HEIDELBERG, Germany, October 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Luxendo, a start-up company launched by the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and its technology transfer arm EMBLEM Technology Transfer (EMBLEM) in Heidelberg, announced today the closing of a EUR 6 Million Series A financing co-led by EMBL Ventures, Heidelberg and Life Science Partners (LSP), Amsterdam.
Dr Stefan Herr, Partner at EMBL Ventures and Dr. Joachim Rothe, Partner at LSP will join Luxendo’s Board.
Luxendo will manufacture and sell advanced Single Plane Illumination Microscopes (SPIM) originally developed at EMBL by Lars Hufnagel and his team. SPIM is a rapidly emerging technology that combines optical sectioning with multiple-view imaging to observe tissues and living organisms with impressive resolution. Unlike the conventional techniques of widefield and confocal fluorescence microscopy, the light sheet technique illuminates on the region surrounding the focal plane of the detection objective in a twin objective configuration.
When compared to conventional microscopy, the SPIM technology allows for significantly reduced sampling times (factor 1000x) and higher resolution with highly reduced damaging side effects on the living objects.
SPIM technology has been chosen as “Method of the Year” by Nature Science in 2014.
Dr Stefan Herr, Partner at EMBL Ventures, said, “EMBL has been at the forefront of microscope technology development worldwide for decades and we are delighted to be co-leading this financing round. While the majority of labs still use confocal microscopes to conduct their research, SPIM technology has gained major ground amongst scientists in both academia and industry. Luxendo’s SPIM technology taps into this rapidly emerging market and has the potential to gain a significant share due to its superior characteristics.”
Dr. Joachim Rothe, Partner at LSP, comments, “SPIM microscopy allows researchers to see things they couldn’t possibly see before, such as imaging the entire embryonic development of the fruit fly with subcellular resolution. Luxendo will make this exciting technology available to many labs around the globe.”
About EMBL Ventures GmbH
EMBL Ventures, based in Heidelberg, invests throughout Europe in life science companies with the aim to create significant commercial opportunities based on new therapeutic treatment modalities, next generation enabling technology platforms or innovations in the diagnostics and device area. EMBL Ventures manages EUR 68m on behalf of major European institutional and private investors and typically invests EUR 3 to 5 m as lead or co-lead investor. EMBL Ventures’ close relationship with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and its technology transfer organization EMBL Enterprise Management Technology Transfer GmbH (EMBLEM) allows to find and identify disruptive technologies such as Luxendo’s SPIM technology. For more information, please visit http://www.embl-ventures.com.
About LSP
LSP (Life Sciences Partners) is a leading independent European investment firm, providing financing for private and public life-science companies. Since the late 1980s, LSP’s management has invested in a large number of highly innovative enterprises, many of which have grown to become leaders of the global life-science industry. With over USD 1 billion of investment capital raised to date and offices in Amsterdam, Munich and Boston, LSP is one of Europe’s largest and most experienced specialist life-science investors. For more information, please visit http://www.lspvc.com.
Contact:
EMBL Ventures:
Dr. Stefan Herr, Partner
Tel.: +49(6221)389330
herr@embl-ventures.com
Life Science Partners
Dr. Joachim Rothe, Partner
Tel: +49(89)3306660
jrothe@lspvc.com
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
David Dible / Sylvie Berrebi / Marine Perrier
T: +44(0)20-7638-9571
E: david.dible@citigatedr.co.uk
SOURCE EMBL Ventures
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