MediSieve,the company behind a revolutionary magnetic sieve
that filters out malaria-infected cells directly from a patient’s bloodstream,
is developing new methods to fight leukaemia.
Following the successful development of its magnetic filter device, which will
soon move into clinical trials, MediSieve’s experts are now beginning research
into the treatment of other life-threatening blood diseases using magnetic
particles to target specific disease-causing components in blood.
Founder and CEO of MediSieve, Dr George Frodsham, said: “We have always been
developing a platform technology to target a wide range of blood-borne
diseases. We recently announced our plans to target sepsis and now I’m very
excited to share our work against leukaemia, too.”
However, the task of removing leukaemia cells from the bloodstream poses
complex challenges in comparison to the treatment of malaria. Malarial cells
are naturally magnetic, which means when a patient’s blood is passed through
the MediSieve magnet and filtration devices, they can be removed. The challenge
with leukaemia, and with sepsis, is to develop ‘targeted magnetic particles’
which can capture those types of infected cells, which do not have the same
magnetic properties as malaria.
To overcome that challenge, MediSieve has recruited an expert on magnetic particles,
Dr Cristina Blanco Andujar. Dr Blanco joins MediSieve as the Product
Development Manager to lead the leukaemia and sepsis projects, focusing
particularly on the development of the magnetic particles required.
Dr Blanco said: “I am incredibly passionate about what we’re trying to do here
at MediSieve, and I believe that by collaborating with experts in our field we
will be able to reach our goals.”
According to MediSieve, leukaemia currently affects over 200,000 people between
Europe and the United States – combining sufferers of chronic lymphocytic
leukaemia and acute myeloid leukaemia, the two types of leukaemia that the
MediSieve treatment is expected to be the most effective on. Its product,
planned to be ready in 2021 after clinical trials, is intended to be used
before a patient receives chemotherapy to improve both the drugs’ effectiveness
and reduce its side effects, some of which can be fatal.
Since the company’s launch in 2015, Dr Frodsham and the team at MediSieve have:
·
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
·
received a
€50,000 SME Instrument grant from the European Commission through the Horizon
2020 programme
·
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.
For more information, visit www.medisieve.com and follow on Twitter.
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