Business and innovation
Business Innovation Award winner: Lightpoint Medical
Lightpoint Medical receives a Business Innovation Award for developing leading technology for targeted cancer surgery. From concept to commercialisation, they develop miniaturised imaging and sensing tools for accurate intra-operative cancer detection in real time.
Lightpoint Medical is a technology leader in targeted cancer surgery, developing miniaturised imaging and sensing tools for advanced intra-operative cancer detection. Their mission is to improve the lives of people with cancer by improving surgical precision.
Over recent decades, robots have transformed cancer surgery, growing rapidly to dominate the market. However, despite technological advances in robotic platforms, surgeons remain completely dependent on their sight to detect cancer intra-operatively. Consequently, the cancer may not be completely removed or in contrast, healthy tissue is cautiously removed. For example, one in four prostate cancer patients have cancer left behind. Residual disease increases the need for further drug treatment, radiotherapy, and surgery. Similarly, removing healthy, functional tissue increases post-surgical complications and escalates healthcare costs.
By exploiting advances in miniaturised sensor technologies and the development of cancer-targeted diagnostic imaging agents, Lightpoint is developing miniaturised imaging and sensing tools to accurately detect cancer intra-operatively during robot-assisted surgery. The tools aim to aid surgical decision making, improve patient outcomes and save costs to the healthcare system.
Since its founding in the UK, Lightpoint has secured over $27m (£19.5m) in non-dilutive grants and private investment. The company has two miniaturised robotic probe technologies in development which form a complementary toolset to address the complex challenges and demands of robot-assisted cancer surgery. The first, SENSEI®, has regulatory approval with CE Mark and successful registration with the FDA. Applicable to a wide range of major cancer types, the first commercial focus for the technologies is prostate cancer surgery.
About the company
Lightpoint Medical is a technology leader in targeted cancer surgery. They develop and market miniaturised imaging and sensing tools for accurate intra-operative cancer detection, enhancing a surgeon’s ability to detect cancer in real time. Their mission is to improve the lives of people with cancer by improving surgical precision.