Quanta Receives £1.85 Million i4i Award to Develop an Advanced Haemodialysis System for Nocturnal Use

ALCESTER, England, August 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Quanta Fluid Solutions Ltd ("Quanta" or the "Company"), a pioneering developer of advanced haemodialysis systems, announces it has received an Invention for Innovation (i4i) award worth £1.85 million from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) - the research arm of the NHS - to develop a new product concept for nocturnal haemodialysis.

Leveraging Quanta's knowledge and expertise established in the development of its CE marked, portable, cartridge-based haemodialysis system, SC+, the award will be used to develop a new dialysis machine concept specifically targeted for nocturnal use. To do this, Quanta will develop a series of new technologies aimed at optimising the delivery of nocturnal dialysis.

Nocturnal dialysis can provide a more frequent, higher dose treatment, which has been shown to offer significant clinical benefits to patients' overall health, whilst also improving quality of life.  Nocturnal dialysis is typically a slower, longer overnight treatment, which more closely resembles the physiology of normal kidney function and is therefore gentler on the body than shorter, more intense dialysis sessions.  More frequent nocturnal dialysis has been shown to provide five-year survivability comparable to deceased donor transplantation and to offer significant benefits for both cardiac function and blood pressure. Patients are also able to benefit from quicker post-dialysis recovery time and to see improvements in their exercise capacity and duration.  

Quanta is collaborating on this project with Professor William Zimmerman of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Sheffield University and Europlaz Technologies Ltd, a leading medical device manufacturer in the UK. Professor Zimmerman's research group will be contributing towards advanced multi-physics modelling of haemodialysis and Europlaz will be involved in the further development of technologies to be incorporated into the unique disposable cartridges, which are a core element of Quanta's system design and proprietary technology platform.

John E. Milad, Chief Executive Officer of Quanta, said: "We are excited to have been awarded i4i funding from the NIHR.  This will enable us to develop our product offering in promising new directions and to investigate the potential of new technologies for a nocturnal system designed to bring even greater benefits to renal patients.   The i4i award is a validation of Quanta's vision and capacity for innovation in dialysis technologies.  We look forward to working with Sheffield University and Europlaz Technologies in developing this new concept."

Martin Hunt, NIHR i4i Programme Director, said: "We believe that, with NIHR funding and the work Quanta is already doing in the dialysis space, SC+ has the potential to change the way dialysis patients are treated. Our award validates the unique positioning of i4i in de-risking early stage, innovative technologies for later stage investment. The addition of a nocturnal system would give patients even more flexibility and control over their treatment options and we are looking forward to seeing the results of this promising project."

i4i is an NIHR translational funding scheme to advance healthcare technologies and interventions for increased patient benefit in areas of existing or emerging clinical need. Through i4i, NIHR supports collaborative research and development projects that have demonstrated proof-of-principle and have a clear pathway towards adoption and commercialisation. The aim is to de-risk projects and make them attractive to follow-on funders and investors with the ultimate aim to get products or services to a position where they can be used within the NHS.

About SC+ 

SC+ is designed to bring flexibility to dialysis patients and physicians by supporting all treatment regimens, from nurse-assisted care and patient self-care in-centre, to home haemodialysis.  SC+ is the only portable, compact haemodialysis system capable of operating at the higher flow rates typically used to treat patients in-centre by traditional machines.  The technology behind SC+ is based on an innovative and unique design that incorporates all fluid management activities onto a single-use disposable cartridge.  

About Quanta 

Quanta is developing advanced haemodialysis systems for use in the clinic and the home. The Company has recently obtained CE Mark for its flagship product SC+, which is a portable, compact cartridge-based haemodialysis system.  SC+ is designed to offer ease-of-use and flexibility whilst facilitating self-care and supporting dialysis patients across the entire continuum of care.

Quanta is privately owned and based in Alcester, UK.  The Company was founded in 2008 as a spin out from the FTSE 100 engineering company IMI plc, with funding provided by a group of leading venture capital investors specialised in healthcare: NBGI Ventures, Wellington Partners, Seroba Kernel and b-to-v Partners, and more recently ALIAD, Seventure Partners and Kuwait Life Sciences Company.

Quanta is dedicated to creating a paradigm shift in renal care and to improving the lives of dialysis patients.

For more information please visit: http://www.quantafs.com.

About End Stage Renal Disease and Haemodialysis  

Lifestyle choices, modern diet and increased life expectancy are all negatively impacting renal health across the globe and End Stage Renal Disease affects millions of patients worldwide. Haemodialysis is a life-saving treatment delivered to an estimated 2 million people globally-with this figure expected to double in the next decade.

At present, haemodialysis is primarily provided by specialist clinics and centres. However this means that the patient is not in control of when they can dialyse. It is clinically proven that more regular dialysis improves outcomes and quality of life for the patient, and a number of studies have shown that 30-40% of patients would be capable of performing self-dialysis.

Issues of patient benefit, cost and clinic capacity are driving the growth of home and self-care modalities of haemodialysis, but a major factor limiting the growth of self-care and home haemodialysis is the lack of convenient, portable and easy-to-use dialysis systems.  SC+ addresses these issues and puts the patient at the centre, allowing them to take greater control of their treatment.

The National Institute for Health Research 

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is funded by the Department of Health to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. Since its establishment in April 2006, the NIHR has transformed research in the NHS. It has increased the volume of applied health research for the benefit of patients and the public, driven faster translation of basic science discoveries into tangible benefits for patients and the economy, and developed and supported the people who conduct and contribute to applied health research. The NIHR plays a key role in the Government's strategy for economic growth, attracting investment by the life-sciences industries through its world-class infrastructure for health research. Together, the NIHR people, programmes, centres of excellence and systems represent the most integrated health research system in the world. For further information, visit the NIHR website (http://www.nihr.ac.uk).

For more information about the NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) Programme please visit: http://www.nihr.ac.uk/i4i

For more information about Quanta, please contact: 

Quanta
John E. Milad,
Chief Executive Officer
T: +44(0)1789-400043
E: john.milad@quantafs.com
 
Consilium Strategic Communications
Amber Fennell / Matthew Neal / Lindsey Neville
T: +44(0)203-709-5708
E: quanta@consilium-comms.com