POCDOC Secures Largest Oversubscribed Pre-A Funding Round For UK Digital Diagnostics Of £5 Million💸
PocDoc, a Cambridge-based health-tech startup, has secured £5 million in an oversubscribed pre-A funding round, marking the largest raise at this stage for a UK digital diagnostics company. This latest investment brings PocDoc's total pre-A funding to over £10 million, demonstrating strong investor confidence in their innovative approach to healthcare.
The funding round saw participation from leading investors including MMC Ventures, Molten VC, Simplyhealth Ventures, and KHP Ventures, the first NHS-anchored venture fund. This diverse group of investors highlights the broad appeal of PocDoc's technology across both private and public healthcare sectors.
Founded in 2020, PocDoc is revolutionizing access to cardiovascular, metabolic, and renal disease screenings through smartphone-based technology1. Their flagship service, the 'Healthy Heart Check,' allows patients to conduct cardiovascular screenings and view results almost instantly via the NHS app4. This service has already been used by tens of thousands of patients, with an impressive 97% recommending it to family and friends.
Steve Roest, CEO and Co-founder of PocDoc, expressed enthusiasm about the funding:
"Today's announcement of our heavily oversubscribed investment round is a major endorsement of our incredible technology and our journey to date. Prevention is the lifeboat of our business. Through our screening technology, we believe we can drive a fundamental shift in how we treat chronic diseases"
The new investment will fuel PocDoc's rapid growth, supporting its expanding partnerships with pharmacies, retailers, and the NHS. The company plans to develop new tests for metabolic, kidney, and whole-body health, as well as scale into international markets in the coming year.
PocDoc's technology aligns with key NHS priorities, including the shift from analog to digital, hospital to home care, and reactive care to prevention. Studies suggest that rapid screening solutions like PocDoc's could save the NHS £27 billion over the next decade and prevent up to 1 million heart attacks and strokes annually.
As PocDoc continues to grow and innovate, it is poised to make a significant impact on healthcare accessibility and preventive medicine, both in the UK and beyond.
MagIA Diagnostics Developing POC STD Tests to Prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission🤰
MagIA Diagnostics, a French company based near Grenoble, is making significant strides in the development of point-of-care (POC) tests for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), with a focus on preventing mother-to-child transmission. This innovative approach could revolutionize prenatal care, particularly in resource-limited settings.
MagIA Diagnostics is developing a breakthrough portable immunologic "Point-Of-Care" (POC) device based on a patented no-wash detection method. This technology, known as Magnetically Localized and wash-free Fluorescent Immuno-Assay (MLFIA), combines high sensitivity immuno-detection comparable to ELISA with low production costs.
The company's M-for-Screen system features:
- Multiplexing capability: Up to 8 parameters tested simultaneously
- Speed: Results in 12-18 minutes
- Flexibility: Compatible with capillary or venous blood, serum, and plasma
- Portability: Weighing less than 3 kg with up to 8 hours of battery life
The MLFIA technology has shown promising results in detecting HIV, Hepatitis B (HBV), and Hepatitis C (HCV). In a study involving 102 patient plasma samples, the platform demonstrated performance comparable to laboratory-based tests.
The system uses functionalised magnetic nanoparticles and microfluidic cartridges, allowing for quantitative and sensitive results without the need for washing steps. This approach addresses several limitations of current rapid tests, including variability in sample sizes and incubation times, as well as the subjective nature of visual interpretation.
By offering a point-of-care test that can diagnose expectant mothers with hepatitis B, MagIA Diagnostics aims to enable timely treatment during pregnancy, potentially preventing mother-to-child transmission6. This could have a significant impact on global health, particularly in areas with limited access to laboratory facilities.
The development of this POC platform represents a promising step forward in STD screening and prenatal care. The combination of high sensitivity, multiplexing capability, and portability addresses many of the challenges faced in resource-limited settings. However, as with any new medical technology, rigorous clinical validation and cost-effectiveness studies will be crucial to ensure its successful implementation in real-world healthcare settings.
If successful, MagIA Diagnostics' technology could play a vital role in achieving global health goals related to STD prevention and maternal-child health. The potential to provide laboratory-quality results in a portable, easy-to-use format could significantly improve access to critical diagnostic services, ultimately saving lives and reducing the burden of STDs worldwide.
PixCell Medical's CBC Analyzer Receives IVDR Certification✅
PixCell Medical has achieved a significant milestone in the field of point-of-care diagnostics with its HemoScreen CBC analyzer receiving certification under the In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation (IVDR) (EU) 2017/746. This breakthrough positions PixCell Medical at the forefront of innovative diagnostic solutions.
The HemoScreen CBC analyzer is now the first device of its kind to meet the stringent IVDR requirements, while also being the only FDA-cleared, point-of-care 5-part differential Complete Blood Count (CBC) analyzer. This dual certification underscores PixCell Medical's commitment to providing high-quality, reliable diagnostic tools for healthcare providers worldwide.
Key Features of HemoScreen
- Rapid results: Complete CBC analysis in minutes
- Minimal sample requirement: Only a single drop of blood needed
- User-friendly: Requires minimal training for operation
- Portable: Suitable for diverse healthcare settings
- AI-powered: Utilizes machine vision for accurate analysis
- Innovative technology: Employs Viscoelastic Focusing for precise measurements
Dr. Avishay Bransky, CEO of PixCell Medical, emphasized the significance of this achievement:
"Achieving IVDR certification for HemoScreen is more than a regulatory milestone—it's a validation of our mission to transform diagnostics at the point of care"
By securing IVDR certification well ahead of the regulatory deadline, PixCell Medical demonstrates its proactive approach to quality and innovation in the medical device industry. As healthcare continues to evolve towards more decentralised and patient-centric models, technologies like HemoScreen are poised to play a crucial role in improving patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency worldwide.
Ataraxis AI Aims to Address Gaps in Molecular Testing with AI Digital Pathology Tests 🖥️
Ataraxis AI, a pioneering AI precision medicine company, has emerged from stealth mode with a ground-breaking approach to cancer diagnostics. The New York-based start-up recently announced $4 million in seed funding, co-led by Giant Ventures and Obvious Ventures, to develop AI-powered diagnostic tests that aim to revolutionize cancer care.
Traditional molecular diagnostic tests, while considered the industry standard for personalized treatment selection in oncology, face several challenges:
Suboptimal accuracy
Long development cycles
Limited scope
High costs
Ataraxis AI, founded by Jan Witowski, MD, PhD, and Krzysztof Geras, PhD, aims to overcome these limitations by leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and digital pathology.
At the heart of Ataraxis AI's innovation is Kestrel, a multi-modal AI foundation model for digital pathology. This advanced technology:
Analyzes digital pathology images
Uncovers complex, novel features beyond human interpretation
Applies across all disease types
Using Kestrel, Ataraxis has developed its first clinical diagnostic test, Ataraxis Breast, which has shown promising results in initial clinical validation.
Ataraxis Breast, the world's first AI-native prognostic/predictive test for breast cancer, has demonstrated significant advantages over traditional methods:
30% higher accuracy in predicting cancer recurrence compared to standard molecular diagnostic assays
Ability to reclassify 'intermediate risk' patients into low- or high-risk groups
Generalization across all breast cancer subtypes
Potential to expand testing to an additional 100,000 patients annually in the US
Capability to answer new, high-value clinical questions
The test has been clinically validated in a multi-site study involving over 7,500 patients from 15 institutions across three continents.
Ataraxis AI's ambitious vision extends beyond breast cancer. The company plans to develop diagnostic tests for at least 50% of the 26 million new cancer patients expected to be diagnosed globally by 20303. This approach has the potential to transform cancer care by providing doctors with powerful insights into their patients' health, enabling highly personalized treatment plans.
As Jan Witowski, co-founder and CEO of Ataraxis, states:
"We are establishing a completely new category of tests that will phase out molecular diagnostics, transitioning the industry to AI precision medicine—an approach that is more accurate, efficient, and cost-effective, with the potential to save countless more lives"
With the support of prominent advisors like Yann LeCun, Chief AI Scientist at Meta and Turing Award Laureate, Ataraxis AI is poised to lead the way in AI-driven precision medicine, potentially revolutionizing cancer treatment and elevating patient care and outcomes worldwide
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