DestiNA Genomics

What DestiNA Genomics does

DestiNA Genomics is a privately held life-sciences tools company that develops and commercializes PCR-free nucleic acid detection chemistry for microRNA and protein biomarkers. Founded in 2010 as a spin-out from the University of Edinburgh with a worldwide exclusive license to the foundational SMART Chemistry patent, the company operates through a UK parent (DestiNA Genomics Ltd, Edinburgh) and a Spanish operating subsidiary (Destina Genomica S.L., Granada), with 11-50 employees.

The company's core technology, branded Destina Chemistry or DGL-Tech, combines patented SMART-Bases (reactive nucleobases with aldehyde functional groups) with proprietary PNA capture probes containing "blank" abasic positions. The chemistry enables direct, extraction-free detection of microRNAs, isomiRs, and proteins on standard immunoassay platforms without polymerase chain reaction or pre-amplification, with single-base resolution. The technology has been validated across at least five independent instrument platforms including Luminex MAGPIX and FLEXMAP 3D, Quanterix Simoa, Merck SMCxPro, MALDI-ToF, and standard microplate readers.

Destina generates revenue through four streams: (1) sale of Research Use Only kits, principally the LiverAce SinglePlex (miR-122 detection) and LiverAce COMBO (miR-122 + CK18 dual biomarker) kits for drug-induced liver injury testing; (2) custom PNA synthesis services accepting complex sequences; (3) technology licensing to diagnostic platform companies; and (4) co-development partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotech companies for novel IVD and companion diagnostic assays. Commercial customers are primarily pharmaceutical/biotech firms, contract research organizations, diagnostic platform companies, and academic research institutions. The company is funded predominantly through non-dilutive grants from Spanish CDTI and European programs, totaling approximately €4M across multiple awards.

Name

DestiNA Genomics

Legal name

Destina Genomica S.L.

Website

https://destinagenomics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DestiNA Genomics is a privately held life-sciences tools company that develops and commercializes PCR-free nucleic acid detection chemistry for microRNA biomarkers, serving pharmaceutical companies, CROs, and diagnostic platform firms through RUO kits, custom PNA synthesis, and technology licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Molecular Diagnostics Reagents

NAICS

In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Molecular & Genetic Testing (PCR/NGS/qPCR) (HLAGADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Molecular Diagnostics (PCR/qPCR, NGS-based assays) (HLAAALAA), Multiplex & High-Throughput Diagnostics Platforms (microarrays, digital PCR, lab automation-enabled assays) (HLAAALAL), Library & Diversity Generation Platforms (display libraries, DNA-encoded libraries for biologics, variant libraries) (HLAAAIAL)

Keywords

• PCR-free nucleic acid detection
• MicroRNA diagnostic assays
• Peptide nucleic acid synthesis
• Hepatotoxicity biomarker kits
• IsomiR quantification chemistry

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Use Only (RUO) Kits: Sale of validated assay kits including LiverAce SinglePlex (miR-122 detection) and LiverAce COMBO (miR-122 + CK18 dual detection) for research use in drug development and clinical trials.
2. Custom PNA Synthesis: Unrestricted full-spectrum custom peptide nucleic acid synthesis service accepting complex sequences including those with >5 consecutive Guanines. Enantiomerically enriched units including gamma-modified PNAs and tail modifications.
3. Technology Licensing: License Destina Chemistry to diagnostic platform companies for integration into proprietary assay platforms. Create novel PCR-Free assays that competitors cannot replicate.
4. Co-Development Partnerships: Partner with pharma, biotech, and R&D institutions to co-develop novel IVD and Companion Diagnostics (CDx) assays using proprietary biomarkers.
5. Government Grants: Non-dilutive funding from CDTI (€2M EIC-backed funding, €495,005 for breast cancer detection project) and Collaboración Público Privada program (€1.3M for Alzheimer's diagnosis project).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DestiNA Genomics develops and commercializes a proprietary PCR-free nucleic acid detection chemistry platform (Destina Chemistry / DGL-Tech) for direct detection of microRNAs, isomiRs, and proteins on standard immunoassay instruments. The company sells Research Use Only (RUO) LiverAce assay kits for drug-induced liver injury testing, offers custom peptide nucleic acid (PNA) synthesis services, and licenses its chemistry to diagnostic platform companies for co-development of novel assays.

Product overview

DestiNA Genomics offers a portfolio of PCR-free nucleic acid detection products centered on their proprietary Destina Chemistry (DGL-Tech) platform. The commercial product line includes two RUO (Research Use Only) kits: the LiverAce SinglePlex Kit for rapid, PCR-free miR-122 detection and the LiverAce COMBO Kit for simultaneous multi-omic detection of miR-122 and CK18 in a single well. Custom PNA Synthesis services provide researchers access to complex peptide nucleic acid designs with single-base specificity. The Destina Chemistry technology enables direct miRNA detection using standard immunoassay workflows and is validated on multiple platforms including Luminex (MAGPIX, FLEXMAP 3D), Quanterix Simoa, Merck SMCxPro, MALDI-ToF, and microplate readers. The platform is licensed to strategic partners for novel assay development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LiverAce: Research Use Only diagnostic kits for liver injury biomarker detection including SinglePlex (miR-122) and COMBO (miR-122 + CK-18) kits for drug-induced liver injury testing.
• Destina Chemistry
• ChemiRNA Tech
• DGL-Tech

Products and services

• LiverAce RUO SinglePlex Kit Rapid, PCR-free miR-122 detection kit with absolute isomiR resolution for accurate hepatotoxicity assessment. Validated for cross-species use (human, rat, mouse) and intended for Research Use Only by drug development and clinical research professionals.
• LiverAce RUO COMBO Kit Simultaneous quantification of miR-122 (microRNA) and CK18 (Cytokeratin-18 protein) biomarkers in a single reaction well for biological depth and data integrity in drug-induced liver injury testing. For Research Use Only, with projected IVD regulatory clearance in 2027.
• Custom PNA Synthesis Service Unrestricted full-spectrum custom peptide nucleic acid (PNA) synthesis service for life sciences researchers, accepting complex sequences (including those with more than five consecutive Guanines). Offers enantiomerically enriched units, gamma-modified PNAs, and tail modifications for applications requiring enzymatic resistance and single-base SNP discrimination.
• Destina Chemistry Technology Licensing Multi-year technology licensing program that enables diagnostic platform companies to integrate Destina Chemistry (DGL-Tech) into their proprietary assay platforms, creating novel PCR-free nucleic acid detection assays that competitors cannot replicate.

Quantifiable outcome

• ROC AUC 0.98 (95% CI: 0.96-1) for DILI identification in acetaminophen overdose patients
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• MecwinscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 February 2025Joint project for early breast cancer detection through liquid biopsy using multi-analyte biosensor technology. Awarded €495,005 under CDTI MISIONES DE CIENCIA E INNOVACIÓN program. Destina contributing PCR-free detection chemistry for novel biomarker panels.
• Science ExchangecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 3 March 2020Joined global platform for outsourced R&D reagents and services. Quotations for RNA profiling services and custom PNA synthesis available through platform. Orders placed securely via scienceexchange.com.
• Quanterix CorporationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 July 2017Joint development of SIMOA-based miRNA detection using Destina chemistry on Quanterix single molecule array platform. Published proof-of-concept in PLOS ONE demonstrating polymerase-free miR-122 detection with >3×10^7-fold specificity.
• GENyO (Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration at Granada facility for development of Trypanosomatid diagnostic assays using Single Nucleotide Fingerprints (SNF) technology. Published in Talanta journal.
• University of EdinburghcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology licensor of SMART Chemistry patent worldwide exclusive license. Spin-out origin of Destina from School of Chemistry. Original IP foundation for the company.
• Luminex CorporationmajorTechnology or IntegrationValidation of Destina Chemistry on Luminex MAGPIX and FLEXMAP 3D platforms for direct miR-122-5p detection in serum samples. Multiple peer-reviewed publications demonstrating platform compatibility.
• Vetsina Animal DiagnosticsminorOthersEdinburgh-based animal diagnostics company created as Destina subsidiary for veterinary applications of the technology.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• NanoString Technologies: NanoString's nCounter miRNA expression assays directly compete in the multiplex miRNA profiling and biomarker discovery space where Destina positions its LiverAce and DGL-Tech products, particularly for translational research and pharma biomarker needs.
• Panagene: Panagene is a specialist PNA oligonucleotide manufacturer offering custom PNA synthesis and PNA-based diagnostics, directly comparable to Destina's Custom PNA Synthesis service and PNA-probe chemistry for nucleic acid detection.
• HTG Molecular Diagnostics: HTG Molecular's proprietary nuclease-protection assay technology for RNA/miRNA profiling without PCR is a direct technological parallel to Destina's PCR-free approach, and the company serves overlapping pharma/biotech biomarker discovery customers.
• Exiqon (miRCURY, now part of QIAGEN): Exiqon's miRCURY LNA-based PCR miRNA detection platform is the established market-leading workflow for miRNA quantification in pharma and research labs, making it the closest direct competitor to Destina's PCR-free miRNA detection platform serving the same drug development and clinical research use cases.
• MiRXES: MiRXES is a pure-play miRNA diagnostics company commercializing blood-based miRNA biomarker tests for early disease detection, making it a direct peer in commercial translation of miRNA biomarkers into clinically actionable assays, with comparable focus on liver (GutFeeling) and cancer applications.

Broad incumbents

• Quanterix: Quanterix operates the Simoa single-molecule detection platform that Destina has validated its chemistry on and published proof-of-concept results with. As a partner-turned-platform incumbent, Quanterix is directly comparable on ultra-sensitive biomarker detection for pharma and clinical research.
• QIAGEN: QIAGEN is a global molecular diagnostics incumbent offering the miRCURY miRNA PCR product line (via acquired Exiqon), sample-prep technologies, and a broad IVD portfolio — making it the most relevant large-scale incumbent whose licensing team Destina would approach as both potential partner and competitive threat.
• Bio-Techne: Bio-Techne (including its Tocris and R&D Systems brands) is a broad life science tools incumbent with catalog miRNA research tools, custom oligonucleotide/PNA synthesis services, and protein biomarker reagents — overlapping with Destina on both the PNA reagent and protein/RNA biomarker kit offerings.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher's Life Sciences Solutions and Clinical Diagnostics divisions offer comprehensive miRNA reagents (TaqMan miRNA assays), custom oligo/PNA synthesis services, and IVD capabilities — comparable to Destina across reagents, custom synthesis services, and the broader pharma/CRO customer base.

Emerging players

• Diagenode: Diagenode provides molecular diagnostics and epigenetics reagents including nucleic acid detection kits and services for research and clinical markets; an emerging peer in the European molecular diagnostics tools space with overlapping customer base in academic and pharma translational research.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DestiNAGenomica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCtZeYfeea0OZ9LUEpxIj-zw
• Facebookfacebook.com/destinagenomics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/destina-genomics-ltd.

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 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 DestiNA Genomics