A University of Bristol spin-out developing cutting-edge technology that could vastly improve human cell research and lead to better healthcare has raised £450,000 in its first funding round.
Impulsonics
’ innovative acoustic technology uses acoustic waves to move cells inside sterile containers without touching them.
Despite advances in biotechnology, cell culture automation remains a highly manual field.
By utilising acoustic manipulation, the Impulsonics team, who are based at the Future Space incubator at UWE Bristol, are developing a unique biotech platform which will help automate a number of the processes for scientists that are currently time-consuming and expensive.
The technology will enable a massive reduction in the complexity of key processes for researchers studying cells and, in turn, enable low-cost, highly efficient systems for critical pain points such as cell passaging – the highly repetitive process where cells that have filled their current container must be moved to a new one.
This will enable a transformation of lab-scale cell culture techniques into a reliable industrial process suitable for 21st century healthcare and drug discovery applications. 
This will be especially critical given the rise of AI in drug discovery, which demands large volumes of high-quality data – far beyond what current processes can yield.
Set up by Dr Luke Cox, Dr Amanda Franklin, Dr James Armstrong and Professors Bruce Drinkwater and Anthony Croxford, Impulsonics is a spin-out from the Ultrasonics and Non-Destructive Testing Research Group at the University of Bristol.
Impulsonics CEO and co-founder Dr Cox, pictured, said it was a really exciting time for the business.
“We’re already seeing a demand for more reliable, scalable processes across the sector and that is exactly what our technology promises to deliver,” he added.
“Our unique approach builds on well-established industrial technologies from the aerospace and infrastructure sectors and will help to re-imagine workflows in biotechnology.”
Impulsonics received the investment from SFC Capital, British Business Investments, the University of Bristol and private angel investors.
The funding will enable the firm to accelerate development and testing, boosting its mission to turn pioneering scientific innovations into scalable approaches for research and healthcare.
SFC investment executive Ed Stevenson said: “There’s never been a more exciting time in biotechnology.
“Impulsonics fills a critical gap of scalability in a way that nobody else is tackling it. We were impressed by their innovative approach and are excited to be backing Luke and the team on their journey.”
