Nuclera

A Cambridge life-science tools company that makes a benchtop machine to produce working proteins for drug discovery in under two days.

About Nuclera

Nuclera makes laboratory equipment for researchers. Its benchtop eProtein Discovery system combines cell-free protein production with tiny moving droplets of liquid (digital microfluidics) so scientists can make soluble, working proteins in under 48 hours. It is now expanding the system into antibody work.

Nuclera describes its goal as "accelerating drug discovery by providing rapid, easy access to functional proteins". Another article gives its mission as accelerating scientific breakthroughs in human health.

Nuclera was founded in 2013 by University of Cambridge PhD graduates and is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, with a second base in Boston, USA. A January 2026 release shows it is still trading. Its systems are installed at universities, including Cambridge and UCL, and at a contract research company.

We did not find a description of Nuclera's culture or values. The only named people were its chief executive and co-founder Dr Michael Chen and its chairman Dr Jonathan Milner.

A company page links to career opportunities, but we found no details of trainee, graduate or apprenticeship routes. Check Nuclera's careers page, and look at lab and customer-support roles if you want to start in a tools company.

What they do

• {'desc': 'A benchtop machine that makes proteins in under 48 hours.', 'title': 'eProtein Discovery System'}
• {'desc': 'Expression and binding checks for antibodies.', 'title': 'Antibody engineering tools'}
• {'desc': 'Lets labs test many protein designs in-house.', 'title': 'Protein screening'}

Key facts

• Founded 2013 by Cambridge PhD graduates
• Headquarters: Cambridge, UK; second base in Boston, USA
• Installed at 11 academic institutions as at Q2 2024
• Still announcing news in January 2026

Website: www.nuclera.com