UK's top healthcare startups announced

Technology Strategy Board reveals which lucky firms get to attend the Future Health Mission to Boston

Healthcare is a golden sector for the UK. The government has vowed to use money and support to foster entrepreneurs in the sector.

Which is why the Technology Strategy Board, a division of the department for business tasked with supporting innovation, is running a trade mission to Boston. For the firms which attend it is a superb chance to find investors and clients.

The shortlist of firms has been announced. The 20 start-ups and early stage firms making the grade are listed below. Each will send delegates on the mission to Boston from the 26^th September to 3^rd October.

Trade and investment minister, Lord Green, said:

“The UK has one of the world’s largest and most productive life science sectors. We have identified it as a key growth sector, and it will play a central role in our plan to get 100,000 more companies exporting by 2020. The 20 companies taking part in the Future Health Mission will fly the flag for British innovation and demonstrate to a global audience that UK entrepreneurialism and UK life sciences are in better shape than ever. I wish them every success.”

Previous mission to the US have resulted in $200m of investment and deals.

The mission features bootcamps, presentations, discussion panels, networking receptions and unplugged forums, which are designed to maximise interaction opportunities with the Boston corporations attending this year’s conference:

Anaxsys

Anaxsys is a medical device company that develops and markets innovative respiratory devices based on its patented sensor technology. Anaxsys is seeking a strategic partner for thecommercialisation of respiR8™, a continuous respiratory rate counter, providing vital sign monitoring to improve patient safety and reduce mortality in post-operative patients.

Arterius

Arterius plans to develop and introduce a range of bioresorbable drug eluting coronary stents. Uniquely these stents disappear once they have caused vessel remodelling. During the Future Health Mission 2012, Arterius would like to explore opportunities with US partners interested in the novel technologies currently uner the development.

CellCap

CellCap has developed a way of harvesting stem cells from blood or adipose (fat) tissue, and sees huge potential in a technology isolating stem cells from a patient and re-implanting them after an operation.

CellCap hopes to meet investors focused on regenerative medicine or partners already established in this area.

DestiNA Genomics

DestiNA Genomics Ltd (DestiNA) has patented SMART Nucleobase technology, delivering reliable, faster, error free detections of infectious and genetic diseases, as well as biomarker assays for cancer and heart disease.

DestiNA is looking for US collaborations and venture capital to accelerate its assay developments

Epicardio

Epicardio Ltd specializes in improving medical training and diagnostics and its simulators enable trainee doctors to gain direct experience of how disease can cause changes to organ function.

Epicardio is targeting the global and US market and believes the mission will add crucial momentum to its US presence.

Eyejusters

Eyejusters develops, manufactures and distributes self-adjustable eyeglasses based on its SlideLens technology, enabling the focusing power of the lens to be altered by twisting a dial.

Eyejusters launched its first products in April of this year and is now looking for opportunities, both for funding and for connections.

Genefirst

GeneFirst has developed a unique technology for sensitive type-specific detection of multiple targets in a single closed-tube reaction, ideal for infectious disease and cancer mutation detection.

The US represents the largest market in molecular diagnostics. This mission would help GeneFirst establish collaborations with US partners and evaluate its products and technologies.

MagnaParva

Magnaparva Diagnostics has developed a unique automated sample processing system for clinical samples, which can be integrated with biosensor technologies to enable sucessful development of a complete ‘sample-to-result’ point-of-care diagnostic instrument. The company wants to expand its US customer base and find strategic international partners.

Optimal Medicine

Built ‘by doctors for doctors’, mehealth™ is a clinical decision support software platform. Like a GPS, mehealth™ provides clinicians with information to safely accompany each patient to the optimal treatment outcome.

Optimal Medicine wants to meet customers, strategic partners and investors, establishing connections that its Boston-based CTO can progress post-mission.

P1 Vital

The P1vital® Oxford Emotional Test Battery (ETB) has been developed for early detection of symptom change in depression and is currently used in clinical trials as an early indication of the potential efficacy of antidepressants.

The mission will help P1vital identify potential partners and investors to work with.

PathXL

PathXL has a major new innovation in automated tumour identification software. Automated Tumour ID uses a combination of innovative specialist technologies to detect tumour from digital slide images.

PathXL is now building relationships for greater access to the international ecosystem in cancer-related drug discovery and diagnostic research, and associated investor support.

Radius Diagnostics

Radius allows the generation of X-rays without high-voltage transformers and cabling, associated thermal management systems and vacuum tubes. The planar nature of the product also allows 3D imaging from stationary 2D arrays. The mission will help Radius reach out to the US investor base and access potential partners.

Rathlin

Rathlin Medical’s main technology is an Extra Corporeal Life Support system, which can be applied in a number of critical clinical settings from ICUs to Operating Rooms.

It is looking for investment to help complete its spin-out from University of Strathclyde, so that the technology can be driven towards market launch.

Safe Patient Systems

Safe Patient Systems™ creates solutions, designed by clinicians, that harness technology to deliver more efficient and patient centric healthcare. It offers a range of proven solutions using familiar mobile and web based technology with a focus on telemedicine and telehealth. These are cost effective, simple to use and easy to implement and sustain at scale.

We seek a US commercial partner and investor to support market entry.

Sitekit

Sitekit’s eRedbook is an online child personal health record (PHR). The application integrates all the features of a PHR with an innovative genetic risk prediction tool.

While the company has a good, general, knowledge of the American healthcare system, the Mission will help it better understand the US market place

Sky Medical Technology Sky Medical Technology’s OnPulseTM is a neuro-muscular electrical stimulation technology that increases blood flow and oxygen levels in the blood. OnPulseTM helps prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT).

The mission will help Sky Medical Technology pursue America’s 70% share of a global DVT prevention market worth approximately £15bn.

Tissue Regenix

Tissue Regenix uses its patented dCELL process to develop regenerative implants that repopulate with the patient’s own cells, once implanted into the body.

Tissue Regenix is poised to release a number of products in the US, the Mission will help it secure the right long term commercial relationships.

uMotif

uMotif is building beautifully simple software to help people achieve their health, diet, fitness and well-being goals using daily self-tracking. uMotif will release a consumer-facing freemium app, and white-label versions for Doctors surgeries, healthcare groups and corporates.

The Mission will help uMotif develop partnerships, speed investm
ent raising, and refine positioning.

VueKlar

VueKlar Cardiovascular is developing the first stent to allow non-invasive diagnosis by MRI of in-stent restenosis and thrombosis, two complications associated with the progression of peripheral arterial disease.

The Mission is a fantastic opportunity for VueKlar to establish contacts with US-based investors and major device companies, to develop its business.

Year Zero

Year Zero pioneers digital applications and services that support Independent Living and is launching three online Personal Health Record products in winter 2012.

It wants to connect with customers to roll-out its existing product range earlier and wider and to connect with investors who can help fast-track its development pipeline.