Magnitude Biosciences
A Durham University spin-out and contract research lab that tests thousands of compounds on live C. elegans worms, read out by imaging and machine learning.
Money and evidence
Latest round, Round (unnamed), 2026-09-16: the record then held 1 research entry, highest level 4. The first research entry is dated 2023-11-08; the highest level so far is 4 (Tested in the physical world).
Rounds and research, on one timeline
- 2026-09-16Round (unnamed)Round
£1.3M≈ $1.75M
For: scaling its VivoScan platform, equipment and automation, pharma work and hiring
Automated labCommercial roll-outHiring
A separate £217K Innovate UK grant is expected and is not part of the round.
Lead · Northstar Ventures ✓North East Spinout Inspire FundNorth East Innovation FundNorthstar EIS Growth Fund ✓Maven Capital Partners (NPIF II) ✓Finance Durham Fundangel investors
On the deal: Will Cousins (Investment Manager, Northstar Ventures)
The investor's own page says · Northstar Ventures: 2026 round (post Sep 15 2026)
- 2025-05-27Round (unnamed)Round
over £700,000
For: turn WormGazer into a high-throughput screening platform, with robotics, machine learning and liquid culture, able to screen thousands of compounds a week; hire in robotics, software and biology at NETPark
Automated labHiring
The investment was matched with Innovate UK grant funding, and NETPark calls the figure combined funding, so it appears to include that grant; the equity share is not broken out.
Co-lead · Maven Capital Partners (NPIF II) ✓Co-lead · Finance Durham FundNorthstar Ventures ✓
On the deal: Michael Dickens (Investment Manager, Maven Capital Partners (NPIF II))
By this date the record held 1 research entry, highest level 4
- 2023-11-08Research
Level 4 · Tested in the physical world
Magnitude Biosciences' camera array reads a drug's anti-ageing effect in worms in 7 days, where the lifespan assay beside it took 40
This is the published method behind a company the funding board describes as reading worms out with machine learning, and the paper has none: movement is found by thresholding which pixels changed between frames, with a 10 um/s cut-off to drop noise. What it buys is time (a healthspan readout in a week instead of a survival curve in six), and the comparison was run by the authors, two of whom are shareholders and directors of the company.
Research entries are the timeline's graded entries that name this company. A level grades one claim, not the company, and a blank can mean the record has not caught up rather than that nothing was published.
On the investors' own sites
Investors that name this company on their own site, in a portfolio or their own announcement. A ✓ in a round marks the same investor.
- Maven Capital Partners (NPIF II)follow-onmavencp.com ↗
- Northstar Ventures2026 round (post Sep 15 2026)northstarventures.co.uk ↗