Big deal for tiny tools

Scientists at the University of York, who have developed miniaturised tools for chemical and biological analysis, have won a major injection of growth capital to produce them commercially.

Paraytec, the University-backed spin-out company they established to develop and market the technology, has secured £170,000 from Viking Fund and private investors in the Viking Club.

The company will produce instruments that use miniaturised ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorbance detectors providing significantly more sensitive and accurate analysis of chemical and biological samples than existing equipment.

Their enhanced sensitivity and a quicker analytical process enable pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies developing new drugs to screen samples more efficiently.

Thanks to the backing from Viking Fund and Viking Club, a range of instruments - a miniature capillary UV detector, a capillary spectrophotometer and a multiplexed capillary spectrophotometer with robot handling - should go into production next year helping the company to win a share of the $3 billion molecular spectroscopy market.