Spotlight Pathology, a health tech company spun out from The University of Manchester, has announced that it has secured £1.4 million in funding to advance its AI-powered technology designed to support faster and more consistent diagnosis of blood cancers.
Blood cancers are among the most difficult conditions to diagnose and often require multiple specialist reviews. At the same time, pathology services are facing increasing demand and workforce pressures. Spotlight Pathology’s technology aims to address these challenges by providing clinicians with additional analytical insights that can improve efficiency and diagnostic confidence.
The company is based at UKRI’s Daresbury Laboratory campus and will use the investment to continue product development, progress regulatory approvals and advance its first clinical in-use trials.
The £1.4 million funding round was co-led by the UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund (UKI2S) and the Liverpool City Region Seed Fund, managed by AXM Venture Capital. The round also included participation from River Capital and follow-on investment from existing backers Deepbridge, EHE Ventures and Lyva Labs.
Spotlight Pathology was founded by Dr Richard Byers, a Consultant Haematopathologist, and Dr Martin Fergie, an AI specialist with more than 15 years’ experience developing advanced algorithms for healthcare applications. The company combines clinical expertise with artificial intelligence to address long-standing diagnostic challenges in haematopathology.
Dr Nic Gowland, Director of Portfolio for the Innovation Factory, said: “We are delighted to see Spotlight Pathology secure this new investment as it continues to develop technology that could make a meaningful difference to blood cancer diagnosis. It is encouraging to see research originating from The University of Manchester progressing towards real-world clinical impact.”
The Innovation Factory manages the protection and commercialisation of intellectual property generated at The University of Manchester, supporting researchers to translate discoveries into real-world impact through spinouts, licensing partnerships and investment activity.
