Midatech Raises £10 Million to Advance Gold-nanoparticle Technology for Diabetes and Cancer Treatment

ABINGDON, England, November 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Midatech Ltd., a global leader in the design, synthesis and manufacture of nanomedicines based on its unique biocompatible gold-nanoparticles (GNP), is pleased to announce that is has successfully raised £10 million through the issue of new equity. The investment round was led by Ippon Capital SA, a Geneva-based private equity firm, which committed £7.6 million with the remainder coming from existing investors.

The funding will be used to advance Midatech's core portfolio of product development programmes for diabetes and cancer with the aim of commercialising these products via partnering and licensing agreements. Midatech will also look to license out its novel GNP technology for new nano-medical applications in diagnostics and imaging and in non-core fields such as cosmetics and electronics with the aim of building additional revenue streams.

Midatech's core diabetes portfolio is being developed and commercialised through MidaSol Therapeutics LP, a strategic joint venture formed with MonoSol Rx, a global leader in film drug delivery technology. MidaSol's products include glucagon-like-peptide (GLP-1)-linked GNPs for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus and its lead product candidate, MidaForm™ insulin PharmFilm®, which uses insulin-linked GNPs (MidaForm insulin) formulated into PharmFilm, for the delivery of insulin through the inside of a patient's cheek. Phase IIa clinical studies with Midaform insulin PharmFilm, in diabetes patients, are expected to report results in the second half of 2014.

MidaSol recently announced its first research collaboration with a major US pharmaceutical company. The collaboration will allow the pharma company to evaluate the application of GNP and PharmaFilm® technologies with certain molecules in its diabetes portfolio.

Commenting on the fundraising, Dr Jim Philips, CEO of Midatech, said: "Ippon Capital is a new and ambitious investor in the healthcare sector and its investment along with the continuing support of our existing investors provides a strong endorsement of our strategy and confirms the significant potential of our gold-nanoparticle technology. We will now look to rapidly progress the development and commercialisation, through partnering and licensing, of our technology for the treatment of diabetes and cancer and to work to commercialise new applications in medical diagnostics and imaging."

Pavlo Protopapa, Founder and Managing Partner of Ippon Capital, said: "Midatech's gold-nanoparticle technology has huge potential to improve treatments for diabetes and cancer and offers the prospect of significant additional revenue streams through the licensing of the technology in fields such as diagnostics, imaging, cosmetics and electronics. Ippon Capital is pleased to be able to support Midatech with this investment at what is an exciting time in the Company's development and we expect the commercialisation of its technology to deliver significant value in years ahead."

About Midatech Ltd

Midatech Ltd, UK is a world leader in the design, synthesis and manufacture of biocompatible gold nanoparticles (GNPs) with a core focus on healthcare applications including therapeutics, diagnostics and medical imaging.

Midatech's GNP technology is also applicable across a wide range of industries including cosmetics, electronics and agriculture and the Company will look to obtain additional revenue streams by licensing out its technology in these non-core fields.

In the field of therapeutics, Midatech's unique GNP technology enables the administration and targeted delivery of therapeutic compounds to specific cells and tissues. Multiple drug molecules can be attached to one of its GNPs allowing multivalent drug or multi-drug delivery. Once the drug molecules have been delivered the small size of the unbound nanoparticles means they are freely excreted from the kidneys. The size of the GNPs potentially also enables drug delivery via a variety of different routes of administration, such as parental, transdermal, mucosal, intradermal transbuccal, sublingual or intranasal/inhalation. Their stability to enzymatic digestion may also permit oral therapy.

Midatech has a strong pipeline of product candidates in clinical and pre-clinical development for the treatment of diabetes and a variety of cancers. In 2012, Midatech established MidaSol Therapeutics LP, a strategic joint venture with MonoSol Rx LLC, the developer of PharmFilm® drug delivery technology, to focus on the commercialization, via partnering or licensing, of products primarily for the treatment of diabetes. MidaSol's lead product, Midaform™ Insulin PharmFilm, is a unique product for the oral delivery of insulin in diabetic patients.

Founded in 2000, Midatech Ltd is a private company headquartered in Abingdon, UK and with subsidiaries responsible for manufacturing and R&D in Bilbao, Spain and Basel, Switzerland. Midatech has exclusive world-wide IP for the technology covering design, manufacture and application of nanoparticles in diagnostic and therapeutic pharmaceutical areas as well as in other industries.

For further company information, see http://www.midatechgroup.com 

About Ippon Capital

Based in Geneva, Switzerland, Ippon Capital is engaged in a broad range of investment activities, providing strategic resources that build and grow successful companies. By committing to tomorrow's technology and way of business, we believe in shaping the future today. The combined power of our extensive ultra-high net worth individual network and our multidisciplinary approach provides the basis of successful private equity deals for both us and our portfolio companies.  

With a primary focus on the venture and growth capital stages of businesses, we target institutional healthcare investments including biotech, medical devices, care sector, and service providers. Our domain expertise across the healthcare value chain allows us to better and more rapidly understand and support our management teams in the face of the key challenges and trends affecting the sector.

As an operational private equity firm with a difference, we are hands on investors that partner with management teams to bring operational improvement, financial expertise, and sector insight together to build lasting value within our healthcare businesses.  Our successes are driven by the profile, passion, involvement, and skills of our people.

SOURCE Midatech