Supporting innovators in the fight against antimicrobial resistance

Nine businesses have received £850,000 in funding from the Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst feasibility grant after completing a microbials accelerator programme, of which Health Innovation North West Coast was a delivery partner.

Congratulations to all the companies awarded funding. The microbials accelerator was led by Lyva Labs and Bionow. Read the announcement.

Health Innovation North West Coast delivered one full day of workshops, and were then selected by eight of the companies to deliver one-to-one support for the final stage of the accelerator. Read more about the accelerator. 

Through Health Innovation North West Coast’s involvement in the accelerator, we established an ongoing collaboration with LightOx and were included in its biomedical catalyst grant application. LightOx is an innovator that is developing a light-activated antimicrobial gel for wound care. It is specifically formulated for chronic wounds, diabetic ulcers and pressure sores.

LightOx CEO Sam Whitehouse said: “The microbials accelerator sessions with Health Innovation North West Coast were really valuable, and we quickly realised that there was a huge opportunity to collaborate to further develop our innovative light-activated wound care products.

“Health Innovation North West Coast’s ethos for genuine, two-way product development with patients and healthcare professionals really resonated with us. Engagement with patients and health professionals will be critical to our product’s success.”

Health Innovation North West Coast is helping LightOx with the gel’s development through market research, such as how wound care treatment varies in different settings and where the product could be initially introduced most effectively.

Our Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement team is also gathering insight from people who have experienced wound care treatment, while our Coaching Academy team is consulting with clinicians for their views.

A full report will be provided in autumn, but work is underway now and some insights have already been uncovered for LightOx. Health Innovation North West Coast also hopes to set up real-world validation to strengthen the use case for the gel.

Lindsay Sharples, Associate Director of Innovation and Industry Partnerships at Health Innovation North West Coast, said: “Participating in the Microbials Accelerator has enabled us to collaborate with expert partners in the region and provide an effective and comprehensive support to fast-track leading edge innovations to market.

“Tackling antimicrobial resistance is a priority for us and we were delighted to have access to state-of-the-art technologies with the potential to deliver game-changing solutions.”

LightOx gel’s unique composition and light-activation:

• destroys antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA
• prevents bacteria becoming resistant
• promotes faster healing, meaning fewer dressings changes, interventions from health professionals and an overall better patient outcome.

For more information, visit the LightOx website.

If you are a wound care professional, you can help LightOx understand your work through this survey.
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LightOx was one of 33 early-stage companies from four accelerator programmes (children's health, femtech, microbials, neurotech) that were awarded £3.2m in funding from Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst feasibility grants. Read the announcement.