Accellix Secures $9.5M Series D Funding to Expand Market Reach of Its Automated Flow Cytometry Platform

On June 12, 2020, VCBeat (WeChat official account: vcbeat) learned that Accellix announced on June 11 (local time) the completion of a $9.5 million Series D financing round, led by bioMérieux. All existing major investors participated in this round and agreed to convert their outstanding $8.5 million in convertible notes. As a result, Accellix’s total funding raised in this series has reached $18 million.

It is reported that this round of financing will be used to expand the market reach of the Accellix platform, optimize customers’ access to the necessary expertise, scale, resources, and technology, and enhance the effectiveness of evaluation in immunotherapy research for client companies.

Nir Nimrodi, President of Accellix, stated, “Companies developing cell therapies in immuno-oncology and other therapeutic areas are well aware of the urgent need to replace expensive and complex flow cytometry protocols with easy-to-use sample-to-answer systems. We are honored that our achievements in this field have been recognized by bioMérieux, and we believe that leveraging their extensive resources and expertise will help us attract new customers while continuing to serve our existing client base effectively.”

Meanwhile, Michael Reynier, Vice President of bioMérieux, stated: “The Accellix platform significantly reduces training requirements and cumbersome operational steps by automating manual, complex flow cytometry techniques. The platform can provide accurate flow cytometry data in real time as needed, eliminating the need to send samples to a central laboratory. We have been seeking such a platform to complement our industry-leading bioburden control products. We plan to collaborate with Accellix to help them expand their market reach as well as their service and after-sales capabilities. Rapid, accurate, and reproducible testing for the sterility and quality of precious cell therapy products can enhance patients’ access to cell therapies currently under research and development.”

Accellix is a biotechnology company founded in 2013, primarily dedicated to the development of the Accellix platform. This platform serves corporate clients in the cell and gene therapy sector, meeting their stringent quality control requirements. Accellix users can migrate their existing cell-based assays to the Accellix platform. The Accellix platform is a benchtop flow cytometer that provides fully automated, multi-parameter cell analysis with high reproducibility and minimal operational complexity.

Founded in 1963 and affiliated with Institut Mérieux, bioMérieux develops and manufactures in vitro diagnostics for private and hospital laboratories, catering to their clinical and industrial applications. The company offers a diverse portfolio of products, including biological reagents and consumables for screening, auxiliary diagnosis, prevention, and treatment monitoring; equipment, platforms, and automated analyzers for high- and low-throughput automated testing; data analysis software and biological laboratory demonstration systems; as well as services such as equipment installation and maintenance, user training, and laboratory workflow audits. To date, bioMérieux has acquired 20 companies, with its most recent acquisition being the high-tech food safety provider Invisible Sentinel for $75 million.