Imperial and Cambridge back Inivata

Imperial Innovations, the technology transfer arm of Imperial College London, has led an £4m ($6m) investment round in Inivata, a cancer testing and treatment company spun out of Cancer Research UK. Cambridge Innovation Capital and Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation also participated.

Inivata’s technology, Tam-Seq, is based on circulating tumour DNA which was developed at Cambridge University in labs funded by the charity Cancer Research UK. The technology allows Inivata to detect and monitor cancer from a simple blood sample.

Inivata is working on clinical applications for circulating tumour DNA both with industry and academics. It will use the investment received to push ahead with those developments and to bring its technology into hospitals.

Rob Woodman of Imperial Innovations said: “The oncology molecular testing and treatment market is large and growing. Inivata is well-placed to capitalise on this market growth by bringing real benefits to physicians, patients, pharmaceutical companies and payers.”