What Metrion Biosciences does

Metrion Biosciences is a specialist preclinical Contract Research Organization (CRO) founded in 2015 and headquartered at the Granta Park bio-cluster in Cambridge, UK. The company delivers ion channel electrophysiology drug discovery services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients globally, with explicit operating geographies across Europe, North America, and Asia. Its service portfolio spans four integrated pillars: ion channel screening (high-throughput screening, assay development, cell line generation), cardiac safety screening (GLP hERG testing, CiPA-compliant profiling, clinically translatable hiPSC-derived cardiomyocyte assays, chronic cardiotoxicity screening), neuroscience (brain slice electrophysiology, native neuronal assays, central neuronal firing, pain research targeting NaV1.7/1.8/1.9 and K2P channels), and integrated drug discovery support.

The technology platform is built around automated patch clamp electrophysiology using Sophion Qube-384, QPatch II-48, and QPatch-48 instruments, supplemented by manual patch clamp, Multi-Electrode Array, FLIPR-Penta, impedance, and FlexStation platforms. Metrion has developed proprietary validated cell lines — most notably NaV1.9 in human and rat CHO backgrounds — and bespoke assays including the CiPA Milnes hERG kinetic assay and alternative seal enhancer methodologies. Its April 2025 NaV1.9 high-throughput screening launch completes a full pain-related sodium channel suite. Customers include Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Latigo Biotherapeutics, and Aligos Therapeutics, with testimonials emphasizing scientific intellectual contribution, data format integration, and reproducibility.

The business model is fee-for-service / professional services: standard and bespoke research projects quoted per scope, billed on multi-year contracts with pharma and biotech clients, plus a smaller collaboration-based revenue stream. Distribution is direct enterprise field sales, supported by a recently expanded commercial organization. Metrion is venture-backed, having raised approximately £3.7m in December 2023 led by Maven Capital Partners alongside Gresham House Ventures (which previously led a £2.7m round in 2021), with board representation from both investors. The company has scaled to 42 employees as of March 2024 (a 55% increase since 2022), reported FY2022 turnover of £5.3m (up from £1.5m in FY2018), and was listed in The Sunday Times 100 Tech in January 2025 alongside its 10-year anniversary.

Name

Metrion Biosciences

Legal name

Metrion Biosciences Limited

Website

https://metrionbiosciences.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Metrion Biosciences is a specialist preclinical CRO providing ion channel electrophysiology, cardiac safety (GLP hERG, CiPA), and neuroscience screening services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies globally, operating from Cambridge, UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Preclinical Drug Discovery Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Preclinical CROs (Discovery/Pharmacology/DMPK) (HLAGAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Toxicology & Safety Assessment CROs (GLP) (HLAGAAAC)

Keywords

• Ion channel screening
• Cardiac safety testing
• Preclinical drug discovery
• Electrophysiology services
• Neuroscience CRO

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Contract Research Services (Fee-for-Service): Metrion operates as a specialist preclinical contract research organization (CRO) providing high-quality ion channel electrophysiology screening services on a fee-for-service or collaboration basis. Services include ion channel screening, cardiac safety screening (GLP hERG testing, CiPA profiling), neuroscience assays, and integrated drug discovery. Revenue is generated through project-based fees for screening assays, assay development, and characterization services tailored to customer medicinal chemistry optimization programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Metrion Biosciences is a specialist preclinical Contract Research Organization (CRO) providing ion channel, cardiac safety, and neuroscience drug discovery services on a fee-for-service basis to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Services include high-throughput ion channel screening, GLP hERG and CiPA-compliant cardiac safety profiling, brain slice and native neuronal electrophysiology, pain research assays, and integrated drug discovery support. The company operates automated patch clamp platforms (Sophion Qube-384, QPatch II-48, QPatch-48) alongside FLIPR-Penta, manual patch clamp, multi-electrode array, and impedance systems from its Cambridge laboratories.

Product overview

Metrion Biosciences is a specialist preclinical Contract Research Organization (CRO) providing ion channel drug discovery services. The offering consists of four integrated service pillars: Ion Channel Screening Services (including high-throughput screening and cell line generation), Cardiac Safety Screening Services (including GLP hERG testing, hiPSC cardiomyocyte assays, and CiPA-compliant screening), Neuroscience Services (including brain slice electrophysiology, native neuronal assays, and pain research), and Integrated Drug Discovery Services. The Company operates from Cambridge, UK using automated patch clamp platforms (Qube-384, QPatch) and provides expert interpretation and strategic recommendations. In April 2025, the Company launched a NaV1.9 high-throughput screening assay to strengthen its pain drug discovery portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ion Channel Screening Services Specialist ion channel screening services including high-throughput screening, assay development, and cell line generation for drug discovery programs targeting voltage-gated and ligand-gated ion channels. Delivered to pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers using automated patch clamp platforms.
• Cardiac Safety Screening Services Comprehensive cardiac safety profiling including GLP hERG testing, hERG screening assays, CiPA-compliant screening, and clinically translatable hiPSC cardiomyocyte assays for proarrhythmia risk assessment under ICH S7A/S7B and CiPA regulatory frameworks.
• Neuroscience Services Neuroscience drug discovery services including brain slice electrophysiology, native neuronal ion channel assays, central neuronal firing analysis, pain research, and translational assays for CNS drug discovery.
• Integrated Drug Discovery Comprehensive integrated drug discovery services combining ion channel expertise, electrophysiology platforms, and strategic consulting to support hit-to-lead and lead optimization programs for pharmaceutical and biotech customers.
• NaV1.9 High-Throughput Screening Assay Validated high-throughput screening assay for NaV1.9 sodium channel targeting chronic pain signaling. Uses stable CHO cell lines with human and rat clones on Qube 384 and QPatch 48 platforms for reproducible, decision-ready data in pain drug discovery programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Metrion's NaV1.9 assay using TC-N 1752 showed concentration-dependent inhibition with IC50 of 0.45 µM, demonstrating robust pharmacological characterization capability.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Sophion BiosciencecoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration on automated patch clamp technology. Metrion utilizes Sophion QPatch 48, QPatch II-48, and Qube 384 platforms for ion channel screening assays. Joint development of alternative seal enhancers for Qube 384 to overcome limitations of CaF2.
• Sophion BiosciencecoreTechnology or IntegrationProduct integration partnership for Qube 384 automated patch clamp platform. Studies performed in parallel at Sophion and Metrion for CHO-KV1.3 current clamp characterization.
• Sophion BiosciencecoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration to determine whether alternative insoluble salts can act as seal enhancers on Qube 384 platform, addressing limitations of CaF2 which can interfere with G-protein modulation of ion channels and Ca2+-activated ion channels.
• DomainexstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alliance for hit identification against ion channel targets. Domainex contributes experience in hit identification while Metrion provides expertise in ion channel screening and pharmacology. Collaboration includes TRPA1 antagonist case study.
• VenomtechminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration using Targeted Venom Discovery Array (T-VDA) library for high-throughput screening of venom fractions to identify novel TREK-1 modulators using automated patch clamp electrophysiology.
• Universities of Kent and GreenwichminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration with Emma Veale and Alistair Mathie on potassium channel research. Published paper on NS5806 activation of TREK-1 and TREK-2 channels in Pharmacology Research & Perspectives.
• University of Kent - Medway School of PharmacologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry Fellowship sponsored by Metrion for Dr Emma Veale's investigation of K2P (two-pore domain potassium) channels as potential drug targets, particularly in pain research. Fellowship spans four years.
• Jazz PharmaceuticalsstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration utilizing Metrion's high-throughput VOLTA assay with human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes for cardiac safety assessment. Jazz contributed poster data on predicting drug-induced changes in ECG parameters during drug discovery.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Charles River Laboratories: Global mega-CRO offering an integrated cardiac safety and preclinical safety portfolio following its acquisition of ChanTest (the former employer of Metrion's CCO). Directly competes with Metrion on hERG/CiPA and ion-channel services but at much larger scale and as part of a broader service catalogue.
• Eurofins Discovery: Discovery and preclinical CRO arm of Eurofins, offering ion-channel and cardiac safety profiling (including via the former Icagen business). Comparable to Metrion on screening services but with substantially greater scale, geographic reach and bundling with adjacent ADME/tox offerings.
• Evotec: Large integrated CRO/platform company providing preclinical safety and discovery services (including via Cyprotex). Overlaps with Metrion on cardiac safety and ion-channel pharmacology, but Evotec operates an end-to-end discovery-to-manufacturing model that competes for the same big-pharma outsourcing wallet.

Direct peers

• NMI TT Pharmaservices: Germany-based specialist preclinical CRO with a deep ion-channel electrophysiology offering (QPatch-based services, cardiac safety profiling). Closest direct competitor to Metrion on technology, customer base and service scope.
• AnaBios: US-based specialty CRO focused on human tissue-based cardiac safety and pain electrophysiology. Direct overlap with Metrion's cardiac safety and neuroscience service lines; also a former employer of Metrion's CCO, indicating close competitive and talent overlap.
• Icagen: Specialist ion-channel drug-discovery CRO (acquired by Eurofins) providing screening, assay development and cardiac safety services. Closely comparable to Metrion's core ion-channel offering and frequently bid against on pharma preclinical programmes.
• Domainex: UK-based integrated drug-discovery CRO with ion-channel screening and medicinal chemistry capabilities. Both strategic partner (TRPA1 hit ID alliance) and competitor for hit-to-lead ion-channel programmes, particularly within the UK biotech ecosystem.
• Reprocell: Stem-cell-focused CRO offering iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte safety assays and CNS disease models. Comparable to Metrion on hiPSC cardiomyocyte cardiac safety and neuroscience translational services, competing for similar translational-stage customers.

Others

• Sophion Bioscience: Automated patch clamp instrument vendor (QPatch, Qube) and R&D collaborator. Core platform supplier to Metrion (joint seal-enhancer work) and adjacent services competitor via its own CRO customers.
• Nanion Technologies: Provider of automated patch clamp and ion-channel screening instruments (SyncroPatch, Port-a-Patch) and collaborator on ASIC1a assay development. Key enabling platform for ion-channel CROs and adjacent competitor for screening services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Metrion Biosciences