• Breakthrough proteomics platform technology unlocks full-length protein sequencing and characterisation, accelerating drug development and diagnostics

The NATO Innovation Fund and Earlybird led a $35 million Series A round in Portal Biotech, a pioneering biotechnology company headquartered in London. This represents one of Europe’s largest investments into a life sciences tools company and positions Portal Biotech as the leading innovator set to deliver the “holy grail” of full-length single-molecule protein sequencing. This never-before-accomplished breakthrough promises transformative impact on drug discovery, precision medicine, and global biosecurity.

The oversubscribed round included substantial participation from existing investors SCVC, Pillar VC, 8VC, Amino Collective, and Outsized, as well as new investors We Venture Capital, British Business Bank and WS Investment Company (Wilson Sonsini’s venture arm).

Proteins drive virtually every biological process, so huge gaps in how we currently read proteins and measure the complexity of the proteome derail drug pipelines, cloud diagnostics, and leave biosecurity blind spots. Legacy tools like mass spectrometry shred proteins into fragments and miss critical protein modification patterns that change protein function, which costs industries billions in failed drug trials and misdiagnoses.

Led by veterans of nanopore genomics, and powered by breakthroughs in nanopore biosensing from more that 10 years of academic research in the Maglia lab, Portal Biotech’s nanopore-based platform technology is set to transform proteomics by delivering rapid, full-length, single-molecule protein characterisation at the point of need for a fraction of the price, empowering earlier go/no-go decisions, more reliable diagnostics, and stronger biosecurity responsiveness worldwide.

Portal Biotech’s platform delivers the world’s first technology for sequencing intact fulllength proteins at the single-molecule level to completely characterise all protein
mutations and modifications. Coupled with advanced AI methods, this data gives
researchers a detailed view into the complexities of the proteome that traditional
technologies cannot match, laying the groundwork for new foundational AI models of the dynamic proteome that will reshape our understanding of protein biology and
accelerate breakthroughs throughout the life sciences.

Portal Biotech’s benchtop platforms are set to transform proteomics from a specialised, capital-intensive procedure into an agile, cost-efficient workflow that can be performed in any lab. Its accessible and high throughput instruments sidestep the expense and inaccessibility of traditional mass spectrometry, streaming whole-protein data directly to the bench so teams can accelerate early drug discovery pipelines and make rapid diagnostic decisions.

Amid the global push to unlock the human proteome, this substantial funding will fasttrack Portal Biotech’s commercialisation roadmap, deepen collaborations with leading pharmaceutical and biotech innovators, and expand its R&D, engineering, and datascience teams.

Why Portal – Unlocking the next frontier for biosecurity and healthcare resilience

By Ana Bernardo-Gancedo, Senior Investment Associate

The NATO Innovation Fund invested in Portal Biotech because its protein sequencing platform has the potential to unlock the next frontier of biological data, critical for biosecurity and healthcare resilience. The pharmaceutical and biotech industries continue to face significant challenges in delivering the right therapies to the right patients, with billions lost annually in failed drug development. Meanwhile, the nature of geopolitical struggles and global conflict continues to evolve. Today, defence and security are no longer confined to the traditional battlefield; it encompasses supply chain resilience, energy security, and vitally, preparedness against disease and biological threats.

While DNA and RNA sequencing have transformed our understanding of biology, proteins—central to virtually every biological process—hold the key to insights that remain out of reach with current technologies. Portal’s single-molecule, full-length protein sequencing platform—the first of its kind—enables real-time data onsite anywhere, providing the capability of unprecedented proteomic insights for the detection and design of countermeasures against any naturally occurring disease and engineered biothreat. Our support for Portal reflects this broader, more complex landscape, where biosecurity capabilities play a central role in national security and global defence strategy.