UK Government Invests in Visiopharm, Increasing Access to Ground-Breaking Digital Pathology in the NHS

The Danish-based leader in augmented pathology solutions Visiopharm has secured a grant worth £250,000 from UK Research and Innovation to test its innovative solutions in partnership with the NHS.

The grant, offered by the UK Government’s innovations fund, was offered specifically to boost SMEs offering support to evaluate an innovative medical technology.

Visiopharm’s winning proposal outlined a project working with multiple NHS trusts across the UK, reviewing clinical procedures and expanding their technology by allowing access to clinically approved (CE IVD) or novel AI-powered algorithms. Each NHS trust has tailored the evaluation to fit their specific challenges and needs. Through their feedback, we will shape the future applications of these algorithms and ensure the highest standards in clinical relevance for the UK market. The project in addition to clinical evaluations will also contribute to the development of new CE IVD AI-powered algorithms.

Dr. Branko Perunovic, Consultant Histopathologist and Clinical Director of Laboratory Medicine at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, who is one of the selected NHS Trusts to be working on the project, said: “We are delighted to be named as one of the NHS Trusts across the country involved in this exciting project. Our state-of-the-art laboratory complex houses some of the most advanced diagnostic equipment in Europe, and we have already been pioneering the use of digital pathology systems to the benefit patients and hospitals across the region, so we are well placed to develop this technology which, once validated, could potentially be used to improve the speed and accuracy of cancer diagnosis and treatment.”

UKRI awarded the investment to Visiopharm and the NHS on the basis of their structured and ambitious approach, backed by their already-proven technology. Visiopharm already works with a select group of NHS trusts in the UK.

“We are very excited to have been awarded this grant,” said Martin Kristensson, Senior Vice President, Sales Europe at Visiopharm, who led the project bid. “Working with the NHS provides great benefits to all of us: they have the data and know-how while we have technology solutions that can lead to the best results. This investment gives us the chance to help the NHS test novel technology risk-free, and an opportunity to develop our products in NHS working conditions.”

Reviewing the bid, the assessors noted:
“The team is well versed in the technology, having already established a foothold in other territories, and the level of co-operation with clinical NHS personnel on the project will be significant.”

The UKRI award was offered as a half-funded project, with half the fund supported by the bidder. A large percentage of the funding received is going back to the NHS to develop the project.

The project started July 1, 2019, and will run for ten months, culminating in a detailed report.