Pictura Bio

Biotechpathogen detectiondiagnosticsmachine learninginfectious diseasepoint-of-care testingcomputer vision·Oxford·Seed

Pictura Bio emerged from research at the University of Oxford Department of Physics, combining single-molecule fluorescent microscopy with machine learning. Co-founded in 2021 by Dr Nicolas Shiaelis and Associate Professor Nicole Robb, the company developed a world-first diagnostic test that identifies known respiratory viruses such as influenza and COVID-19 within five minutes from a single nasal or throat swab. The core technology, branded PIC-ID, combines molecular labelling, computer vision, and machine learning to create a universal diagnostic imaging platform. Pictura Bio secured a Defence and Security Accelerator contract generating £500K in early revenue upon delivery of a portable prototype in 2024. The company has raised £4.8M to date from IQ Capital, Ahren Innovation Capital, Science Creates, and Flu Labs.

No open roles listed right now.

Follow Pictura Bio on LinkedIn to be notified of new openings.

At a glance

StageSeed

Founded2021

Total raised£4.8M

Founded byNicolas Shiaelis, Nicole Robb

Backed by

IQ Capital

Ahren

Science Creates Flu Labs

Visit website LinkedIn

More in Biotech

View all →

Mytos

Mytos automates the production of stem cell-derived regenerative medicines using proprietary robotics. Founded in 2016 by Ali Afshar and Ignacio Willats, who met during Afshar's PhD at Imperial College where he became frustrated by manual laboratory processes and began building robots to automate repetitive tasks. The platform takes stem cells (iPSCs) and fully automates their differentiation into specific cell types such as neurons and cardiac cells, replacing manual touchpoints with precisely controlled, programmable steps. In 2023, Mytos closed a $19M Series A led by Buckley Ventures, joined by IQ Capital and Wing VC. The company has launched its iDEM platform as an automated contract development and manufacturing organisation, with its first facility at the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult's Stevenage Manufacturing Innovation Centre targeting clinical readiness by September 2026.