The BioCity-managed fund has announced a £200,000 equity investment into Alderley Analytical. The news comes as the North West Fund for Biomedical, which is managed by SPARK Impact, agreed to invest a further £100,000.

Alderley Analytical provides bioanalytical services to support the development of small and large molecule therapeutics, generics and biomarkers in all stages of the drug development process from discovery to post launch marketing.

Liz Thomas, chief executive of Alderley Analytical, said: "We are delighted to receive this investment from APV and SPARK Impact and it presents Alderley Analytical with some real opportunities to grow. It will allow us to increase our marketing and business development activities and grow our customer base.

"In addition, we can also recruit new staff, purchase a laboratory information management system, lease additional state-of-the-art LC-MS/MS equipment and increase our service offerings – all of these being essential to provide our customers with a first-class service and to support the bioanalysis from large clinical trials."

Claire Brown, investment manager of Alderley Park Ventures, said: "This sector has seen significant consolidation in recent years, leaving a gap for a flexible group that can offer high-quality bioanalysis support together with outstanding customer service. Alderley Analytical is perfectly positioned to serve this niche."

David Grimm, investment manager at SPARK Impact, which also has a base at the BioHub, said: "Alderley Analytical shows great promise and the team has a really solid background in pharmaceuticals making them ideally placed to exploit a gap in the market. We're delighted to invest in the business and look forward to seeing it progress."