Jul 20, 2020
MediSieve in the Press
MediSieve has recently shared its mission and latest research developments with leading media agencies.
MediSieve loves to share its mission and latest research developments with leading media agencies. The Covid-19 pandemic and repeated lockdowns had an impact both on the work and the development of the company and on the lifestyle of the team. MediSieve got the chance to share the implemented changes with The Engineering & Technology Magazine and Imperial College London News in May 2020. The first interview focused on MediSieve's Head of Engineering and Quality, Will Twigger, who has turned his garage into a workshop during the lockdown, whilst the latter looked at how MediSieve used its technology to help tackle Covid-19.
The Engineering & Technology Magazine interviewed engineers to see how the pandemic and reoccurring lockdowns has affected their work and lifestyle. Will’s role at MediSieve involves prototype design and build, which is normally done from a workshop. The workshop was relocated to Will's garage just before lockdown to reduce the number of people entering the office and to ensure Will's safety. This way MediSieve's Head of Engineering was able to self-isolate and continue working. The lab staff worked in rotations to further limit the number of people in the office. There were no more than four persons at the lab at any given time. The lab remained open throughout lockdown and carried on experiments, however, the rota limiting the number of people was strictly adhered to. Although it has been challenging, Twigger has revealed the motivations, illustrating the enthusiastic spirit of the company:
"It’s been challenging to plan all the elements and make sure everything is in place to ensure development and experiments continue, but I guess this is good logistics practice for when we are fully manufacturing,”
Imperial College London News interviewed a couple of companies located in the Imperial White City Incubator about their contributions towards fighting the pandemic. One of the major causes for the complications of Covid-19 is the cytokine storm, especially the high levels of IL-6. MediSieve was already working on a technology for cytokine removal from blood as a sepsis treatment. When the pandemic hit, the company quickly shifted its focus to treating Covid-19. If successful, the removal of IL-6 would be the best available treatment. Currently the only available option involves immunosuppression, which can have detrimental consequences during a pandemic. Chief Technology Officer Dr Cristina Blanco-Andujar explained:
"We want to use our technology to tune that approach so we can remove IL-6 at the time it is causing harm but then stop this process as soon as cytokine levels are manageable so the patient’s immune system can continue to function.”
The whole article about Will Twigger can be found here:
The article by The Imperial College London News can be found here:
About Magnetic Blood Filtration
MediSieve's Magnetic Blood Filtration Platform is intended to enable the rapid and specific depletion of specific agents from the bloodstream of patients. The extracorporeal therapy uses therapeutic Magnetic Beads that are designed to bind specifically to the clinical target. The Beads are introduced into the extracorporeal circuit during the therapy, mixing with the patient’s blood and binding to the clinical targets. The Delivery Platform captures all the Magnetic Beads and bound targets, preventing their return to the patient.
About MediSieve
MediSieve is a London-based BioTech start-up that has developed Magnetic Blood Filtration, a revolutionary platform therapy that enables the physical removal of specific substances from the bloodstream of patients. It can be used (1) as a direct treatment, (2) to increase the safety and efficacy of other therapies, or (3) to enable personalised medicine. The company is a spin-off from University College London and is developing its products at the White City Innovation District in West London. MediSieve is actively seeking investment and partnerships.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Alina Kagermazova
INVESTOR AND PARTNERSHIP CONTACT:
George Frodsham
