Liverpool-based Spotlight Pathology has secured £1.4 million in seed funding to support the development of its AI-powered blood cancer diagnostics software.
The funding round was co-led by the UK Innovation and Science Seed Fund (UKI2S) and Liverpool City Region Seed Fund. Funding will be used toward product development, regulation, and clinical adoption for the company’s AI software capable of analysing digital pathology images to support the earlier identification of blood cancers.
Spotlight Pathology CEO, Sam Perona, shares that the mission is to support pathologists with tools that fit “seamlessly” into existing workflows, adding: “This investment gives us the momentum to move from development into real-world clinical settings. We’re excited to be scaling the business from Daresbury, working alongside partners across the North West and beyond, and to be strengthening our board with experienced leadership as we enter this next phase.”
Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool City Council and cabinet member for innovation at the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, noted the investment represents “more than financial backing; it represents a commitment to accelerating lifesaving technologies that can transform how quickly and accurately blood cancers are diagnosed, which will make a real difference for people across our region”.
Wider trend: Health tech innovation
The Department of Health and Social Care along with NHS England has issued guidance encouraging health sector buyers to work with SMEs, pointing to benefits including faster innovation, improved health equity, stronger supply chains, and advanced digital capabilities. Pointing to the fact that SMEs are “often at the cutting edge of healthcare innovation” with tools and technologies such as AI and assistive technologies, the government states: “Engaging with SMEs early gives you access to agile, tailored solutions that can often solve specific system pressures faster and at a lower cost than traditional suppliers.”
Changes to the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) to reflect findings from industry engagement have seen reductions to the number of questions asked of suppliers, clearer guidance on how to complete assessments, and closer alignment with NICE to focus on software-based digital health technologies. The new form will replace the previous DTAC assessment from 6 April 2026, with suppliers advised to no longer use the former version from this date.
Moorfields spin-out Cascader has announced its partnership with Specsavers focused on harnessing the potential of AI innovation to improve patient care in optometry. Cascader, a spin-out from Moorfields, UCL and Topcon Health, is focused on building clinical-grade AI for ophthalmology. A mission statement from its website outlines its work to use AI “to enable safe, evidence-based decisions in high-volume, high-risk eye conditions” and to use oculomics for early detection of systemic disease.
