UPPSALA, Sweden, April 11, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Swedish biotech company, Gyros AB, today announced that Schroder Ventures Life Sciences had joined other key investors and added 6 MUSD to the company's successful second round funding. This brings the total raised in this round to approximately 36 MUSD.
"We achieved one of the largest biotech venture fund raisings in Europe during 2001," explained Maris Hartmanis, President and CEO at Gyros, "But the door was left open for Schroder Ventures Life Sciences to join at a later date. We are delighted that they are demonstrating such confidence in the potential of our proprietary technology platform."
Schroder Ventures Life Sciences advises three private equity funds and a public Investment Trust, with total commitments of over $700 million, focused on providing private and public equity funding to life sciences companies worldwide. Graham Boulnois, a partner in the SVLS team based in London, explained, "We have followed the progress of Gyros from an early stage and are convinced of the potential for this unique technology platform which is suitable for a broad range of applications within life science businesses and can deliver enhanced productivity and new value adding data. The company has an experienced senior management team which has consistently reached its milestones."
Gyros recently announced its first products based on the Gyros(tm) technology platform, Gyrolab(tm) MALDI SP1 and Gyrolab Workstation. The products will be exhibited at a number of key conferences and seminars in the U.S. and Europe during the coming months. The company has already presented results from several development projects at a number of scientific meetings around the world and interest in the potential benefits of miniaturizing and integrating laboratory applications is high.
About Gyros AB
Gyros miniaturizes and integrates laboratory applications, enabling scientists to generate more information from less sample and to improve lab performance. Using our proprietary technology platform, we increase productivity by streamlining the many steps of conventional applications into single, nanoliter scale procedures. We harness the forces of nature to create optimal environments for each application.
A Gyrolab microlaboratory, in the form of a compact disk, can process hundreds of samples in parallel, under the control of Gyrolab Workstation.
Our company will realize the full potential of the Gyros' technology platform in the fields of drug discovery and diagnostics. Initial product offerings are focused towards the growing area of proteomics. Gyros has more than 90 employees working at its headquarters in Uppsala Science Park, Sweden and in sales offices in the USA and Europe.
About Schroder Ventures Life Sciences (SVLS)
Schroder Ventures has been investing in the life sciences sector since 1981. SVLS was established in 1994 as the dedicated life sciences arm of Schroder Ventures. SVLS is a leading global life sciences investor, managing an investment portfolio of over $700m that has invested in over 100 life science companies worldwide. The SVLS team is comprised of over 23 professionals based in London, Boston and San Francisco with extensive life sciences investment, strategic, operational, scientific and clinical experience. In addition, SVLS draws advice from its broad base of scientific, medical and entrepreneurial advisory networks.
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical may be forward-looking and include risks and uncertainties. Therefore, though based on Gyros' current expectations, it should be duly noted that a variety of factors could cause actual results and experiences to differ materially from what is herein expressed. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the management of growth and international operations (including effects of currency fluctuations), variability of operating results, unforeseen changes in the diagnostic and pharmaceutical markets, market competition, rapid or unexpected changes in technologies, fluctuations in product demand, difficulties to successfully develop, adapt, produce or commercialize products, the ability to identify and develop new products and to differentiate products from those of competitors, as well as various legal hazards.
Gyros, Gyrolab and the Gyros logo are registered trademarks of Gyros AB.
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