Currently one in 20 inpatients suffer from a Hospital Acquired Infection (HAI), leading to the loss of thousands of lives globally and adding to costs for healthcare providers. Government research found that even a 10% reduction in infections could save the NHS £100m per annum.
Camstent’s patented bacteria-phobic polymer coatings help better protect against HAIs, changing the physical properties of surfaces to make them inhospitable to bacteria, thus reducing colonisation, and dramatically lowering infection rates. Laboratory studies have shown that Camstent coated products perform longer and are more effective than market leading alternatives.
The funding will be used to bring the Camstent Foley Catheter, its first product, to market. This is designed to help combat Catheter Acquired Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI), which represent 38% of all HAIs. CE mark approval for the device is expected in Q4 2016, enabling Camstent to begin product shipments from its recently opened Colworth Park manufacturing facility in Bedfordshire, both for trials and first volume sales.
As part of its move from research and development to volume sales, Camstent has also appointed Joe Byrne as Chief Operating Officer (COO), responsible for overseeing the scale up of Camstent’s operations. Byrne joins from fibre optic cable manufacturer m2fx, where he played a lead role in growing the business from a start-up to its sale to Belden in early 2016.
“Hospital Acquired Infections are a serious issue for both patients and healthcare providers, adding to costs and leading to needless deaths around the world,” said Joe Byrne, Chief Operating Officer, Camstent. “Current antimicrobial coatings for medical devices fail to prevent infection, but our innovative patented polymer coating has been proven in the lab to resist bacteria colonisation and inhibit biofilm formation. This new funding round will accelerate our growth and enable us to bring our first products successfully to market.”
About Camstent
Camstent is a medical materials company creating patented coatings that prevent attachment of bacteria, blood, and proteins to the surface of consumable medical devices. Applying its coatings to medical devices changes the physical properties of their surfaces to make them inhospitable to bacteria, thus preventing colonisation, and dramatically reducing infection rates. This saves lives and reduces costs for healthcare providers.
Camstent Foley Catheter, Camstent's first commercial product aims to help prevent catheter-acquired urinary tract infections (CAUTI). It is expected to receive European regulatory approval in Q4 2016.
Camstent’s technology is based on research from the Universities of Cambridge and Nottingham. The company’s senior management team, directors and advisers has spent over 130 years in the life sciences and innovation sectors, including experience at Cambridge Antibody Technology, Medtronic, Atlantic Healthcare, Provensis and m2fx. For more information, visit www.camstent.com
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For more information
Chris Measures
Measures Consulting (PR for Camstent)
+44 7976 535147
chris@measuresconsulting.com
Medical materials innovator Camstent closes record funding round
7 September 2016
Medical innovator Camstent today announced that it has raised a record £850,000 from a combination of existing and new investors in its latest funding round. Thanks to enormous interest in the company’s patented bacteria-phobic polymer coatings, the initial investment target of £300,000 was extended, nearly trebling the total amount raised during the round.