Prix Galien UK award for Cyted

Cyted has been recognised as Best Medical Technology at the 2022 Prix Galien UK Awards.

Regarded as the industry’s equivalent of a Nobel Prize, Prix Galien is dedicated to honouring innovation in life sciences.

The company’s Cytosponge product, which samples cells from the surface of the oesophagus using a cell collection device, was chosen against a strong list of industry-leading innovation, recognising it as a game-changer for both patients and health systems in the detection of cancer.

The Cytosponge consists of a mesh sphere on a string inside a capsule. The capsule is swallowed by the patient and dissolves in the stomach allowing the sponge to expand. The sponge is then withdrawn from the stomach, sampling cells from the surface of the oesophagus. The cells and biomarkers associated with Barrett’s oesophagus are then analysed using the Cyted pathology platform.

Marcel Gehrung, CEO and co-founder at Cyted, said: “This is a huge moment for Cyted and the Cytosponge. I am immensely proud that the Cytosponge has been awarded Best Medical Technology by Prix Galien.

“At Cyted, our ultimate objective is to make the Cytosponge a routine test for millions of patients at risk, both in the UK and beyond, preventing tens of thousands of deaths from advanced oesophageal cancer every year.”

Cyted has accelerated access to the Cytosponge test across the UK, with successful pilots ongoing for the detection and monitoring of Barrett’s oesophagus – a known precursor to oesophageal cancer – with expansion into primary care underway.

Now available in hospitals across England, the Cytosponge offers a way to triage and prioritise patients for endoscopy and tackle the NHS backlog.

With the Cytosponge, signs of cancer are picked up much earlier, improving survival rates in a cancer with typically poor outcomes. The Cytosponge is also supporting the NHS in its recovery by cutting patient wait times and pressure on endoscopy services.

Best Medical Technology was open to any instrument, apparatus, appliance, software or other article (whether used alone or in combination together with any accessories, including software used specifically for diagnostic and/or therapeutic purposes) that has had a significant, positive impact on improving patient lives.

Cyted has made phenomenal progress since being founded in 2018, with Marcel selected as one of Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30’ in the science & healthcare section last year.