On Thursday 11th July 2024, the winners of the 2024 Medilink UK National Healthcare Business Awards attended this year’s awards ceremony. We would like to thank The London Institute for Healthcare Engineering (LIHE) for supporting the event and to our guest speaker Hitesh Thakrar, Chair of the Health Innovation Network London who presented the Opening Address.
This year’s awards recognised a multitude of achievements and outstanding contributions to MedTech Life Sciences. The seven Medilink UK winners were chosen from an exclusive shortlist comprised entirely of winners from each of the regional Medilink awards.
The independent judging panel, who represent key stakeholders from across the Life Sciences spectrum, were tasked with assessing each entry in each of the seven categories on the merit of their contribution to the improvement of patient care in the Healthcare sector.
Bill Cruise, Chairman of Medilink UK, commented: “The Medilink UK Awards have once again been a tremendous success, and I offer my congratulations to all the award winners and finalists. Now, more than ever, we need the groundbreaking contributions of these and the many other companies across the Life Sciences sector to improve patient outcomes and provide efficiency.
“As a national industry support organisation, Medilink UK is pleased to work with our companies, adding value by helping them, and the Life Sciences sector as a whole, to grow, both nationally and internationally. We are proud to be contributing to their success, and I am confident that each of the companies who are here today will go on to do amazing things.”
Medilink UK 2024 National Healthcare Business Award Winners:
The awards were presented to the winners by Kevin Kiely MBE, Executive Chairman, Medilink North of England & Bill Cruise, Chairman of Medilink UK.
Top L-R: MESOX, Conductive Transfers, Pathfinder Medical and Imperial College London and EarSwitch.
Bottom L-R: Cytecom, Paxman Coolers and Upperton Pharma Solutions.
Start-up
Winner: MESOX is transforming the way pharmaceuticals are formulated through its game-changing carrier technologies. Its mission is to deliver a differentiated 505(b)(2) therapeutic pipeline with enhanced bioavailability and efficacy at speed and resource-efficiency. Their solutions aim to reduce the unnecessary dose exposure/frequency and improve patient compliance, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes.
Innovation
Winner: Conductive Transfers have removed the need for wires in smart technologies by incorporating a conductive circuit within a heat transfer to create functional textiles. Thousands of new innovations are possible with this amazing disruptive screen-printed process.
Partnership between Academia & Business
Winner: Pathfinder Medical and Imperial College London were awarded an Innovate UK SMART Grant for a £1.1 million project in 2023 to develop a minimally invasive arterio-venous fistula at the wrist for patients who require dialysis. The collaboration ensures a multidisciplinary approach, combining cutting edge industry development of Pathfinder’s ePATH catheter system with technical expertise and academic excellence in bioengineering and computational modelling to develop a novel stent implant. The project builds on an established research partnership, with the partners having successfully completing a 4-year NIHR i4i grant in 2020 resulting in first-generation system that was CE Marked.
Advances in Digital Healthcare
Winner: EarSwitch™ is setting a new standard in healthcare with its unique, end-to-end in-ear and biometrics technology. The synchronized collection of multi-biometric data in real-world settings enhances the accessibility and quality of healthcare data which leverages machine learning to provide insights that can lead to better health outcomes across diverse populations and resolve significant health inequalities. Their innovative EarMetrics® technology – an in-ear biometric sensor creates opportunities for globally relevant medical monitoring.
Delivering innovation into health & care
Winner: Cytecom is tackling a pressing issue in healthcare: the slow and ineffective diagnosis of antibiotic-resistant infections. With a market size exceeding $3.5 billion globally, its rapid diagnostic test addresses the urgent need for faster detection, thereby saving lives. Cytecom’s solution, powered by cutting-edge optical electrophysiology, detects resistant bacteria in just 45 seconds, enabling doctors to prescribe targeted antibiotics 48 times faster. Their dedicated team of experts in microbiology, optics, and engineering is committed to revolutionising diagnostic microbiology and improving patient outcomes worldwide.
Export
Winner: Paxman Coolers Scalp Cooling System helps patients to minimise chemotherapy-induced hair loss, which is widely recognised as one of the most traumatic side effects associated with cancer treatment.
Outstanding Achievement
Winner: Upperton Pharma Solutions is a leading contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) specialising in formulation development, clinical trial manufacturing and manufacturing services for a wide range of dosage forms, including oral solids, liquids, semi-solids, nasal and inhalation products.
With state-of-the-art facilities and a team of experienced scientists, Upperton offers tailored solutions to accelerate drug development from concept to commercialisation. A King’s Award for Enterprise winner, Upperton is committed to innovation, quality, and shares in our customers’ dedication to changing the lives of patients. Upperton collaborates closely with global pharmaceutical and biotech companies to bring novel therapies to market effectively.
Melanie Davidson, CEO at Medilink Midlands, said: “Congratulations to all winners across the Medilink UK network who were recognised at the Medilink UK National Healthcare Business Awards.
“The Midlands is a flourishing region for innovation, with the largest number of medtech companies in the UK, and we are delighted to see three of Medilink Midlands regional finalists be crowned worthy winners in the national awards.
“I’d like to thank Cytecom, Upperton Pharma Solutions and MESOX for their contributions to the medtech and life sciences sector, and for flying the flag for the Midlands region.”