Cytecom, a University of Warwick spin-out, is taking the lead against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) with its breakthrough diagnostic technology, CyteCount.
The company, supported by Medilink Midlands through the West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator (WMHTIA), is developing a rapid diagnostic platform that identifies the most effective antibiotics for bloodstream infections in hours rather than days – using a novel optical electrophysiology technique combined with AI.
This real-time testing approach could save countless lives by enabling faster, more accurate treatment for conditions like sepsis, where mortality increases by up to 7% for every hour of treatment delay.
In recognition of their innovative approach and real-world impact, Cytecom were named winners of the 2024 Medilink Midlands Business Award for ‘Delivering Innovation into Health and Care’, and went on to receive the overall ‘Winner of Winners’ award, securing a £5,000 prize to support their continued development.
“Cytecom is an outstanding example of how Midlands innovation is addressing global healthcare challenges. We were delighted to recognise their success at our Business Awards, and even more excited to see how far they’ve come since,” said Melanie Davidson, CEO of Medilink Midlands.
Through WMHTIA, Cytecom received cross-sector support from seven partner organisations and was connected to Smallfry, a Medilink Midlands patron member. Smallfry played a key role in product and interface design, helping tailor CyteCount to meet laboratory needs.
The broader support package included several other Medilink Midlands members, including; Forresters, Manufacturing Technology Centre, SPARK (Aston University), along side key partners from the WMHTIA consortia, Plug and Play UK and Bruntwood SciTech.
Following this support, Cytecom has now commercialised its first research-use device, secured academic clients, and is progressing toward regulatory readiness and regional manufacturing scale-up.
Full WMHTIA case study here, written and produced by the University of Birmingham. For any queries, please contact: wmhtia@contacts.bham.ac.uk
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