Lithuanian biotech Droplet Genomics raises seed round

Lithuanian biotech Droplet Genomics has raised 1 million euros seed round from Practica Capital and angel investors to commercialise its droplet microfluidics technology.

Microfluidic technology enables researchers to study single cells and single molecules, allowing scientists to uncover new facets of human biology, diseases and speed up drug discovery research.

With the help of these technologies, a map of human cells and diseases is currently being developed, the response of immune cells to covid-19 infection is being investigated, and therapeutic antibodies against various diseases are being discovered, just to name a few,” cofounder Linas Mažutis said.

The 2016-founded Droplet Genomics develops hardware systems, consumables and software solutions for universities, research institutes and biotechnology companies in Europe and United States.

Droplet aims to create easy to use workflows that would enable researchers to tap into the potential of droplet microfluidics technology for studying complex biological systems, as well as high-throughput screening applications.

Overall, microfluidic technology has made it possible to perform complex biomedical tests, or molecular biology and biochemical reactions, faster, cheaper and with increased sensitivity as compared to traditional methods where reactions are performed in tubes or plates. It is therefore clear that in the future, the importance and applicability of products based on microfluidic technologies will only increase in various fields,” Mažutis said.

This investment will enable Droplet Genomics to expand its intellectual property portfolio and accelerate the commercialization of new products.

“The long-term vision of the team is very ambitious, aiming to enable personalized medicine. These are global challenges,” said Donatas Keras, Partner at Practica Capital.

“We know that it will take a longer time for  Droplet Genomics to achieve its goals. Thus our challenge is not only to stay patient but also to help make those first steps, attract additional expertise and work with regional and global venture capital partners today, to ensure timely and sufficient financing in the future,” he said.

Practica Capital manages three venture capital funds with a total size of more than 50 million euros. To date, Practica has made more than 55 investments, including the most prominent Lithuanian startup ecosystem companies such as TransferGo, Trafi, CGtrader, NanoAvionics, Ziticity, Interactio and PVcase.