Marama Labs, a startup which develops advanced analytical instruments to solve critical challenges in life sciences, officially opened its Irish Life Sciences Applications Lab at DCU Alpha in Dublin this week.
It also announced the company's successful €2 million pre-Series A funding round closed this month, led by existing investors The Yield Lab Europe with co-investment from DeepIE Ventures, NZ Growth Capital Partners, Radar Ventures, Icehouse Ventures, Angel Investors Marlborough and other existing angel investors.
The funding round will support the expansion of Marama Labs' flagship product, CloudSpec, in the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) therapeutics market.
The company explained that CloudSpec can quantify quality information about new classes of therapeutics, called nanomedicines, in seconds, a process which can take existing technologies hours.
Founded in New Zealand in 2019 by DCU Alumnus Dr Brendan Darby, Professor Eric Le Ru, and Dr Matthias Meyer, Marama Labs originated from Brendan's PhD research on optical analysis of metallic nanoparticles.
The company has grown to a team of 12 employees in New Zealand and is now expanding its presence in Ireland with the establishment of the new lab at DCU Alpha.
"DCU Alpha is a vibrant hub for innovation, and it's inspiring to see Brendan, one of our alumni, bring Marama Labs to this space," said Professor Daire Keogh, President of DCU.
"The company’s growth is a testament to the impact of research and innovation fostered here at DCU.
"We are thrilled to welcome Marama Labs to the DCU Alpha community, where it will undoubtedly contribute to advancing life sciences globally," he added.
