Innovate UK has awarded £1.4 million to Ablatus Therapeutics Limited to support the development of its minimally-invasive treatment for soft tissue tumours.
The award will fund a 2 year project to develop its prototype device into a final version for use in patients for the first time.
The company has partnered with Cambridge University Hospitals NHS FT to support with gathering clinical data needed for CE mark, commercial launch and for use in patients.
By using Bimodal Electric Tissue Ablation (BETA), an energy-based alternative to open surgery, the device offers a cost-effective and efficient approach to destroying abnormal tissue, such as tumours, in situ and without major surgery. This alternative to existing tissue ablation techniques will potentially allow the ablation of previously untreatable tumours, while improving patient outcomes and providing greater clinical options.
The company was founded in October 2015, spun out of Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals NHS FT, with support from Health Enterprise East and £125,000 of funding granted by The MedTech Accelerator.
Chief Medical Officer and Interim CEO of Ablatus Therapeutics Limited, Dr Natalie Hayes, said: “This is an enormous opportunity for Ablatus to build on the important work we have already done to complete development of what will be a game-changing treatment for patients with tumours. We are especially pleased to be able to bring this exciting new technology to local patients here in Cambridge, when we start our first clinical study in Addenbrooke’s Hospital.”
Dr Bill Allan, Chairman of Ablatus Therapeutics Ltd, said “This is the second Innovate UK award for Ablatus, emphasising the significance of this technology in improving outcomes for large numbers of patients. It is a fantastic endorsement of the promise that BETA technology has for these groups.”
