Exeter company receives funding boost to improve access to specialist pathology services

Diagnexia has received almost £50,000 funding through the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for a new digital pathology scanner, helping healthcare organisations connect with specialists around the world.

Diagnexia provides a cutting-edge pathology diagnostics platform which helps hospitals and laboratories refer medical samples to an international network of specialist clinicians, helping to reduce their diagnostic turnaround times and pathology backlogs.

The company is rapidly scaling, and recently expanded its headquarters at Exeter Science Park, creating 30 jobs, after reporting a 450% growth in demand since December 2022, with a medium sized hospital submitting around 500 cases per month.

To ensure Diagnexia can meet demand and help more hospitals access their streamlined, digital service, the Heart of the South West LEP has awarded the company £49,780 through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The funding will be used for an additional scanner at their Exeter site, allowing them to offer a shorter turnaround time for diagnosis and consultations. The new scanner will also create five new jobs for lab technicians at the Science Park.

Karl Tucker, Chair of the Heart of the South West LEP, said: “By connecting healthcare organisations to their global network of specialists, Diagnexia is revolutionising the way medical samples are referred, ensuring the highest quality of care for patients. We are proud to support Diagnexia's growth and contribute to their mission of improving the UK’s healthcare services."

Professor Runjan Chetty, Chief Medical Officer at Diagnexia, said: "We are grateful to the heart of the South West LEP for their generous grant. It reaffirms Diagnexia’s commitment to resources at Exeter Science Park which enables a national and indeed, international strategy to assist with high quality and expeditious pathology reporting which ultimately enhances patient care. The new scanner will see growth and increased throughput at our facility located in Exeter Science Park."

Sally Basker, CEO of Exeter Science Park, said: “We were pleased to be able to introduce Diagnexia to the Heart of the South West LEP team with a view to supporting their growth plans. The new equipment and additional jobs created will help them to benefit from further market opportunities. We will support them as they continue to grow, and invest in their capability at Exeter Science Park where our medical and healthcare businesses are thriving.”

Find out more about the Heart of the South West LEP: https://heartofswlep.co.uk/