Semarion Raises £2.9M Seed for Cell Microcarriers
Semarion, a Cambridge, UK-based developer of cell assay tools, has raised £2.9M ($3.8M) in seed funding led by Parkwalk. The company develops the SemaCyte® platform, which turns adherent cells into barcoded, assay-ready reagents using microfabricated microcarriers. The capital will scale manufacturing and accelerate commercial adoption with pharma partners.
Cell Assays Expand to $28B
The raise follows integrations with tools from Revvity and SPT Labtech. Semarion's platform enables multiplexing of cell models in standard 384-well plates. This addresses bottlenecks in high-content screening as the cell-based assays market grows from $17.26B in 2024 to $28.56B by 2030.
Adherent Cells Slow Drug Screening
Adherent cells require manual handling that limits automation and throughput in drug discovery. Current solutions struggle with multiplexing and cryopreservation while preserving cell morphology. Pharma teams face 5-50x higher cell use per well without scalable reagents. Semarion targets high-content screening, antibody screening, and cell painting workflows.
Barcoded Carriers Unlock Multiplexing
SemaCyte microcarriers feature optical barcodes for pooling up to 20 cell models in one well. Magnetic control allows precise orientation during imaging and liquid handling. The platform supports cryopreservation and integrates with high-content systems like Revvity's Harmony software. This delivers 10x higher data throughput without new instruments.
Microfab Turns Cells into Reagents
As CTO Tarun Vemulkar explained during product demos:
"SemaCytes enable multiplexing of cell models, cryopreservation, and seamless integration with automation."
Pilots with top-10 pharma companies in the US and Europe validate the workflow. Partnerships with Revvity and SPT Labtech expand to antibody screening and cell painting.
Spinout Specialists Back Scale-Up
Parkwalk, the UK's leading university spinout investor, led the round with Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, The FSE Group, Oxford Innovation Finance, Found Capital, and others. This syndicate signals strong conviction in Cambridge deeptech. Parkwalk's portfolio includes life sciences spinouts like Semarion, matching their thesis on knowledge-intensive biotech.
John Pearson of Parkwalk noted:
"This funding will allow Semarion to scale, reaching its full potential."
Assays Market Hits $28B Milestone
Cell-based assays serve a $17.26B market in 2024 growing to $28.56B by 2030 at 8.5% CAGR. High-content screening trends drive demand for multiplexing. Competitors like denovoMATRIX focus on stem cell manufacturing without barcoding for assays. Semarion's niche combines microfabrication with drug discovery needs.
Cambridge PhDs Invent Core Tech
Co-founders Jeroen Verheyen (CEO) and Tarun Vemulkar (CTO) invented SemaCyte during PhD research at Cambridge's Cavendish Laboratory. Verheyen holds a PhD in Clinical Neurosciences with bionanotech focus; Vemulkar a PhD in Nanotechnology. Chairman Paul Wallace brings 20+ years in biopharma deals, having raised over $250M. Del Trezise adds cell imaging expertise from Sartorius.
Manufacturing Hires Fuel Expansion
Funds target wafer-scale manufacturing and field support. Recent hires include process engineers for microfabrication. Pilots progress to commercial rollout with US and European pharma. Shipments reached the US and China in 2025, following SLAS New Product Award.