Nanostart AG, Germany, a nanotechnology investment company, is taking an investment position in Curiox Biosystems, Singapore, with a 16.5% investment in the start-up.
Curiox, a spinoff from Singapore’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), part of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, holds a patented technology platform in miniaturized aqueous bioassays for drug discovery and other life sciences applications.
Its ready-for-market technology allows researchers to conduct bioassays with less material while maintaining the flexibility and convenience of conventional platforms. It reduces the amount of material and reagent required by up to 1,000 times, while simultaneously reducing reaction time by10 times. This slashes the time needed to run certain tests by more than 60% and reduce consumable costs by nearly 90%.
Curiox’s target customers are research labs and high-throughput screening facilities in life sciences and drug discovery where bioassays are a necessary part of the research process. Curiox’s technology comprises a chip, upon which the reagents are added, mixed, and incubated, and a benchtop station, which automatically completes the rinsing process.
The move marks Nanostart’s first investment in Asia.
