From Durham University spin-out to global drug discovery business: Magnitude Biosciences enters its next phase at NETPark
With £4.2m raised to date, a new high-throughput screening platform moving towards commercialisation and a five-year growth plan in place, Durham University spin-out Magnitude Biosciences is preparing for its next phase of expansion from its base at the North East Technology Park (NETPark).
Magnitude’s ambition to screen one million compounds through a whole-organism model – giving drug researchers meaningful biological insight much earlier in the development process – is moving from the laboratory towards commercial scale.
The company has just closed its latest funding round, taking total investment secured to £4.2m. The new funding will allow Magnitude to take its latest technology, VivoScan™, to market, while its five-year growth plan sets out a route to significant expansion as revenues reach defined milestones.
Supporting drug discovery with whole-organism research
Drug development can take more than a decade and billions of dollars, with large numbers of potential treatments failing along the way. For pharmaceutical companies, identifying which compounds are worth progressing – and which should be discarded – as early as possible can save significant time and cost.
Magnitude’s CEO, Dr Fozia Saleem, explains: “Drug development can take 10 to 15 years and cost an average of around $2.3bn for a successful drug to reach the market. With so many compounds failing along the way, there is a real need for better biological information earlier in the process. That is the problem we are helping our customers address.”
Magnitude helps pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies understand how potential treatments behave in a living organism, providing an additional layer of biological evidence earlier in the drug discovery process.
Its model uses C. elegans – microscopic nematodes (tiny, unsegmented roundworms) that have been used in scientific research for decades – alongside automated imaging, data analysis and increasingly sophisticated robotics and machine learning.
Unlike testing an individual cell, C. elegans provide researchers with a complete living organism in which to observe biological effects. Its short lifecycle and small size also make it possible to carry out experiments relatively quickly and at scale, making it particularly useful for research into areas including ageing, longevity, neurodegeneration and muscle health.
“Our model allows researchers to look at the effect of a compound in an entire living system, rather than looking at one cell or one biological process in isolation,” says Dr Saleem. “It’s complementary to cell-based and mammalian research, providing another layer of evidence that can help researchers decide which compounds are worth taking further.”
VivoScan brings high-throughput screening to drug discovery
Magnitude’s original WormGazer™ technology is designed for detailed characterisation of how compounds affect the worms, generating extensive data on measures including movement, health and behaviour.
The development of VivoScan™ builds on that expertise but addresses a different requirement from customers: the ability to screen much larger numbers of compounds at the earliest stages of drug discovery.
VivoScan™ is a high-throughput whole-organism screening platform, using liquid-cultured C. elegans in micro-well plates alongside automated imaging and data analysis. The smaller format requires significantly less compound than conventional testing approaches, which is particularly important when researchers are working with valuable early-stage compounds.
“VivoScan is about bringing whole-organism screening to a scale that has not previously been achievable,” says Dr Saleem. “Our customers were asking us to move from thousands of compounds to millions. That challenge drove the development of VivoScan and is now shaping the next stage of the business.”
The technology is already being applied in commercial drug discovery. In February 2026, Magnitude announced a collaboration with BioAscent Discovery to use VivoScan™ to profile a 1,600-compound Chemogenomics Library, generating whole-organism data on measures including longevity, mobility, activity and toxicity.
Scaling a life sciences business through technology and expertise
Scaling whole-organism screening requires more than increasing laboratory capacity. Magnitude has invested heavily in automation, imaging and machine learning to make the process more consistent, reproducible and capable of handling much larger volumes.
The company’s technology has evolved through a series of Innovate UK-backed projects, with automation increasingly reducing the need for manual handling of the approximately 1mm-long worms.
“Scalability is fundamental to what we are building,” says Dr Saleem. “You cannot screen millions of compounds simply by adding more scientists. We have had to automate the process to increase throughput, improve consistency and reproducibility, and reduce the variation that comes with manual handling.”
That technology-led approach has also changed the make-up of the business. When Dr Saleem joined Magnitude four years ago, there were seven employees, six of whom had come from academic backgrounds. The company now has 17 people spanning commercial, scientific, laboratory and technology roles.
“For us, it is about bringing the right combination of science and commercial expertise into the business,” she says. “The science has to be exceptional, but you also need the commercial capability to turn that science into something customers need and a business that can scale.”
Growing at NETPark with flexible laboratory and office space
As VivoScan™ moves towards commercialisation, Magnitude expects its requirements for laboratory, technology and office space to evolve. Its expansion plans are firmly centred on NETPark, where the company has been based since 2020.
“From a growth point of view, NETPark is brilliant because there is flexibility as your requirements change,” explains Dr Saleem. “You can start with a laboratory or office space and, as the business grows, move into larger facilities and adapt them to what you need. There are options to retrofit existing space, and when you reach the point where you need something more bespoke, there is scope to develop that too.”
That flexibility is particularly relevant to a specialist life sciences company whose facilities need to accommodate increasingly sophisticated technology.
“We are a global company, with customers from Australia to California, but we can operate that global business from NETPark,” she adds. “Having specialist facilities around us, the ability to expand and a concentration of other science and technology businesses creates an environment where we can continue to develop the business without having to relocate every time our requirements change.”
Dr Saleem says the wider NETPark community also provides a valuable level of support.
“I can pick up the phone to other CEOs on the park and share best practice,” she says. “People are genuinely very collegiate and there is a willingness to help each other, whether that is around recruitment, finance, equipment or simply sharing experience.”
Reflecting on Magnitude Biosciences' evolution from university spin-out to a growing international drug discovery business, and the support provided through NETPark, Business Durham and Finance Durham, Kerry Walker, Managing Director of Business Durham, which manages NETPark on behalf of Durham County Council, said:
“Magnitude Biosciences’ growth is a powerful example of how pioneering scientific research can be transformed into a scalable, high-growth business with global market potential.”
“As the company enters this exciting next phase, we are proud to have supported its journey through the specialist facilities available at NETPark, introductions to key partners and networks, and access to investment through Finance Durham. Together, these elements help create the environment that innovative businesses need to start, scale and succeed.
“Magnitude’s success demonstrates the strength of the life sciences ecosystem at NETPark and reinforces the park’s reputation as a place where pioneering science, technology and ambitious companies can thrive. We look forward to supporting the team as they continue to expand their global reach and create high-value jobs and opportunities in the region.”
From ambitious start-ups to internationally recognised innovators, NETPark provides the space, specialist facilities and collaborative environment life sciences businesses need to succeed. Find out more about locating your business at NETPark.https://www.northeasttechnologypark.com/life-sciences
