UCLB Pitch Event (Investor Signups Only)

Are you a life sciences angel investor looking for new and innovative MedTech spinouts?

Our pitch event with UCLB on February 29th will feature some of the most groundbreaking new companies in the medtech space, all with high growth potential. The inaugural event provides an opportunity for early stage investors to not only view the shop window of London life sciences but meet with our innovative researchers and explore common areas of interest that can bring value to all.

Taking place in the beautiful riverside location of etc. venues County Hall, this event will showcase the very best of what London MedTech has to offer!

Read on to find out more about the five companies featured in this upcoming pitch event!

Panda Surgical Ltd

Panda Surgical originates from the lab of one of UCL’s serial entrepreneurs and is developing a first-of-its-kind smart platform for minimally invasive neurosurgery. The solution combines handheld robotic instruments and artificial intelligence with the aim to make keyhole neurosurgery, namely brain and spine tumour-removal through small and precise openings, safer and feasible in more clinical cases. Flexible instruments enhance the surgeon’s dexterity allowing them to perform delicate maneuvers in confined spaces, whereas accompanying software supports the surgeon’s decision-making.

The solution can democratise neurosurgery by enhancing it with the benefits of robotic surgery, but only at a fraction of its cost. This will allow more surgeons to perform keyhole procedures without the need to resort to open-surgery, improving the surgical outcome and the patients’ quality of life.

Having completed cadaveric studies, the company is preparing to undertake human trials to complete the clinical evaluation for its technical file and regulatory submission. This submission would be under a Class III medical device for UKCA and CE marking with the potential to go down the de novo route for FDA approval in the US.

Panda is seeking investment to secure the initial European regulatory approvals and product launch prior to a follow-on investment to enter the US market.

Diagnosis Biotech Ltd

DB Ltd developed its original ideas during the COVID pandemic and demonstrated a diagnostic approach by proxy; that being the detection Coronavirus by swabbing the screen of a mobile phone proving 81 – 100% accuracy in contagious people with a high viral load. Initially supported by the Ganesha Lab Academy in Chile, DB is now established in the UK to develop the concept further.

Rodrigo Young is now translating his approach to the detection of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis which has been on the radar of the WHO for more than 30 years and is of increasing concern in the developed world. Early detection and treatment with the correct combination of antibiotics is essential if we are to manage this effectively.

This is an early stage opportunity working with respiratory clinicians in the UCL network to optimise the diagnostic approach of PoST (Phone Screen Test). The funds raised will be used to validate the diagnosis of MDR TB prior to automation of the whole sampling and testing procedure moving the burden of testing away from the clinical laboratories and into communities.

Eye2Gene Ltd

Nikolas Pontikos secured a significant award from NIHR in 2022 to develop the Eye2Gene technology for rare inherited retinal diseases. In collaboration with clinical colleagues in Europe and Japan, Nikolas is developing an AI approach to the recognition of patterns of photoreceptor death using standard ophthalmic technologies and rapidly identifying the causative gene to help manage disease progression and identifying patient cohorts that would be suitable for available therapies of which there is an increasing number in late stage trials. Eye2 Gene is an early stage opportunity.

Initially focusing on retinal dystrophies with available therapies and those with therapies in late stage development, Eye2Gene now wants to expand its applications over the wider scope of inherited retinal disease and help accelerate development of new therapies. Initial discussions with pharma have provided validation of the Eye2Gene approach as well as the pull from pharma to have these tools available in both the development of and the provision of the therapies to the correct patients for the most efficacious outcomes.

WellSpring Ltd

Wellspring is designed to improve the information-giving and consent processes in women’s health. This online platform provides women and their families with an immersive, interactive and scalable resource of accurate, up-to-date and evidence-based information about procedures and processes in women’s health. It allows patients to access information in their own time and at their own pace.

For doctors, Wellspring, helps them improve and supplement their practice by ensuring that women are aware of the material risks involved in treatment and are aware of reasonable alternatives. Consent processes have also required modification in the era of the COVID pandemic. Face-to-face hospital appointments are less common, and video or telephone appointments have been widely adopted. This has meant that mechanisms for ensuring that patients have access to understandable, relevant and accurate information about proposed treatments, that they can review in their own time, have become even more important to underpin the consent process. Moreover the information supplied can be customised to provide information and performance metrics locally, relevant to the patient rather than relying on national averages that do not present an accurate picture.

The application developed to-date has been beta-tested on women presenting with a range of health issues and pregnancy. The aim is to increase the content of the application and launch it with early adopters in the healthcare system. The technology lies outside of the regulatory environment for medical devices/products and would be subject to adoption alongside national guidelines and best practice.

Echopoint Medical Ltd

Established in 2019, Echopoint is a later stage opportunity seeking to close its latest funding round with £4M promised. A syndication of up to £2M is desired. Echopoint’s focus is on the diagnosis and delivery of treatment of patients with chest pain, with ischemia and no obstructions in their coronary arteries (INOCA).

The device is a microcatheter with integrated fibre optic physiological sensing ultra-thin probes with integrated optical ultrasound imaging. The iKOr platform originates from initial research funded by the EPSRC generating more than 50 peer reviewed publications. The technique is fully compatible with clinical workflows and first in human studies were completed in 2023.

Funded by the Biomedical Catalyst and the Precision Medicine Accelerator, Echopoint also secured investment from UCL Technology Fund (co-managed by Albion Capital and UCLB) and Parkwalk. This is now the final stage enabling regulatory approval and product launch.

The technology is protected by five patent families filed between 2014 and 2018 that are all licensed exclusively to Echopoint.

UCLB is renowned for bringing to market world-leading, world-changing technologies and innovations developed at UCL (University College London) that have a real and positive impact on people’s lives.