BFN Biofusion

RNS Number:9777N
Biofusion PLC
14 February 2008


For immediate release                                          14 February 2008





                                 BIOFUSION PLC


              �600,000 Investment into Imaging Company Phase Focus

Biofusion plc (AIM: BFN), the university IP commercialisation company that turns
world class research into business,  today announces that it has invested
�400,000 into Phase Focus Limited ("Phase Focus"), its high resolution
'lensless'  microscopy spin-out company from its University of Sheffield
partnership, giving it an 61% holding in the company.  Concurrently, the White
Rose Technology Seedcorn Fund has invested �200,000 in Phase Focus. The company
will use the  combined funds to develop and validate further its proprietary
technology for its potentially 'revolutionary'  'lensless' microscopy that has
the ability to produce better images at a lower cost.

Professor John Rodenburg, Phase Focus's Chief Scientific Officer and developer
of the technology said:  "Phase Focus'  novel optical microscope, now being
fabricated, offers contactless imaging of the specimen with very large working 
distances, unequalled specimen access, and post-acquisition three-dimensional
display. The technique has revolutionary  implications for x-ray imaging of all
classes of specimen and, if the same gain in resolution shown for x-rays is 
achieved at electron wavelengths, it will be possible to resolve every atom in
an extended object at unprecedented  resolution."

Phase Focus' cutting edge technology can generate greatly magnified high
definition images of an object through a  technology that does not require the
use of the sophisticated lenses that are required in conventional microscopes. 
Such lenses or other focusing devices in optical, X-ray or electron microscopes
can account for up to 30% of the cost  of the equipment, and often introduce
distortions in the images that they produce. Phase Focus' 'lensless' microscopy 
is therefore not only highly cost competitive, but can also provide a more
faithful image of the object of interest.

Potential applications for the Phase Focus technology lie within the optical, x-
ray and electron microscopy market, a  market which is forecast to grow to
US$1.6 billion by 2009. The technology has already been demonstrated in both the
optical and x-ray frequency ranges. It is in principle applicable to the entire
electromagnetic spectrum, and other  potential applications therefore exist in
radar, ultra-violet, infra-red, and terahertz imaging.

Commenting on the investment, David Baynes, Chief Executive Officer of
Biofusion, said: "Phase Focus is developing an  exciting technology which has
the ability to produce better images at a lower cost than existing lens
microscopes. The  funding that Biofusion and White Rose have provided will
enable Phase Focus to take the this 'lensless' microscope to  the next stage of
its development and allow it to explore other potential applications in radar,
ultra-violet,  infra-red, and terahertz imaging."

Says David Milroy of Aberdeen Asset Managers, which manages the White Rose
Technology Seedcorn Fund, "We are delighted  to be involved in the development
of Phase Focus and believe the company's "lensless" microscope technology could 
deliver substantial performance and cost benefits across virtually all forms of
microscopy. We look forward to working  with Dr Pykett's team at Phase Focus."






For further information please contact:

Biofusion                                               +44 (0)114 275 5555
David Baynes, Chief Executive Officer
Stuart Gall, Commercial Director

Nomura Code Securities                                 +44 (0) 20 7776 1200
Phil Walker

Buchanan Communications                                 +44 (0)20 7466 5000
Lisa Baderoon / Mary-Jane Johnson / Catherine
Breen

Phase Focus                                                (0) 7985 042 392
Ian Pykett, Chief Executive Officer


About Biofusion


Biofusion was established in 2002 to commercialise university-generated IP.
Biofusion has signed long-term agreements with two of the UK's top ten research
intensive universities (University of Sheffield and Cardiff University) giving a
combined R&D spend attributable to Biofusion of approximately �114 million a
year.


Biofusion's first agreement was a ten-year exclusive arrangement with the
University of Sheffield for the commercialisation of IP owned by the University
in the area of medical life sciences. Biofusion has shareholdings in a portfolio
of Sheffield University spin-out companies including Asterion, Axordia,
Biohydrogen, Lifestyle Choices, Diurnal and Phase Focus. The University of
Sheffield was ranked 5th in the UK for the quality of its life sciences research
and will be spending an estimated �0.5bn of research funding over the lifetime
over the life of the Sheffield Agreement.


In January 2007, Biofusion completed a long-term exclusive agreement with
Cardiff University, to commercialise 100% of all Cardiff University's
research-generated IP. Biofusion has shareholdings in a portfolio of Cardiff
University spin-out companies including Abcellute, Q-Chip and Morvus. Cardiff
University was ranked 7th in the UK in the most recent research rankings and
will be spending more than �1.0bn of research funding over the lifetime over the
life of the Cardiff Agreement.



About Phase Focus


Phase Focus is developing an alternative approach to microscopy and imaging that
does not rely on sophisticated lenses and has applications in optical, X-ray and
electron microscopy, amongst others. Professor John Rodenburg, a founder of
Phase Focus, is the inventor of a process that can generate high definition
images of an object without the need for the high quality lenses that account
for a significant element of the cost of high-performance microscopes.



About White Rose


The White Rose Technology Seedcorn Fund is an early stage seedcorn fund, which
invests in exciting new technology emerging from the universities of York, Leeds
and Sheffield.


The �9 million Fund provides venture capital funding of up to �500,000 (and
above for exceptional opportunities) to enable the transition from promising
research work to commercial reality.


Its portfolio of investee companies represent the commercialisation of high
quality science and technology combined with professional management teams to
produce investor-ready and partner-ready opportunities.


The Fund is supported by Yorkshire Forward and the universities of York, Leeds
and Sheffield, and managed by Aberdeen Asset Managers.




                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

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