Founded by Dr Sam Westgate in 2012 and based in Liverpool city region, testing specialist Perfectus Biomed is set to expand its lab capacity with a £500,000 loan. Tony McDonough reports

Microbiological testing specialist Perfectus Biomed Group has secured a £500,000 loan to expand its Liverpool city region facilities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perfectus Biomed was incorporated in 2012 by chief executive Dr Sam Westgate. It offers standard and customised microbiological testing for sectors including medical devices, wound care, disinfectants, and industrial biofilms.

In 2013 it set up home at Sci-Tech Daresbury, the city region’s science and innovation campus. During the pandemic, demand for its virology services rocketed and now the firm is keen to invest in an expansion of the virology facility.

It has secured the £500,000 loan from NPIF – FW Capital Debt Finance, managed by FW Capital and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF). Dr Westgate said: “NPIF and FW Capital have supported us with two previous rounds of investment.

That has enabled us to expand our laboratory facilities twice, adding space and equipment that has allowed major increases both in capacity and range of services offered.

“This latest investment will be used to grow the virology department. During the pandemic our virology team expanded five-fold, we expanded our knowledge and reacted to the ever-changing COVID-19 situation.”

Last year Perfectus Biomed underwent significant growth following a merger with Extherid Biosciences based in Wyoming in the US. This collaboration widened the company’s testing capabilities, strengthened its US customer base and brought together a breadth of industry knowledge.

Perfectus saw another high growth year in 2020 and has enjoyed consistent growth of greater than 30% year on year since incorporation. Dr Westgate added: “We provide an outsourced, knowledgeable, testing facility that supports our clients’ product development through high quality experiments that mimic real life situations.

“Our mission is to improve quality of life through the provision of exceptional, customised microbiological services. FW Capital has been exceptionally supportive and professional, taking the time to understand what the business needs.”

FW Capital investment executive Alistair Igo, added: “Perfectus is an exciting example of the thriving life sciences sector here in the Liverpool city region. The company has recently undergone significant expansion and its renowned team continues to innovate and expand its service offering enabling it to tap into new markets.”