News
May 18, 2023
AlphaBiomics featured as an NHS Innovation Service case study
AlphaBiomics has been selected as a case study for the new NHS Innovation Service. Developing our predictive diagnostic RxSelex™ requires input from a wide variety of different subject area professionals. The support we received from the the NHS Innovation Service has been invaluable in this regard, facilitating connectivity to organisations, teams, and individuals, that enable AlphaBiomics efficiently and effectively navigate a complex healthcare landscape and prepare for NHS market access.
February 07, 2023
AlphaBiomics received a Health Technology Regulatory and Innovation Programme grant
AlphaBiomics is delighted to have received funding from the UK’s Health Technology Regulatory and Innovation Programme. The award allows AlphaBiomics to ensure the RxSelex™ device conforms to the most up-to-date regulatory requirements for software- and AI-based medical devices. We look forward to working closely together with our regulatory consultant and our partners at Intelligify Ltd.
December 23, 2022
AlphaBiomics awarded NIHR i4i Connect grant for development of RxSelex™ 2.0.
AlphaBiomics has received funding from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) towards the development of a new iteration of its pan-biologic predictive diagnostic RxSelex™. This second-generation test will predict how well each biologic drug would work for individual patients. RxSelex™ 2.0 will aid clinicians in matching IBD patients with the biologic drug that is right for them, thereby bringing even greater value to patients, healthcare professionals, and payors.
Together with our existing partners at The Translational Gastroenterology Unit in the University of Oxford (UK) and at The Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Amsterdam UMC; NL) AlphaBiomics will analyse blood samples and combine these results with the results from earlier stool microbiome analysis from the same patients. This data will be analysed via AlphaBiomics’ discovery platform ABFlow to identify markers that predict response to first-line biologic drugs. AlphaBiomics will also form a patient advisory group led by the company’s patient representative Helena Corbett to support this programme. This 12-months project is funded by an NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) Connect Award to AlphaBiomics (NIHR204474).
December 22, 2022
NIHR’s Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme has extended AlphaBiomics’ current Product Development Award funding until June 2023.
We are very grateful to i4i for its continued support as we bring precision medicine solutions to improve treatment outcomes for patients with chronic inflammatory disease.
October 31, 2022
Innovate UK grant to develop roadmap for NHS adoption of RxSelex™.
AlphaBiomics has engaged Hardian Health to develop a detailed market access plan for AlphaBiomics’ predictive diagnostic RxSelex™. Hardian Health is an accomplished consultancy specialising in clinical digital solutions. Hardian’s multi-disciplinary team of domain experts supports companies in bringing software- and AI-based medical devices to healthcare systems such as the NHS. A go-to-market roadmap fitting the novel NHS integrated care systems structure will ensure AlphaBiomics’ predictive diagnostic RxSelex™ will have a clear path to NHS adoption. This work is funded by an Innovate UK Fast Start grant to AlphaBiomics.
May 03, 2022
IBD patients see clear value in the RxSelex™ test.
AlphaBiomics recently completed a UK-wide online survey of individuals with IBD. In-depth analysis of the survey results are still ongoing. However, key take-away messages are:
- 48% of respondents have been diagnosed more than 10 years ago and the majority has past or current experience with biologic drugs.
- 77% of respondents have experienced trial-and-error in treatment selection.
- Many respondents reported on the traumatic, disruptive, and emotional impact the current trial-and-error approach had on them and their families.
- 86% of respondents see clear value in the RxSelex™ test when deciding if biologic drug treatment is right for them.
These results highlight the need for a precision medicine tool like RxSelex™ that enables data-driven and personalised treatment selection for people with moderate to severe IBD.
We’d like to thank the members of our Patient Advisory Group for their help in designing and disseminating the survey. Similarly, we are grateful to Crohn’s & Colitis UK and the Ileostomy & Internal Pouch Association for publicising the survey via their social media accounts.
December 21, 2021
Online survey launched for Crohn’s and colitis patients
December 15, 2021
NIHR’s Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme has extended AlphaBiomics’ current Product Development Award funding until the end of 2022.
December 01, 2021
AlphaBiomics achieves ISO 13485 certification
AlphaBiomics is delighted to have been awarded the International Organisation for Standardisation’s (ISO) Medical Device Quality Management System (QMS) certification ISO 13485:2016. Successful ISO 13485:2016 accreditation means that AlphaBiomics demonstrated its quality management processes and best practices meet the stringent regulatory requirements of the medical device sector. Verification of these processes illustrates the company’s commitment to support patient care by developing medical devices that are safe for the intended purpose. We thank our great collaborators Oxford Medical Devices, Intelligify, and Bluefruit Software.
November 26, 2021
AlphaBiomics sponsors and attends IBD Today & Tomorrow meeting (December 1-2, 2021)
AlphaBiomics is proud to sponsor the upcoming IBD Today & Tomorrow 5: From Progress to Practice organized by our collaborators from the IBD Team at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers. The topics of this year’s meeting are novel insights into pathogenesis and treatment strategies for IBD. The program has excellent speakers from all over the globe. COO Angélique van ‘t Wout will attend the 2-day meeting at the Congres Center Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam on December 1-2. Please reach out to her to learn more about our RxSelexTM-IBD predictive diagnostic.
September 24, 2021
AlphaBiomics’ CEO Anthony Williamson invited to speak at the BioScience Forum (October 14, 2021)
The BioScience Forum is an annual event organised by the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA). It brings together the bioindustry sector for a day of thought leadership and to showcase the best in UK life sciences. As part of the Innovation Showcase session, AlphaBiomics has been invited to present its important work towards personalising care for individuals with chronic inflammatory diseases.
September 10, 2021
AlphaBiomics’ CEO Anthony Williamson invited to speak at microbiome workshop (September 15, 2021)
There is growing evidence that the therapeutic effectiveness of biological medicines can be influenced by the microbiome. In order to raise the visibility of the UK’s world leading microbiome science in this space, the KTN Microbiome Innovation Network and the BioProNET2 network jointly organise a workshop on “The role of the microbiome in drug metabolism and efficacy”. The online event will be taking place on Wednesday 15th September 2021 at 1:45pm BST. Anthony will be talking about AlphaBiomics’ ongoing efforts and progress in using microbiome markers as predictors of biologics treatment response in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
April 19, 2021
COO Angélique van ‘t Wout invited to participate in Women in HealthTech Innovation 2021 leadership programme
Angélique has been selected to participate in NIHR’s Empowering Women in HealthTech Innovation – Leadership Programme. The programme is open to women who are either the lead, a co-applicant, or a subcontractor on an i4i-, AI-, or SBRI Healthcare-funded project. The aim of the programme is to bring women in MedTech and HealthTech innovation together to share their unique perspectives and experiences, and to enhance their own entrepreneurial capabilities as leaders.
April 15, 2021
AlphaBiomics selected for BioCity’s Investor Showcase
Only eight companies have been selected to pitch to investors as part of BioCity’s Investment Readiness Programme. The Showcase will be held virtually on April 22, 2021.
April 06, 2021
AlphaBiomics to pitch at P4’s 2021 Programme Demo Day
AlphaBiomics is one of nine companies from P4’s 2021 cohort of more than 30 Precision Medicine start-ups to be invited to pitch at the P4 Education Programme 2021 Demo Day. The Demo Day will be held virtually on April 13, 2021.
March 04, 2021
AlphaBiomics has been accepted to BioCity’s Investment Readiness Programme
The programme is the result of a collaboration between BioCity, Innovate UK, the National Institute for Health Research, NHS England, and NHS Improvement’s SBRI Healthcare programme. Participation is offered exclusively for SMEs who have previously been awarded funding from one of these organisations. The programme is specifically designed to support early-stage MedTech, Diagnostic and Digital Health ventures seeking to raise seed or series A following-on funding.
February 04, 2021
CSO Marcus Rauch will participate in panel discussion on MedTech evidence generation for the NHS
Marcus has been invited to participate in a panel discussion organised by Device Access UK Ltd and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to share AlphaBiomics’ experience with services provided by NIHR. The online event will be held on Wednesday, 10th February at 3:30 pm GMT. Click here to register as spaces are limited.
January 30, 2021
AlphaBiomics contributes to Knowledge Transfer Network Microbiome Strategic Roadmap
AlphaBiomics is proud to share KTN’s Microbiome Innovation Network Microbiome Strategy Roadmap that we were privileged to contribute to. It represents an impressive collaborative effort from leading UK industrial and academic scientists capturing the current status of microbiome science in the UK as well as actionable recommendations to increase the translation and impact of this science.
You can download the report from the KTN website here.
January 27, 2021
AlphaBiomics co-founder Marcus Rauch invited to speak at the Microbiome Movement Europe conference
Marcus is presenting at Hanson Wade’s 5th Microbiome Movement Europe – Drug Development Summit 2021 this week (January 28-29). He will describe how AlphaBiomics uses the gut microbiome as a diagnostic tool to deliver safer and more efficacious drug therapies for chronic inflammatory diseases.
January 5, 2021
AlphaBiomics selected to join 2021 edition of London’s P4 Precision Medicine Accelerator
The programme is the first of its kind in the UK, and is a partnership with UCL and Barclays. So far, the accelerator has supported 24 companies to raise funds, receive research grants and hire new employees. The accelerator provides start-ups with personalized connections and introductions, as well as other support including workshops, personalised coaching (grant writing, AI and IP/regulations), testbeds and trial opportunities and regulatory pathway support to CE marking. We are very excited to participate in this programme and look forward to the interactions with the industry mentors and the other programme participants.
October 9, 2020
AlphaBiomics CSO Marcus Rauch will present at two upcoming Microbiome Movement conferences
AlphaBiomics’ co-founder and CSO Marcus Rauch has been invited to present at the 5th Microbiome Movement – Drug Development Summit 2020 (October 19-21, 2020) and at the Microbiome Movement’s European event in January (January 27-29, 2021). Marcus will illustrate how AlphaBiomics leverages the gut microbiome to deliver safer and more efficacious drug therapies and talk about AlphaBiomics’ first predictive diagnostic, RxSelexTM.
September 15, 2020
Amsterdam University Medical Centers and AlphaBiomics initiate collaboration to validate IBD biologic therapy response predictor, RxSelexTM
The Amsterdam University Medical Centers (Amsterdam UMC) in the Netherlands and AlphaBiomics Ltd., a United Kingdom-based precision medicine company, have initiated a collboration to personalize care in patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
IBD patient response to biologics therapy is highly variable, with some patients receiving long-term benefits, while others respond temporarily or not at all. At the same time, biologics therapy can be accompanied by significant side-effects. To predict which IBD patients will benefit from biologics therapy, AlphaBiomics has developed a non-invasive, stool microbiome-based diagnostic test (RxSelexTM).
To validate RxSelexTM, AlphaBiomics will collaborate with Professor Geert D’Haens and his team at the Amsterdam UMC Department of Gastroenterology who are world-renowned experts in the care of IBD patients and the rigorous evaluation of the efficacy and safety of IBD therapies.
IBD patients at Amsterdam UMC recruited to the study will be asked to collect a stool sample prior to starting biologics therapy and their therapy response will be carefully recorded over a period of 6 months. Individual patient response as
predicted by RxSelexTM from stool samples will be compared against the actual outcomes.
This 2-year project is funded by the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The project aims to carry out crucial steps needed to bring RxSelexTM to physicians and patients, such as the final development of the laboratory tests and computer programs, alignment with patient wishes and implementation in and adoption by healthcare systems.
April 9, 2020
AlphaBiomics wins award to validate its IBD biologic therapy response predictor, RxSelex
AlphaBiomics has been granted an Invention for Innovation Product Development Award to validate RxSelex, its microbiome-based predictive diagnostic for response to biologic therapy in patients experiencing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This 2-year program is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Working with renowned experts, AlphaBiomics will verify that the RxSelex machine learning algorithm correctly predicts biologic treatment response of patients in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and develop the laboratory tests and computer programs needed for RxSelex. In addition, AlphaBiomics will determine the value of RxSelex for patients and for the UK National Health Service (NHS). Patients will be involved throughout to advise and guide the research, based on their invaluable insights and experiences. These critical steps will place AlphaBiomics in a strong position to generate the evidence required to speed up RxSelex adoption by the NHS and healthcare systems globally, bringing relief to underserved patients experiencing IBD.
Additional information can also be found on the NIHR funding and award website.
March/April, 2020
AlphaBiomics selected for Innovate UK and NIHR Investment Readiness Program
AlphaBiomics is among a small group of MedTech, Diagnostic, and Digital Health companies selected to participate in an Investment Readiness Program organised by the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) in collaboration with Innovate UK, the National Institute for Health and Research (NIHR), and the NHS England and NHS Improvement Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI). The program teaches theory and practice of what is expected when raising investment and how to put forward a strong proposition. At the end of the program, selected companies will present their opportunity to a room of investors.
March 12, 2020
AlphaBiomics attended advisory board meeting for the KTN Microbiome SIG
AlphaBiomics was among the select few companies to be invited to attend and present an advisory board meeting of the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) Microbiome Special Interest Group (SIG). The aim of SIG is to accelerate the commercialisation of microbiome-based products and services in the UK. AlphaBiomics CEO Anthony Williamson presented AlphaBiomics’ mission and project portfolio to an expert group from Academia, industry, and investors.
February 13-15, 2020
AlphaBiomics at the 15th Congress of ECCO
AlphaBiomics is attending the 2020 congress of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) in Vienna. We are looking forward to hear the latest in IBD research and treatment and to catch up with old and meet new collaborators. Busy 3 days ahead!
February 5-6, 2020
AlphaBiomics at the 4th Microbiome Movement – Drug Development Summit Europe 2020
We will attend the fourth edition of the Microbiome Movement conference series in London. This year’s focus is on disease causation and clinical translation.
January 29-30, 2020
AlphaBiomics attended the 2020 Festival of Genomics & Biodata
The Festival of Genomics is the largest meeting in the UK dedicated to translational genomics. We were inspired by talks ranging from artificial intelligence and machine learning in translational medicine to patient and public involvement. It was also a great opportunity to connect with old and new collaborators.
December 4, 2019
AlphaBiomics presented at IBD Innovate: New Product Development for Crohn’s & Colitis
AlphaBiomics’co-founder & COO Angélique van ‘t Wout was invited to present at IBD Innovate: New Product Development for Crohn’s & Colitis in a session on diagnostics. Angélique presented AlphaBiomics’ path towards microbiome-based prediction of IBD-biologics-treatment outcome.
June 3, 2019
AlphaBiomics featured as one of the 2019 residents of JLABS @ BE
AlphaBiomics is featured in this article by Labiotech.eu as one of seven companies who joined JLABS @ BE in 2019. It is the first JLABS incubator in Europe and located on the Janssen Pharmaceutica R&D Campus in Beerse, Belgium. JLABS will provide a stimulating, creative, scientific and commercial environment as well as an opportunity to network.
May 8-9, 2019
AlphaBiomics pitched at State of the Union event in Ghent, BE
AlphaBiomics was among four start-up companies to pitch at the 5th edition of the State of the Union event in Ghent, Belgium. This event was held the evening before the annual knowledge for growth conference which we also attended. Both gatherings are organised annually by flanders.bio, a life sciences cluster organisation based in Flanders, Belgium. Positive feedback on the pitch and great networking opportunities at both events led to many new contacts.
April 10-11, 2019
AlphaBiomics at the Diagnostics North East Conference 2019
AlphaBiomics has attended a Dx-focused workshop and conference organised by Diagnostics North East. We heard from experts in the Dx field and made valuable connections.
March 6-9, 2019
AlphaBiomics at the 14th Congress of ECCO
AlphaBiomics is attending the 2019 congress of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) in Copenhagen. We are looking forward to hear the latest in IBD research and treatment and to catch up with old and meet new collaborators. Busy 3 days ahead!
February 5, 2019
AlphaBiomics wins award to advance its platform
AlphaBiomics has been awarded an Invention for Innovation (i4i) Connect grant to complete its pioneering microbiome analysis platform, ABFlow+. This project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) i4i Connect NIHR200405. Working with renowned experts, AlphaBiomics will develop and validate computationally and statistically robust toolkits for AI-based analysis of microbiome-derived data sets. The funds will also allow AlphaBiomics to perform health economic modelling for its precision medicine products and to engage relevant stakeholders including patients, healthcare professionals, and payors. This award enables AlphaBiomics to progress its discovery program and to advance its mission of bringing safer and more efficacious drug therapies to patients.
January 29-30, 2019
AlphaBiomics at the 3rd Microbiome Movement – Drug Development Summit Europe 2019
We just arrived in Paris to attend the third edition of the Microbiome Movement conference series. This year’s focus is on discovering, developing, and delivering the next generation of microbiome-based therapeutic and diagnostic candidates to market.
November 5, 2018
AlphaBiomics wins the European QuickFire Challenge of Johnson & Johnson Innovation
As the winner of the European Innovation QuickFire Challenge, AlphaBiomics will receive €100,000 in grant funding to further advance its solutions in human healthcare as well as a voucher for one year of residency at an available JLABS location. Read more at Johnson & Johnson Innovation.