomedical, to expand its research team and to fuel growth into new sectors.
The investment was divided evenly between TNFW, managed by Spark Impact, and Midven which is a venture capital company.
Perfectus Biomed specialises in microbiological testing of biofilm encased bacteria. This area of research is valuable in consumer terms because persistent biofilm infections have been linked to chronic non-healing of wounds, failed medical implants and catheter infections. The testing done by Perfectus can help its clients to develop anti-microbial and anti-biofilm agents and devices which can be used in the fields of woundcare, dentistry, medical implants and research into contact lenses.
The business and scientific director of Perfectus Biomed, Dr Samantha Westgate said: “We are delighted. This investment will support the growth and development of Perfectus Biomed, enabling us to increase employee numbers and drive our exciting expansion into new sectors.”
Dr Penny Attridge, senior investment director at SPARK Impact and manager of The North West Fund for Biomedical, said: “Perfectus Biomed has developed a novel research based approach to microbiological testing and we’re pleased to support the firm in its growth plans.
“Its work supports key medical sectors and we believe it to be a huge asset to Spark’s biomedical portfolio.”
Dr Andrew Muir, director of Midven added: “The importance of biofilm testing is being increasingly recognised across the consumer and medical device sectors and Perfectus is uniquely poised to take advantage of this.”
The funding will also be channeled into improving IT systems, strengthening internal management structures and formulating a marketing strategy for the UK, Europe and America which will incorporate a series of conferences where clients will be able to gain a personal insight into the company and schedule business meetings with directors.
