Partnering with Cambridge-based product engineering and design specialists eg technology, and Addenbrooke’s Hospital, the grant will enable Ablatus to push forward with gathering essential clinical data needed for CE mark, commercial launch and ultimately to reach patients.
By using Bimodal Electric Tissue Ablation (BETA), an energy-based alternative to open surgery, the device offers a novel, cost-effective and efficient approach to destroying abnormal tissue, such as tumours, in situ and without major surgery. This innovative alternative to existing tissue ablation techniques will potentially allow the ablation of previously untreatable tumours, while improving patient outcomes and providing greater clinical options.
News of this latest grant follows an exciting period of growth since Ablatus was founded in October 2015, spun out of Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with support from leading NHS innovation hub Health Enterprise East (HEE) and £125,000 of essential funding granted by The MedTech Accelerator, the joint funding venture led by HEE. Ablatus is also backed by Mercia Asset Management PLC through the Northern VCT Funds.
Demonstrative of its progression, the company has also recently been named in the new ‘21towatch’ list, representing the most innovative companies across Cambridge and the East of England that are on the path to becoming industry game-changers locally, nationally and globally.
Commenting on the award, 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, commented: “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.”