Drug development company FibroFind has been acquired by private equity firm Vespa Capital in a strategic move designed to accelerate the company's international expansion and enhance its impact on fibrotic disease treatment development. The six-year-old Newcastle University spin-out specializes in developing therapies for fibrotic diseases affecting the liver, kidney, and lung through innovative pre-clinical testing models.
Addressing a Critical Medical Need
Fibrosis represents a significant global health challenge, characterized by the replacement of healthy tissue with scar tissue that impairs organ function and can lead to life-threatening complications. According to the company, fibrosis is involved in approximately 45% of diseases and deaths in the Western world, yet few effective treatment solutions currently exist.
The condition occurs when healthy tissue becomes damaged and is gradually replaced with thickened, stiff scar tissue that prevents organs from functioning properly. This scarring process can affect multiple organs throughout the body, creating an urgent need for effective therapeutic interventions.
Revolutionary Testing Platform
At the core of FibroFind's innovation is its patented Precision Cut Tissue Slice (PCTS) platform, which maintains real human tissue samples alive in laboratory conditions while preserving both their structure and function. This technology provides drug developers with detailed insights into the safety and efficacy of their treatments, offering superior translational accuracy compared to traditional testing methods.
"Our technology offers human-relevant testing that delivers better data and faster decisions," explained Professor Jelena Mann, CEO of FibroFind and Professor of Epigenetics at Newcastle University. The platform addresses the growing industry shift away from animal models toward more predictive and ethically sound testing approaches.
Comprehensive Drug Development Services
FibroFind operates across multiple dimensions of the drug development process, conducting research for pharmaceutical companies, providing advanced laboratory models that mimic organ-specific fibrosis, and helping drug developers make earlier and more informed decisions about their therapeutic candidates.
The company's approach enables pharmaceutical developers to either progress to clinical trial phases with greater confidence based on superior pre-clinical data accuracy, or avoid costly failures by identifying ineffective compounds earlier in the development process.
Strategic Growth Through Acquisition
Founded in 2019 by Newcastle University scientists Professors Jelena Mann, Derek Mann, Fiona Oakley, and Dr. Lee Borthwick, FibroFind has established itself as a recognized leader in pre-clinical testing for fibrotic diseases. The company recently won the Bionow Internationalisation Award and was previously recognized as Bionow Start-up of the Year in 2022.
"Partnering with Vespa Capital is an exciting next step for FibroFind," said Professor Mann. "We are already seeing strong global demand for our platform, and this investment allows us to scale our operations, broaden our scientific reach, and expand the impact we can have on drug development."
The acquisition sees Professors Mann and Oakley exit the business, while the company plans to expand its technology to include additional tissue types and broaden its services under Vespa Capital's ownership.
Market Position and Future Outlook
David Forbes, Partner at Vespa Capital, emphasized the strategic value of the acquisition: "FibroFind is a unique and highly regarded business in a fast-growing part of the life sciences sector. The platform that Professor Mann and Dr Borthwick have developed enables drug developers to move into clinical trials with greater confidence, potentially saving hundreds of millions of pounds in failed trials."
The acquisition positions FibroFind to capitalize on growing global demand for better, more predictive pre-clinical testing methods, supported by increasing regulatory requirements and scientific evidence favoring human tissue-based models over traditional animal testing approaches.
