NATO fund backs biotech startup in push to counter biological threats

By Supantha Mukherjee - 6/30/2025

</head><body><p>By Supantha Mukherjee</p><p>STOCKHOLM (Reuters) -The NATO Innovation Fund has made its first investment in a biotechnology company, it said on Monday, seeking to enhance defences against biological threats </p><p>The fund is co-leading a $35 million fundraising round for Portal Biotech, which uses protein sequencing to detect engineered threats and defend against biological warfare.</p><p>UK-based Portal Biotech's capability is essential for biosecurity defence and security, said Ana Bernardo-Gancedo, senior associate at NATO Innovation Fund. </p><p>"We believe that it is absolutely imperative that we are able to detect, monitor and create countermeasures," she said.</p><p>The fund, created in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, plans to invest more than $1 billion in technologies that would enhance NATO's defences. </p><p>Portal Biotech uses an AI-backed technology with biological sensors that can work at the single molecule level on-site, giving results within hours. </p><p>"It's for everything from measuring diseases to better pandemic prevention ... you can take this out of large labs with long turnaround times and into the field," CEO Andy Heron told Reuters.</p><p>Heron said the company's instruments can detect any pathogen and can be used for continuous monitoring of anything from a field to water supply. </p><p>"It allows you not just to detect what you did know was out there, but it allows you to detect what you didn't know," he said.</p><p>Beyond biosecurity, Portal Biotech expects its portable equipment to aid in drug discovery and precision medicine.</p><p>The company's investors include Earlybird Venture Capital, Science Creates VC, Pillar VC, 8VC, We VC and British Business Bank. </p><p/><p> (Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in StockholmEditing by David Goodman)</p></body></html></p> <div id="news-wrapper"> <div class="thumbnail additional-resources client-content-image-box"> <div class="box-image" style="background-image: url(/images/home/news.jpg);"></div> <div class="caption"> <h3>Nationwide News</h3> <div> <p><a href='/mh/news-article-detail.aspx?id=155564'>NJ AG investigating after Fort Lee police shoot woman in ‘mental health crisis’</a></p> <p><a href='/mh/news-article-detail.aspx?id=155555'>How understaffing, mental health failures led to ‘mounting crisis’ in Richland County jail</a></p> <p><a href='/mh/news-archive.aspx'>News Archive</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> </div>  <footer class="footer">  <div class="clearfix footerInfo"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-7 col-xs-12"> <div class="footerText"> <a href="http://www.trilogyir.com/" target="_blank" class="footerLogo"><img src="/images/Noc-Logo-white.png" alt="Footer Logo" style="width: 200px;"></a> <div class="genericContent" id="landingPageText"> <p>The Network of Care for Mental/Behavioral Health is an online information portal for individuals, families and social service agencies concerned with community mental health services, substance use treatment programs and help for people with developmental disabilities.</p> </div> <h3 id="lblTechAssistance" style="color: #fff; margin: 25px 0 5px;">For Technical Assistance:</h3> <ul class="list-styled list-contact"> <li><i class="fa fa-envelope" aria-hidden="true"></i><a href="mailto:admin@trilogyir.com?Subject=From Network of Care">admin@trilogyir.com</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="col-sm-3 col-xs-12"> <div class="useLink"> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li id="liFooterLinks1aMH" style="display: none;"></li> <li id="footer-services"><a href="/mh/services/index.aspx">Services</a></li> <li id="footer-library"><a href="/mh/library/index.aspx">Library</a></li> <li id="footer-links"><a href="/mh/links/index.aspx">Links</a></li> <li id="footer-legislate"><a href="/mh/legislate/index.aspx" id="footerLinks1PlaceHolder_mhFooterLegislate">Legislate</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="col-sm-2 col-xs-12"> <div class="useLink"> <ul class="list-unstyled"> <li id="ucOtherSites_liVisitOtherSites"> <a href="#" id="btnOtherSites" data-toggle="modal" data-target="#otherSiteModal">Visit Our Other Sites</a> <div class="modal fade" id="otherSiteModal" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="otherSiteModalLabel"> <div class="modal-dialog" role="document"> <div class="modal-content"> <div class="modal-header"> <button type="button" class="close" data-dismiss="modal" aria-label="Close"><span aria-hidden="true">×</span></button> <h4 class="modal-title" id="otherSiteModalLabel">Visit Our Other Sites</h4> </div> <div class="modal-body"> <div id="other-sites-footer" class="row"> <div class="col-sm-6 col-xs-12 text-center" style="height: 120px;"><a href="http://westmoreland.pa.nocbeta.org/mh/" class="currentSite"><img src="/images/home/products/mh.jpg" alt="Behavioral Health <br> and Developmental Services" class="img-responsive center-block"/> Behavioral Health <br> and Developmental Services</a></div><div class="col-sm-6 col-xs-12 text-center" style="height: 120px;"><a href="http://westmoreland.pa.nocbeta.org/veterans/" class=""><img src="/images/home/products/veterans.jpg" alt="For Veterans " class="img-responsive center-block"/> For Veterans </a></div><div class="col-sm-6 col-xs-12 text-center" style="height: 120px;"><a href="http://westmoreland.pa.nocbeta.org/pr/" class=""><img src="/images/home/products/pr.jpg" alt="Post-Incarceration Reentry" class="img-responsive center-block"/> Post-Incarceration Reentry</a></div> </div> </div> <div class="modal-footer"> <button type="button" class="btn btn-default" data-dismiss="modal">Close</button> </div> </div> </div> </div> </li> <li id="liFooterLinks2aMH" style="display: none;"></li> <li id="footer-about"><a href="/mh/about/">About Us</a></li> <li id="footer-feedback"><a href="/mh/feedback.aspx">Feedback</a></li> <li id="footer-privacy"><a href="/mh/privacy.aspx">Privacy Policy</a></li> <li id="footer-widgets"><a href="/mh/services/widget.aspx">Add This Service Directory to Your Website</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>  <div class="clearfix copyRight"> <div class="container"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-xs-12"> <div class="copyRightWrapper"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-5 col-sm-push-7 col-xs-12">  <div class="addthis_inline_share_toolbox_es1d"></div> </div> <div class="col-sm-7 col-sm-pull-5 col-xs-12"> <div class="copyRightText"> <p>Copyright ©<span id="copyrightYear">2025</span> Network of Care - Westmoreland County, All Rights Reserved.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </footer> <input type="hidden" name="ctl00$ctl00$hdnSiteUrl" id="hdnSiteUrl" value=".nocbeta.org" /> <input type="hidden" name="ctl00$ctl00$hdnSiteCountyId" id="hdnSiteCountyId" value="819" /> <input type="hidden" name="ctl00$ctl00$hdnSessionId" id="hdnSessionId" value="r2ikuu1pgyal1paydul2pxxa" /> </form> </div>   <div class="modal fade" id="searchHelpModal" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="searchHelpModal"> <div class="modal-dialog modal-lg" role="document"> <div class="modal-content"> <div class="modal-header"> <button type="button" class="close" data-dismiss="modal" aria-label="Close Improving Service Directory Search Results"><span aria-hidden="true">×</span></button> <h4 class="modal-title">Improving Search Results</h4> </div> <div class="modal-body"> <p>To improve your search results use quotation marks when searching for a specific phrase.</p> <p>For example, if you search for substance use, a search WITHOUT quotation marks would find listings that include the words "substance" OR “use.” A search WITH quotation marks ("substance use") would find listings only with the whole phrase "substance use."</p> </div> <div class="modal-footer"> <button type="button" class="btn btn-default" data-dismiss="modal">Cancel</button> </div> </div> </div> </div>  <div class="modal fade" id="LanguageModal" tabindex="-1" role="dialog" aria-labelledby="LanguageModalLabel"> <div class="modal-dialog" role="document"> <div class="modal-content"> <div class="modal-header"> <button type="button" class="close" data-dismiss="modal" aria-label="Close"><span aria-hidden="true">×</span></button> </div> <div class="modal-body"> <div class="alert alert-danger" role="alert" id="LanguageModalLabel"> Translation service is not available for Internet Explorer 11 or lower. Please use another browser or download the latest <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge" target="_blank" title="Download Microsoft Edge">Microsoft Edge</a> browser. </div> <p> Spanish:<br /> Para traducir este sitio web, debe actualizar su navegador a la última versión de <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge" target="_blank" title="Download Microsoft Edge">Microsoft Edge</a>. </p> <p> Vietnamese:<br /> Để dịch trang web này, bạn phải nâng cấp trình duyệt của mình lên phiên bản <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge" target="_blank" title="Download Microsoft Edge">Microsoft Edge</a> mới nhất. </p> <p> Mandarin:<br /> 要翻译该网站，您必须将浏览器升级到最新版本的 <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge" target="_blank" title="Download Microsoft Edge">Microsoft Edge</a>. </p> </div> <div class="modal-footer"> <button type="button" class="btn btn-default" data-dismiss="modal">Close</button> </div> </div> </div> </div>  <div hidden> <span id="new-window-0">Opens in a new window</span> <span id="new-window-1">Opens an external site</span> <span id="new-window-2">Opens an external site in a new window</span> </div>  <script src="/plugins/jquery-ui/jquery-ui.min.js"></script> <script src="/plugins/bootstrap/js/bootstrap.min.js"></script> <script src="/plugins/smoothscroll/SmoothScroll.min.js"></script> <script src="/plugins/datepicker/bootstrap-datepicker.min.js"></script> <script src="/plugins/selectbox/jquery.selectbox-0.1.3.min.js"></script> <script src="/plugins/owl-carousel/owl.carousel.min.js"></script> <script src="/plugins/fancybox/jquery.fancybox.pack.js"></script> <script src="https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?key=AIzaSyD3AS9ys5quFZTXhCkvZuwQfmi1bS9r9_o&libraries=geometry"></script> <script src="/plugins/map/js/rich-marker.js"></script> <script src="/plugins/map/js/infobox_packed.js"></script> <script src="/js/single-map.js"></script> <script src="/js/map.js"></script> <script src="/js/jquery.query.js"></script> <script src="/js/handlebars.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/js/jquery.history.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/plugins/slick/slick.min.js"></script> <script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jquery-validate/1.17.0/jquery.validate.min.js"></script> <script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/jquery-validate/1.17.0/additional-methods.min.js"></script> <script src="/js/custom.js?v2"></script> <script src="/js/solr.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/js/moment.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/js/global.js?v20201022" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/js/jquery.cookie-min.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/js/bootbox.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>  <script type="text/javascript" src="//s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=ra-63222935cadd2722"></script> <script src='https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js'></script> <script src="/js/bootstrap-timepicker.min.js"></script> <script src="https://cdn.datatables.net/1.11.5/js/jquery.dataTables.min.js"></script> <div id="dialog-confirm" title="Confirm" style="display: none;"> <p class="txt-color-red font-md"> <span class="glyphicon glyphicon-trash"></span> Are you sure you want to delete this item? </p> </div> <div id="surveylink" class="survey-link"><a id="opensurvey" href="#" target="_blank">Site Survey</a></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="/angelfish.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> agf.pageview(); </script> </body> </html>

State Legislate

Federal Legislate

NATO fund backs biotech startup in push to counter biological threats