Investing in new medical devices for future health landscapes
Future Cities Forum will be looking at the latest in medical technology innovations currently undergoing hospital trials across the UK and Europe, in our Science Cities forum at Cambridge on 20th November.
Recently the Office for Life Sciences issued its ninth annual update of its Strength and Opportunities report which gives a detailed picture of the size and shape of the life sciences industry in the UK. The report confirms that the UK remains a global hub for life sciences, with 5,469 life sciences business having a presence in the UK, generating £70 billion and employing nearly 241,000 people.
One of these SMEs, Lightpoint Medical, has developed a new device to aid the detection of cancerous tissue during head and neck cancer surgery. The firm is pleased to announce that its device called LightPath has now been installed at The Royal Marsden Hospital. The team at the hospital will be using LightPath in a new clinical study for cancer surgery.
Founded in 2012, Lightpoint Medical's aim is to become the world technology leader in targeted cancer surgery. The company's technology has the potential to detect cancer in real time during surgery, enabling surgeons to remove the cancerous tissue while sparing healthy tissue.
The technology is based on administering the patient a cancer-targeted imaging drug and then detecting the cancer live during surgery. Since the founding of the company, Lightpoint has achieved clinical trial data in multiple cancer types, regulatory clearance, and is well on its way to transforming the practice of cancer surgery.
Entia is another company which has developed a product called 'Affinity' helping patients in their own homes know how their blood counts are affected by cancer treatment through a simple blood test. Results are shared with doctors in a real-time digital connection. The company believes that this test may help patients schedule their appointments for their next chemotherapy session only when the personal blood count shows the patient is ready.
In today's over-crowded hospitals, it follows that patients can avoid wasted journeys to hospitals and hospital staff can streamline their appointment systems more effectively. It is also suggested that Affinity may help avoid infections during chemotherapy and help prevent serious complications and delays to treatment.
Future Cities Forum is showcasing the first of these technologies at a special roundtable presentation on 6th November and asking questions about investor appetite for funding around the life sciences industry.