MediSieve has developed
magnetic blood filtration, a unique tool that enables doctors to selectively
remove harmful substances directly from a patient’s bloodstream. Practically
any target can be removed including specific cells, inflammatory cytokines,
pathogens and antibodies, providing a platform to treat a huge range of medical
conditions and accessing billion-dollar global markets.
The MediSieve Filter is a single-use, disposable magnetic filter that
can capture and retain magnetic components. It can filtrate large quantities of
blood quickly, with only a small volume outside the patient’s body at any one
time, enabling most treatments to be performed in two to three hours.
Dr Cristina Blanco-Andujar is the CTO for MediSieve, where she leads its
internal research development and contributes to clinical trials’ setup.
Cristina became an SME Leader in 2018 and says: “The programme has helped me to
know myself better as a leader. I have gained the skills and confidence to
become a better manager, indeed, I would not have been able to face all the
challenges of growing the company without its constant support.”
In 2020, MediSieve, found itself working on a number of different
fronts. Although solutions are being developed for a broad range of medical
conditions, including leukaemia and malaria, MediSieve’s current focus is on
dysregulated immune responses or hyperinflammation. Dysregulated immune
reactions, often called cytokine storms, are significant drivers of severity
and mortality across a large number of diseases, including sepsis and viral infections
such as COVID-19.
MediSieve is currently using its sepsis research to help tackle the high
levels of inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL-6) in the blood of COVID-19
patients. With several UK grants totalling £3 million, MediSieve has pivoted its
focus to accelerate the testing of its anti-IL-6 product. This could eventually
be used to treat the symptoms of severe COVID-19 patients.