Izon Science secures investment for expansion

Izon Science secures investment for expansion

Christchurch, NZ and Oxford, UK, 20 February 2014 – Izon Science (www.izon.com), a global leader in accurate nanoparticle analysis, today announced it has completed a £1 million (NZ$2.0m) funding round in the UK.

In conjunction with the investment, Izon’s global headquarters are being transferred from Christchurch to the Oxford Science Park, UK where an Izon subsidiary has been operating since 2010. Hans van der Voorn, Izon’s Executive Chairman is now based there.

Izon is also appointing two UK-based board members: Alex Hambro, who is also non-executive chairman of AIM-listed Judges Scientific plc, and Mark Rowan, who is also a non-executive director of AIM-listed Imperial Innovations Group plc. Izon is itself expecting to list on AIM in due course.

Izon has also appointed Stephen Dawson as its CFO, based in Oxford. Stephen has an undergraduate science degree and is a Chartered Accountant with extensive experience in CFO and CEO roles in large and emerging UK based exporting companies.

“The establishment of the corporate headquarters in the UK allows us better access to European and North American markets and reflects the reality of a more favourable capital raising environment in the UK for global science companies,” says van der Voorn.

The company plans to double the size of its UK team this year to support the move. Manufacturing and R&D will continue in Christchurch, where staff numbers are being boosted in line with the company’s overall expansion plans.

“The increased capital and market access enabled by the move to Oxford has allowed us to take on more staff in order to expand the product portfolio and to increase business with our key suppliers in Christchurch,” adds Van der Voorn.

Izon’s patented technology, Tunable Resistive Pulse Sensing (TRPS), offers the most accurate series of nano and microparticle analyses for advanced biomedical applications. Nanomedicine development, extracellular vesicles and viruses are all important and growing areas of interest.

Fine-scale control and monitoring of the forces acting on particles as they pass through a nanopore allows the size, count and charge of particle samples to be probed with higher resolution and accuracy than other technologies. The detailed nanoscale measurements are also generating new tools for quantifiable bio-analysis.

The company has developed three instruments that it currently sells into life science research and product development markets:
• the qNano, Izon’s flagship product for nano- and micro-particle measurement;
• the qViro-X, dedicated for virus and vaccine analysis; and
• the qMicro, designed for analysis of cellular samples and injectable drugs.

Van der Voorn says that Izon’s strengthened European presence will also allow it to focus on collaborations that accelerate product development and application development. “The sensitive detection capabilities of TRPS are just beginning to be exploited. We work closely with our customers to solve their analysis problems and that typically leads to the generation of new ideas.”

To further support its expansion, Izon is planning to open offices in China, Germany and India. The company is also opening a second US office in San Diego, CA to add to its facility in Cambridge, MA which has been operating since 2011.

About Izon Science:
Izon Science designs and manufactures precision instrumentation for nano- and micro-scale particle analysis. Izon originated in New Zealand and now sells its products in 36 countries. Izon’s global headquarters are located in Oxford, UK. The company also has a US headquarters in Cambridge, MA, and an R&D and manufacturing facility in Christchurch, NZ.http://www.izon.com

ENDS

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