Biocentis, a life-science company at the forefront of genetic innovation, has raised £10m to advance its mission of protecting health, agriculture, and biodiversity from the growing global threats posed by insects.
The financing includes a £10m seed equity investment led by The Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment (US) and Algebris Investments (Europe), with participation from Neurone, Corbites, Novaterra and a network of visionary entrepreneurs, including the founders of two European tech unicorns.
In addition, Biocentis has secured a £4.5m award from Wellcome, one of the leading global health foundations, bringing the total raised to £14.5m.
A spin-out of science powerhouse Imperial College London, Biocentis has assembled a team of world-class scientists and professionals across London and Milan, all united by one mission: to harness the power of biology and computation to make insect control more effective, safe, and sustainable.
Insects are vital to our planet, yet some species cause devastating damage. Disease-carrying insects infect hundreds of millions of people each year, causing almost a million deaths. Agricultural pests destroy as much as 25% of global crop yields, with annual losses worth hundreds of billions, and invasive insects are driving native species toward extinction at an accelerating pace.
Rising temperatures and international trade are extending the reach of many harmful species, turning localised challenges into global problems. Mosquitoes carrying infectious tropical diseases are now reaching the US and Europe, and farmers struggle to keep invasive pests in check, all as early detection and rapid response remain a challenge.
For over a century, we have fought harmful insects with chemistry, but chemistry is losing ground. Insects evolve faster than chemical interventions, while collateral damage to people and the environment continues to mount. The recent report “Toxicity: The Invisible Tsunami” by Deep Science Ventures identifies pesticides as the most concerning class of toxic chemicals, with over 25,000 peer-reviewed articles linking them to human disease and widespread ecological harm, from the collapse of pollinator populations to the poisoning of fish, birds, and other species.
Biocentis’ approach is to work with biology, not against it, by turning insects’ own reproductive instincts against them.
Leveraging a proprietary genome engineering platform, Biocentis develops insects carrying genetic traits designed to reduce fertility within the target species. When released, these insects mate with the wild population, reducing its size while leaving other species and the environment unaffected.
At the same time, the company leverages artificial intelligence to build digital twins that simulate how biological systems perform in real-world environments, accelerating development and helping decision-makers anticipate emerging insect-borne risks.
The first biological solutions in Biocentis’ portfolio target a mosquito responsible for transmitting human diseases such as dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya, as well as a highly invasive fruit fly that threatens global fruit production.
But this is just the beginning, Biocentis’ programmable biology platform is designed to extend to new species and applications, offering a powerful suite of tools against the most pressing public health, agricultural, and ecological challenges.
With this funding, Biocentis will advance its first solutions into field trials across the US, Brazil, and other key markets, while further expanding its technology platform to new applications.
