MediSieve, the company behind the groundbreaking
magnetic sieve that removes malaria-infected blood cells directly from
patients' blood, has received a Phase 1 EU SME Instrument grant of €50,000.
The grant will help MediSieve develop its filter device to treat sepsis - an expansion of its work in treating malaria. In the treatment, targeted magnetic particles combine with the MediSieve magnetic filter to remove pathogens - bacteria and endotoxins - from sepsis patients in intensive care units.
In an era of increasing antibiotic resistance, sepsis is a huge and growing global problem. In the UK there are over 100,000 cases and 37,000 deaths annually, making it responsible for up to eight per cent of deaths in England (McPherson, BMJ, 2013).
Across the EU, 135,000 people die every year from sepsis. In the US, the disease claims 350,000 lives annually and accounts for 5.2 per cent of the country’s healthcare spending.
With mortality rates from sepsis reportedly over 30 per cent, the need for better treatments for people with the disease is increasingly urgent.
MediSieve will use its Phase 1 EU SME Instrument grant to carry out market research, business planning and laboratory proof of concept work. The project will start in early 2017 and run for six months. When it completes this work, the company then plans to apply for Phase 2 of the SME Instrument, which could support clinical trials.
George Frodsham,
CEO of MediSieve, said: "We’re thrilled with this success as the EU SME
Instrument is very competitive. With this grant, we can start expanding our
magnetic filter technology from malaria into other blood borne diseases, which
has always been our objective. This is yet further recognition of the potential
of magnetic blood filtration as a tool for treating blood borne diseases and
delivering real benefits to patients.”
Dr Frodsham founded MediSieve in 2015. In the
months since, the company has also:
·
reached the final round of MassChallenge UK 2016, the
global non-profit startup accelerator and competition for high-impact,
early-stage entrepreneurs
·
secured £350,000
in seed funding from angel investors with expertise in the medical device and healthcare
industries - they include leading patent attorneys, former CEOs and successful
entrepreneurs in the field
·
received a
Pathfinder Award from the Wellcome Trust - this provided MediSieve with
£102,000 to fund a 12-month project to manufacture and test clinical prototypes
of its device
·
won an Innovate
UK Smart 2015/16 Proof of Concept Award grant worth £100,000
·
taken the
runner-up spot at Pitch@Palace 5.0. Held at St. James's Palace, London, the
event saw UK entrepreneurs pitch to around 300 CEOs, angel investors, mentors
and key business partners
·
presented at the
Royal Society of Medicine's 12th Medical Innovations Summit
·
been featured in
The Telegraph and many other major journals and publications
MediSieve's treatment could be used when malaria
drugs become ineffective or to supplement existing drug treatments. The
magnetic device is aimed at the most vulnerable malaria patients - those whose
cases are severe or drug-resistant. It could help patients recover faster, keep
symptoms at bay and increase their likelihood of survival.
In
the future, the magnetic blood filtration technology could be used to treat a
wide range of blood-borne diseases such as sepsis and leukaemia, by removing
specific disease causing components from blood.
For more information, visit www.medisieve.com and follow on Twitter.
ends
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