Biomedical Catalyst funding gives boost to healthcare innovation
Thirty three projects will receive funding from Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst (BMC) to help them translate their ideas into products and therapies for patients, bringing them a step closer to commercialisation.
The BMC is Innovate UK’s flagship funding programme, designed to accelerate the growth of the UK’s most promising health and life sciences businesses. It empowers innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop, test and commercialise cutting-edge solutions across therapeutics, medical technologies, diagnostics, and digital health. By providing critical, non-dilutive funding, the BMC helps transform high-risk, high-potential ideas into commercially viable products that address major healthcare challenges, improve patient outcomes, and drive economic growth.
The £15 million investment from BMC will support projects covering a wide range of health technologies including:
- the early detection of colorectal cancer
- a portable device for non-invasive breast cancer detection
- a wearable intracranial pressure monitoring implant system
- a low-cost diagnostic platform for traumatic brain injury
- heart disease diagnostic
- novel brain implant to treat glioblastoma
- navigation aid for visually impaired people
- remote perinatal learning and safety platform
- new RNA therapeutic for neurodegenerative disease
- non-GLP focussed obesity treatment
Targeting RNA nuclear export: A disease-modifying treatment for ALS/FTD
Crucible Therapeutics, working with the University of Sheffield, is developing an innovative gene therapy for the most common form of motor neurone disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This debilitating and uncurable neurodegenerative condition affects around 25,000 patients in the UK and US, causing devastating progressive muscle paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis. Current treatments offer limited benefit, only slowing the disease progression by months.
Crucible’s approach targets a protein involved in ALS-related nerve cell damage. By reducing levels of this protein, the production of toxic proteins responsible for nerve cell degeneration in most ALS patients is restricted, halting or even reversing disease progression. The aim of the BMC project is to advance this pioneering therapy through preclinical pharmacology and toxicity studies, targeting human clinical trials in 2028.
Developing a new product line to improve donor-lung preservation during transport and storage
Scuba Tx, with Newcastle University, is developing a new automatic organ-care system to improve the shelf-life of donor lungs for transplantation. A lung transplant is the only treatment for many end-stage patients suffering from lung failure, which can be caused by an injury or diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension and cystic fibrosis.
Around 90% of transplanted lungs are preserved and transported using an ice box, but only for four to six hours. ScubaTx has developed a new automatic organ-care system, which uses advanced temperature control (ATC) and a technique called Persufflation. Persufflation is where the donor organ is put into a saline solution and provided with oxygenated air to increase its ‘shelf-life’ from six hours to 24 hours or longer. This project will look at how different temperatures and oxygen can increase a lung’s ‘shelf life’ to more than 24 hours.
Commercialising a non-GLP-1 approach to metabolic disease management
Based in Northern Ireland, Dia Beta Labs (DBL) is aiming to tackle the global metabolic disease crisis, driven by the growth of obesity and diabetes. DBL has developed selective lead molecules against its lead target, a novel receptor in metabolic disease. Current obesity therapeutics have proved popular, but have limitations, including a lack of discrimination between muscle and fat loss, and gastrointestinal side-effects.
The company’s BMC project will help it scale up testing and manufacturing, using external suppliers. This will help DBL with its planned application for a first-in-human trial for its lead therapeutic.
Driving growth through innovation
The Biomedical Catalyst is a key part of Innovate UK’s support for SMEs — helping businesses start, scale, and grow — in the UK. By de-risking healthcare innovation, we inspire and unlock innovations that make life better, drive business growth, and strengthen the UK’s leadership in life sciences.
The projects we’re announcing today demonstrate strong scientific and commercial potential. Success of these projects will contribute to boosting the UK’s competitiveness, economic prosperity, and deliver lasting benefits to patients.
– Dr Stella Peace, Executive Director for the Healthy Living and Agriculture Domain at Innovate UK
Projects
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- Aide Health Ltd
Aide: Managing cancer as a chronic illness
- Aureum Diagnostics Ltd
Low-Cost diagnostic platform project – traumatic brain injury
- BaseRx Ltd
Partner: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
Establishment of an industrial base- and prime-editing platform for the identification of cancer drug resistance mechanisms and targets.
- Braintrain2020 Ltd
Partner: Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
Transforming paediatric insomnia: A new sleep solution for children to improve NHS patient outcomes.
- Cherub Health Ltd
Creating a system that helps GPs handle repeat prescription requests faster, saving time, cutting NHS costs, and helping patients get safer, better care.
- Crucible Therapeutics Ltd
Partner: University of Sheffield
Developing a novel class of RNA therapeutics that are designed to halt or reverse neurodegenerative diseases.
- Dia Beta Labs
Commercialising a non-GLP-1 approach to metabolic disease management.
- eXyo Design Ltd
Helping stroke survivors rebuild balance, strength, and confidence through biofeedback games on a sensor-integrated supportive exercise platform, reducing falls, boosting recovery, and easing NHS pressure.
- Glycos Biomedical Ltd
Development of GBM-1511: A novel heparinoid therapy targeting sepsis-endotheliopathy for improved patient outcomes.
- Gripable Ltd
Partner: Imperial College London
Industrialisation of a transformative soft-stretchy sensor tool for family-led paediatric bimanual therapy.
- Icosphere Biosciences Ltd
Developing improved methods of gene therapy manufacturing of viral vectors for the delivery of large DNA molecules for a range of diseases.
- Immunoserv Ltd
Creating a standardised T cell test for Group A Streptococcus, supporting vaccine development and large-scale immunity studies.
- Kleis Therapeutics Ltd
Exploring the potential of oral TG2 small molecule inhibitors as an innovative therapy for idiopathic pulmonary therapy.
- LightHearted AI Health Ltd
Partners: Heart Valve Voice, PHARMExcel Ltd
Every year in the UK, 30,000 patients eligible for treatment that could prevent heart failure don’t receive it because of underdiagnosis. LightHearted will use its BMC grant to get CE marking for its solution that identifies patients eligible for this treatment.
- London Devices Ltd
Developing advanced orthopaedic tools designed to improve the accuracy and speed of fracture fixation surgery, helping make procedures safer for patients and surgeons.
- MyOnlineSchool Ltd
AI-powered digital classroom to revolutionise new mums’ healthcare through scalable expert support in the community.
- Nanoptima Ltd
Preclinical optimisation of new aflibercept controlled release ophthalmic depots for AMD: readiness for pharma partnering.
- New Path Molecular Research Ltd
Development of PS targeting synthetic protein drug conjugates as a genetic alteration agnostic cancer therapy.
- Oxford Endovascular
A next-generation hybrid flow diverter for the transformation of brain aneurysm treatment.
- Precision Cardiovascular Ltd
Developing an AI tool that helps doctors monitor heart function remotely, so problems are spotted sooner and patients receive better, more personalised care.
- QV Bioelectronics Ltd
Translating an implanted device using electric fields to treat aggressive brain tumours, aiming to improve survival and quality of life for patients with limited treatments.
- Reco Medical Ltd
Developing an implant system for measuring pressure in the head, consisting of a wireless and battery-less implant and a wearable electronic reader.
- Respiratory Analytics Ltd
Co-design of a new children’s age-stratified apps to be integrated with the aflo® medical device, automatically training correct inhaler technique, reducing wheezing and breathlessness.
- Re-Vana Therapeutics Ltd
Injectable biologic-loaded ocular implant for extended drug delivery.
- Rhino Therapeutics
Developing new treatments for patients with age-related smell loss: creating lab models and testing candidate drugs.
- ScubaTx Ltd
Partner: Newcastle University
Developing a new product line combining advanced temperature control and persufflation to extend the viability and increase utilisation of donor lungs prior to transplantation.
- Spliceor Ltd
An Adeno-Associated virus (AAV) gene therapy for tumour cell specific treatment of liver cancer.
- SuperPenguin
One platform, many needs: SuperPenguin expands to cover most speech, language and communication needs, empowering parents to support 1.9 million UK children.
- Tagomics Ltd
Tagomics’ funding will support development of a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic test for early detection and treatment of colorectal cancer, and subsequent pilot study.
- Valkyrie Industries Ltd
Partners: Guy’s & St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College London
V-Health: Gamified immersive functional electrical stimulation system for efficient upper limb neurorehabilitation.
- Vivid Dx
Vivid Dx will make it faster to find the right antibiotics for blood infections, helping doctors save lives with quicker, smarter lab tests and technology.
- WeWALK Ltd
Partners: Imperial College London, RNIB
Clinically validating and delivering WeWALK’s next generation navigation aid for visually impaired people.
- Zedsen Ltd
Developing a safe, portable scanner to improve early breast cancer detection, offering a faster, pain-free alternative to mammograms and saving lives worldwide.
- Aide Health Ltd
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Related programme
Biomedical Catalyst
Accelerating the translation of innovative ideas and discoveries into healthcare solutions that improve lives. The Biomedical Catalyst transforms innovative ideas into commercially viable businesses. It delivers sector growth, de-risks innovation and gets companies investment ready.