At a Glance
- Company: Tozaro Limited (formerly MIP Discovery)
- Location: Colworth Science Park, Bedfordshire, UK
- Deal value: £6m (~$8.2m) equity funding; total raised £23.7m
- Focus area: Smart polymer affinity ligands for viral vector analytics and purification in cell and gene therapy
- Next steps: New commercial partnerships; expand lentiviral and AAV vector toolkit
What happened?
Tozaro Limited, a Bedfordshire‑based biotech developing “Smart Polymer” affinity ligands, has completed a £6 million (~$8.2 million) funding round to accelerate development and commercialisation of its platform for cell and gene therapy manufacturing. The round was led by Mercia Ventures, investing via the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II and its own funds, alongside existing backers; it brings Tozaro’s total funding to £23.7 million.
Why does it matter?
Cell and gene therapies can cost hundreds of thousands to over a million pounds per patient, in part because viral vector production is complex, low‑yield and heavily reliant on biological affinity reagents such as antibodies. Tozaro’s smart polymer ligands aim to improve viral vector yield, purity and consistency while lowering cost of goods, potentially broadening patient access to CAR‑T and AAV‑based treatments.
Who’s behind it?
Founded in 2015 as MIP Discovery and rebranded to Tozaro in 2024, the company applies molecular modelling and machine learning to design non‑biological affinity ligands that selectively bind viral vector surface epitopes. Mercia first invested in 2015 and remains a major backer, with support from the British Business Bank’s Midlands Engine Investment Fund II.
How was it achieved?
Tozaro’s platform screens a library of 500–600 monomers to create rationally designed smart polymers able to bind specific viral epitopes, offering an antibody‑alternative for analytics and purification. The new capital will be used to scale partnerships with CDMOs and therapy developers, and to broaden applications across lentiviral vectors for CAR‑T and AAV vectors for in vivo gene therapies.
What’s next?
The company plans to deepen engagement with global manufacturing partners, validate smart polymer ligands across more processes and indications, and further industrialise its modelling and screening workflows. Management frames the raise as a step toward making advanced therapies more affordable without taking on direct clinical development risk.
What are people saying?
CEO Jason Slingsby said Tozaro is “leading the way in using high‑value polymers to transform production of some of the world’s most innovative but costly medicines,” arguing that better yields and quality can “remove the barriers” to patient access. Mercia CEO Mark Payton called the platform “an approach that will significantly reduce [production] cost, without shouldering the risk of clinical development of the therapeutic itself.”