Lancaster University Spinout Secures Funding to Advance Healthcare Diagnostics
Summary
Lancaster University spin out CCI Photonics has secured significant funding to develop its diagnostic technology, which aims to improve healthcare outcomes.This groundbreaking technology uses AI to detect infectious diseases and determine patients antibiotic susceptibilities in under 15 minutes.The investment includes \xa3200,000 from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II) PraeSeed program, support from ICURe Innovate UK, and \xa3150,000 from the Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON). This device can detect bacterial infections in bodily fluids within just 15 minutes informing the healthcare worker what bacteria are present and what antibiotics should be prescribed.Dr Meza Ramirez, CEO of CCI Photonics, said: This funding allows us to take critical steps in validating and refining our technology. With the support of our partners, we are working to bring a practical solution to healthcare challenges.The collaboration between Lancaster University and Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust laid the foundation for this innovation.Lancaster University and UHMBT have already signed a commitment to work more closely together with a Memorandum of Understanding for projects around areas including research and innovation.Consultant Microbiologist at UHMBT Professor Craig Williams said: "I am delighted to be involved in this ongoing research which, I hope will provide benefits to patients by providing much more rapid diagnosis which in turn will lead to improvements in the treatment of infection in our area and more widely, especially as bacteria become more resistant to commonly used antibiotics. "Professor Janet Hemingway, founding director of iiCON, a leading global centre for infectious disease R&D, said: Combatting the transmission of infection is one of the most significant health challenges of our time, and its urgency continues to escalate. It is essential that we harness novel, disruptive technologies to advance our efforts in tackling the spread of infection.With the investment and UKRI Novel Technologies Grant, CCI Photonics, in collaboration with LSTM and UHMB, will perform a pilot study aiming to evaluate and validate the prototype effectiveness for quickly identifying urinary tract and bloodstream infections, including those resistant to antibiotics.Successful validation will support the widespread use of the prototype in healthcare settings, such as GPs surgeries, and community pharmacies, improving patient care and outcomes as well as helping to reduce AMR.