UEA spin-out Intelligent Fingerprinting raises £3m for growth in UK and US

A University of East Anglia spin-out company pioneering the development of fingerprint drug screening has raised £3m for the next stage of its development.

Intelligent Fingerprinting was founded in 2007, and uses nanoparticle technology research developed at the UEA to test for the presence of drugs using just a person's fingerprint.

The cash has come from an expanded group of UK and US investors, and will support the early commercialisation of the company's first drug screening panel, manufacturing scale-up and the validation of the company's first products, which will be used in pilot projects on both sides of the Atlantic.

Intelligent Fingerprinting chairman Philip Hand said: '2017 is set to be an important year for the business as we transition from running successful pilot projects to bringing our revolutionary technology to the broader market.

'The first product of its kind in the world, our mobile drug screening system is easy-to-use, non-invasive and works in minutes by analysing sweat from a fingerprint.

'This latest investment will enable the acceleration of activities across the business, including both our sales and marketing programmes as well as our ongoing [Food and Drug Administration] approval activities in the USA.'

Intelligent Fingerprinting will operate in three main markets: criminal justice, which includes tackling drug use in prison; workplace testing to ensure people are fit to use machinery; and the medical market, including drug rehabilitation centres and clinics, subject to regulatory approval.

The drug testing market is valued at an estimated $2.7bn with over 60% of that market in the USA.