Rapid Test Team Raise £2M To Help Patients Get The Right Antibiotic Faster | University of Southampton
Summary
Rapid test team raise \xa32M to help patients get the right antibiotic fasterSouthampton researchers have created a potentially life-saving test that can quickly find out which antibiotics will and wont work for treating a bacterial infection.The pioneering new technique was developed by Professor Hywel Morgan at the University of Southampton and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, with colleague Dr Daniel Spencer.The diagnostic test has been spun out after a decade of research and raised \xa32M in a recent investment round.It is now undergoing laboratory studies, funded by a \xa31M grant awarded by the NIHR i4i programme. These will run at University Hospital Southampton and Porton Down, led by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).The test gives results in a matter of hours rather than days. This would allow doctors to rapidly prescribe an effective treatment.Preventing bacterial resistanceAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) caused over one million deaths in 2019. This would help prevent antibiotic resistant bacteria spreading and increasing these hard-to-treat infections.Fast-paced and exciting journeyThis iFAST investment round was led by QantX. The company received co-investment from UKI2S, KHP Ventures, Kadmos Capital, and a group of angel investors.Dr Toby King, iFAST CEO, said: We are delighted to welcome our new shareholders and to be able to begin the commercialisation of this game-changing technology, fighting one of the WHOs top 10 global challenges.We look forward to working together on what will be a fast-paced and exciting journey, with research systems expected to be available for evaluation next year.David Woolley, Head of Technology Transfer and Impact Programmes at the University of Southampton, said: iFAST Diagnostics is the latest example of University research, supported by the vibrant enterprise eco-system in place at Southampton, advancing strongly through the translational pathway to deliver real world impact.Were delighted to have achieved this for the first time, in strategic partnership with the UK Health Security Agency and also having received significant NIHR funding support.Playing a key role in helping bring in a strong business leader in Toby King to work alongside world-leading scientists and engineers has been exciting in the last year, and I look forward to seeing iFAST continue to flourish and make a key difference in healthcare in the future.
Funding
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