Owlstone Medical in £1.7m raise to tackle cystic fibrosis
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation has made an up to £1.7million equity investment in Owlstone to develop a breath test for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) detection in patients with cystic fibrosis.
PA, which affects an estimated 25 per cent of cystic fibrosis patients, is a significant threat. Once established in the lungs, PA is very difficult to eliminate, making early detection and aggressive treatment of infection critical.
Cystic fibrosis is a progressive genetic disorder affecting over 105,000 individuals worldwide. Characterised by excessive mucus production that traps pathogens in the lungs, it causes severe lung infections and can lead to respiratory failure. PA, which affects an estimated 25 per cent of cystic fibrosis patients, represents a significant threat to people with cystic fibrosis. Once established in the lungs, PA is very difficult to eliminate, making early detection and aggressive treatment of infection critical.
Initial work will focus on chronic PA to establish scientific proof-of-principle that VOCs on breath can identify this lung infection and be utilised as part of long-term monitoring of infection. If successful, additional work can be organised to test the ability of this approach to detect new PA infections – an important event in the clinical care of people with cystic fibrosis.
Billy Boyle, co-founder and CEO at Owlstone Medical, said: “Owlstone’s experience in the breath-based detection of infectious disease through projects with the US Department of Defense, the Gates Foundation, and other partners, underpinned by our proprietary Breath Biopsy platform, places Owlstone in an excellent position to help improve outcomes for cystic fibrosis patients infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.”
He added: “Data from the study will also be entered into Owlstone’s Breath VOC Atlas, where it will continue to be used in clinical studies and analyses to support further biomarker and test development across a wide range of disease areas.”
