Revolutionising Healthcare
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that affects around 11,000 people in the UK, and over 160,000 globally. One of the most important bugs that causes this is Pseudomonas aeruginosa – a bacterium that is present everywhere but rarely has negative effects on people with healthy lungs. For people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF), this bacterium can be deadly, and it is the leading cause of decline in lung health, compromising people’s quality of life.
NBIC Interdisciplinary Research Fellow, Dr Shaun Robertson has developed a technological solution to enhance the rapid detection of the P. aeruginosa pathogen. In 2022, Dr Robertson took part in the Biofilms ICURe Sprint – an accelerated version of the well-established Innovate UK Innovation to Commercialisation of University Research (ICURe) programme, which was funded by NBIC and delivered by SETsquared. After completing the programme Dr Robertson was awarded funding to transform his solution into a spin-out called MiDx. Dr Robertson said,
The first Biofilms ICURe Sprint gave six academic teams from across the UK the opportunity to establish a commercial market for their research.
“My experience on the Biofilms ICURe Sprint was transformational to my career aspirations as it allowed me to get out the lab, build networks and engage directly with stakeholders. The process was intensive, but the skills and training were extremely useful and helped mould a new mindset on how I approach innovation and technology commercialisation.”
MiDx plan to revolutionise healthcare for individuals with CF by pioneering cutting-edge lateral flow devices for precise and rapid microbial identification. MiDx strive to empower healthcare professionals and patients e.g., people with cystic fibrosis, with innovative diagnostic solutions that enable timely and targeted interventions. By combining their lateral flow technology with a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by those with cystic fibrosis, MiDx aim to enhance the quality of life for patients and contribute to a future where early, accurate microbial identification becomes a cornerstone in the management of this complex condition.
The company have previously identified biomarkers for P. aeruginosa in a large MRC clinical study in adults and children which were identified not only in sputum but also plasma and urine. With the support of former NBIC BITE student Simone Lucanto, MiDx are developing a lateral flow test that is highly sensitive and specific to patented biomarkers. This testing will provide significant NHS cost savings (up to £54m long term). It can be used in the clinic and (be disposed) by pwCF at home, uses non-sputum biofluid, and returns a result in 15 minutes. This will be revolutionary for pwCF to gain autonomy over their own health.
IP has been generated and has been exclusively licenced to MiDx. A subsequent patent will be filled when appropriate to maximise patent lifetime.
MiDx are currently in the final prototyping stage of the device and are now part of the £4.5m Precision Innovation Hub, funded by LifeArc and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, that will be providing access to testing with clinical samples for the study. Dr Robertson is co-investigator for the clinical studies that will take place from mid 2025, along with University of Nottingham Associate Professor and Nottingham University Hospital Trust Honorary Clinical Consultant Helen Barr and NBIC Nottingham Co-Director Professor Miguel Cámara. In October 2024, former NBIC BITE student Simone Lucanto was appointed Chief Technology Officer at MiDx.