Public Funding for Cornel Medical Limited

Serious infections require patients to be admitted to a hospital intensive care unit to provide support for the body's failing organs. This condition, known as sepsis, results in death in 25-30% of patients and is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Antibiotics are crucial tools to help patients fight infection. Standard practice is for adult patients to receive fixed doses of antibiotics, regardless of their age and size, and these doses are arbitrarily reduced if the kidneys and/or liver are not working properly. However, as we are all unique, the way our bodies handle these drugs differs, and especially so when we are critically ill. Studies show that nearly half of intensive care patients have suboptimal antibiotic concentrations in their blood, thus reducing their ability to fight the infection, and increasing the risk of the infecting microbes developing resistance against the antibiotic. Antimicrobial resistance is now recognised to be a major and growing global healthcare problem. Conversely, some patients have excessively high antibiotic blood levels from the same dose that can increase the risk of adverse side-effects without offering any further benefit. Clearly, neither situation is desirable. We at Cornel Medical Ltd are seeking to rectify this situation with an ingenious solution. Working with experts in sepsis at University College London, and in sensor development at the Institute for Bio-Sensing, University of the West of England (UWE), we are combining Cornel's proven sampling technology with antibiotic sensors to allow clinician to tailor antibiotic dosing to the individual patient. Early studies have provided proof of principle, and we now wish to develop the technology to implement antibiotic dose monitoring in real time using a wearable device. This project combines world-leading clinical, scientific, technical, and commercial bodies and will promote further R&D investment in each of these organisations. There is a clear need for such a monitor and we are confident that it will positively impact on outcomes and costs by improving patient care, saving lives, reducing antibiotic resistance, saving the NHS money, and further demonstrating how the UK is an innovation leader in medical technology.