OxSonics, a medtech firm developing ultrasound therapies launched out of Oxford University in July last year, has secured £2.7m ($4.49m) in a venture round led by venture firm Longwall Venture Partners.
The UK-based company’s technology uses ultrasound devices combined with ultrasound-sensitive nanoparticles, which can provide real-time feedback to a clinician about whether drug delivery or surgery is successful. OxSonics’ primary targets for the technology are cancer and back pain therapies.
Constantin Coussios, OxSonics’ co-founder, explained: “What we discovered is that tiny bubbles can be triggered by ultrasound at the nanoscale to cause a wide range of therapeutic effects, ranging from improved drug delivery in tumours to non-invasive removal of the intervertebral disc. These bubbles can be used not only as promoters but also as markers of treatment. Ultrasound is best known for its diagnostic capabilities. For drug delivery, we will be using similar power settings to those used for conventional imaging applications.”
Colin Story, chief executive of OxSonics, added: “Metastatic liver cancer is the first clinical need we will aim to address. Every year there are 2.1 million new cases of this cancer in Europe and the United States combined. Unfortunately, only 5 to 10 per cent of cases can be treated by surgically removing the tumours. In the vast majority of the remainder, the illness is terminal. OxSonics technology can safely deliver drugs to the whole tumour, rather than a small portion of it. Our mission is to provide curative therapy to those patients who would otherwise be faced with a terminal illness.”
