Cytox, a University of Birmingham spin out, has relaunched with a custom-built laboratory, a new management team, and £3.5m ($5.5m) from new and existing backers. The UK-based biomedical firm went into administration 18 months ago. However, Cytox has now returned following new investments from fund manager SPARK Impact, life science fund Esperante, seed investor Wren Capital, and the University of Birmingham. Biotech investor Jim Mellon also invested. Cytox has advanced a method of testing for early-stage Alzheimer’s, which was originally developed by Cytox’s science director Dr Zsuzsanna Nagy at the University of Birmingham. In addition to Dr Nagy’s Birmingham lab, the firm has opened a new HQ near Oxford and a research facility near the University of Manchester. Cytox chairman David Evans said: “I am pleased to announce that we have exceeded our expectations for the first round of funding for Cytox at such an exciting juncture. This investment round is expected to exceed £3.5m with around 85 per cent coming from new backers. They are as excited as we are by Cytox’s proposition at a time when an early biomarker for Alzheimer’s is so keenly needed.” He added: “We will now push forward with our plans to complete the remaining steps in assay development, deliver near-term revenue opportunities and conduct prospective clinical studies.”

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