Two government-backed vehicles have invested in Manchester Imaging, which will soon launch software to detect early signs of tooth decay.

Manchester Imaging, a dentistry imaging software spinout of University of Manchester, has raised £600,000 ($840,000) from government-backed vehicles Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) and GM&C Life Sciences Fund.

VC firm Catapult Ventures and early-stage investor Mercia Fund Managers operate, respectively, GM&C Life Sciences and NPIF, with the latter’s investment in Manchester Imaging coming through its NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance division.

Manchester Imaging is preparing to launch software called Cariesdent that could flag up early signs of tooth decay through a combination of machine learning and computer vision. The technology will help prevent unwanted distortion on images, and will integrate with digital X-ray and other dentistry software products.

The spinout was founded by Manchester’s commercialisation agent, UMI3, and is the result of a research partnership of Hugh Devlin, a professor of restorative dentistry at Manchester’s Division of Dentistry, and Jim Graham, an honorary reader in Manchester’s Division of Informatics, Imaging & Data Sciences.

Manchester Imaging will use the cash to continue software development ahead of the release of Cariesdent, its lead product, as well work on an X-ray analytics program called Osteodent and two packages for dental implant patients.

Kevin D’Silva, a venture partner for GM&C Life Sciences Fund, will act as non-executive chairman for Manchester Imaging. D’Silva previously served as chairman of UK-based fetal monitoring device maker Monica Healthcare, a Nottingham University spinout, until it was acquired by US-based corporate GE Healthcare in March 2017.

Mercia Fund Managers previously provided Manchester Imaging with an undisclosed sum of capital through its EIS funds, which benefit from UK government tax breaks. The Dental Tribune reported Mercia had committed more than $365,000 to Manchester Imaging in 2016.

Tony Travers, chief executive of Manchester Imaging, said: “I look forward to supporting dentists and their patients to identify tooth decay earlier, thereby enabling the use of preventative treatments or earlier intervention to avoid the need for fillings.”