Medical technology company Presymptom Health has successfully closed its seed round funding to support the development of its pioneering blood test for the early detection of sepsis.
Presymptom Health’s diagnostic test builds on work originally researched over 10 years at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl). Initial trials in patients show it can predict the onset of sepsis in patients up to three days before symptoms appear, enabling clinicians to treat them much sooner and manage them more effectively.
This funding from Ploughshare Innovations and UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund will enable the company to complete clinical trials at several hospitals in the UK and advance the product towards registration and launch. The trial is ongoing at Portsmouth’s Queen Alexandra Hospital and led by clinicians from Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust. At least two more sites are anticipated to go live during 2021, with up to 600 patients given the option to participate.
The current trials will last 12-18 months, and data collected will be independently assessed and used to refine and validate the test, which could be available for broader NHS use within two years. Presymptom Health is open to approaches from more hospitals to help expedite the research process.
Iain Miller, CEO at Presymptom Health, said:
“We are delighted to have reached this crucial stage and grateful to Ploughshare Innovations and UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund for their invaluable support which will enable us to maximise the impact of the trial and validate our data. This funding is vital to our work in confirming our test’s ability to provide early diagnosis of a disease which affects up to 49 million patients annually and causes up to 11 million deaths each year around the globe.”
Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, CEO at Ploughshare Innovations, said:
“We are proud to have supported Presymptom Health in getting to this crucial trial stage, and to now build on our investment to support the continued development of this very promising technology.
“This test, originally developed to help service personnel survive injury and infection on the front line, could transform clinical outcomes for the millions of people around the world who contract sepsis each year, including two million a year admitted to UK hospitals with suspicion of sepsis.”
Oliver Sexton of UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund said:
“Sepsis is one of the most common causes of death yet is vastly under-reported. Symptoms are very similar to common flu. A low-cost, rapid test to differentiate patients at risk is huge potential step forward in preventing thousands of deaths annually.”
ENDS
About Presymptom Health
Presymptom Health is a pioneering medtech company that creates diagnostic tests to detect illnesses earlier to help save lives. Established in 2019, it was founded to exploit a ground-breaking innovation to detect sepsis in patients up to three days before symptoms appear. Presymptom Heath is developing a clinical diagnostic test portfolio which will include tests for use at both point-of-care and within central laboratory settings.
About Ploughshare Innovations
Ploughshare Innovations is the technology transfer organisation for the Ministry of Defence. It enables businesses to gain access to a wide range of innovations developed by leading Government laboratories. Ploughshare ensures Government technology is put to good use and benefits the UK, society as a whole, and humanity by applying innovative technology to improve people’s lives. Since its creation in 2005, the company has licensed more than 120 technologies and attracted £140 million of investment.
About UKI2S
The UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund is backed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Fund’s partners are 9 publicly funded research bodies, including STFC, BBSRC, NERC and Dstl. Building companies from great science developed in laboratories, science and technology campuses and engineering biology.
About Dstl
The science inside UK defence and security
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) delivers high-impact science and technology (S&T) for the UK’s defence, security and prosperity. Dstl is an ExecutiveAgency of the MOD with around 4,500 staff working across four sites; Porton Down, near Salisbury, Portsdown West, near Portsmouth, Fort Halstead, near Sevenoaks, and Alverstoke, near Gosport. Dstl is a proven national asset, giving the UK clear advantage across science, technology, cyber and information.
