MTC helps develop device for accurate infection diagnosis

MTC supported the development of a MedTech device that enables medical professionals to accurately identify bacterial infections—ensuring the right antibiotic is prescribed every time.

Cytecom is on the journey to ensure the correct antibiotic is prescribed to bacterial infections every time. Their groundbreaking technology can detect viable bacteria in under one minute using a patented method of optical electrophysiology, a combination of fluorescent microscopy and electrical stimulation. This can help medical professionals identify bacterial infections and contribute to the developments fighting antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

AMR poses a severe global health threat, rendering common infections harder to treat and increasing risks of severe illness or death. This resistance leads to prolonged hospital stays, higher healthcare costs, and increased mortality. Immediate global action is needed to improve antibiotic stewardship and develop new antimicrobials and diagnostic technologies.

Project Challenges

Cytecom approached the West Midlands Healthtech Innovation Accelerator (WMHTIA) to address various challenges in their journey to market. The WMHTIA is the regional programme part of the locally led Innovation Accelerators delivered in partnership with DSIT, Innovate UK and the West Midlands Combined Authority. When approaching the WMHTIA, Cytecom had a low-fidelity prototype technology defined, but needed engineering support with experience in scaling up manufacture to develop the housing for their product. 

Furthermore, they also required support in identifying the best method for simple assembly and to help source a supply chain local to their West Midlands base. Cytecom’s product market position required an evolution of their prototype into a professional looking machine that was appropriate to house all the required componentry and suitable for use within a medical lab. MTC’s skills and expertise were identified as the most suitable within the WMHTIA consortium to address those challenges and help Cytecom accelerate their development.  

MTC's Solution

The Cytecom team joined MTC for a Discovery Workshop in which MTC applied their proven methodology to support businesses – leading activities focusing on product innovation & development. This helped MTC’s team to explore the business’s aims and objectives, understand Cytecom’s values and goals and define how MTC could support Cytecom and progress them in their journey towards manufacture.

MTC identified Cytecom’s product’s functionality and created a technical specification to outline their ideas for a new and improved version of the existing device – a generation-2 prototype – with the main focus on designing a solution that is suitable for a medical environment, suitable for a mass manufacturing method such as injection moulding, and simple to assemble with a plug & play methodology.

MTC worked in close contact with Cytecom’s engineering team enabling the fast iteration of the design and ensuring progression in the right direction. For the internal components, this included identifying opportunities to reformulate some of the electrical specifications from the initial prototype, reducing complexity of the product and subsequent costs. For the external components, MTC utilised expertise in design for manufacture to implement lightweighting structures in the product enclosure, while reconfiguring the distribution of the components simplifying the assembly process.

The MTC team took the generation-2 concept that they had developed for Cytecom and created an initial prototype to check functionality and fit, before making amends to the virtual model. This made sure all components listed within the updated Bill of Materials (BoM) could be house safely and securely. The project team developed a plan for manufacture and drafted a plan with a network of manufacturers and suppliers, with a priority to keep manufacture within the UK. 

The Outcome & Benefits

MTC have worked with Cytecom on developing a new and innovative housing design for their ground-breaking medical technology. The generation-2 prototype “CytePulse” device developed through this project offers significant benefits to Cytecom and their customers. The internal electronics have been simplified to reduce complexity of assembly and power requirements. The housing has been designed for injection moulding, which futureproofs the device for scaling up to eventual mass manufacture, whilst also reducing the complexity of assembly – the instructions for which were also created as part of the project.  

Once all of the data regarding improvements was collated and applied – the unit was re-printed, so Cytecom had a tangible prototype to demonstrate to investors & future partners. The Innovators were also able to try the newly specified internal components and trial the assembly pathway laid out by MTC.

The Bill of Materials created in the earlier stages of the project was used to identify the potential future manufacturing pathway that Cytecom could follow to get this product to market. MTC were able to understand the new designs supply chain and route to manufacture which in turn has provided them with the facts and figures needed to gain investment for further development. MTC were also able to identify materials, methods of manufacture and source a supply chain local to Cytecom’s HQ in the West Midlands– which would reduce emissions and ensure supply chain resilience. MTC have helped to grow Cytecom’s network, introducing the team to the potential suppliers and development opportunities on their doorstep. This has also given local manufacturers more potential business.

Following the work developed in this project under the WMHTIA programme, the generation-2 “CytePulse” device 3D printed prototype will be used to gain valuable customer feedback via usability and understand how this product can be further developed to perform best in its planned environment.