Q5 joins Cardiff Medicentre
16 April 2018
Q5 Healthcare aims to provide a more efficient way of diagnosing and treating infections.
The company has taken up space at the facility which is co-owned by Cardiff University and Cardiff & Vale University Health Board.
Medicinal chemist Dr Raj Rao and Q5’s Head of Clinical Development Dr Helen Hughes are developing a suite of diagnostic test kits for use by GPs and clinics.
These kits will help medical professionals worldwide to pinpoint a patient’s infection at the point of care without conducting further investigations or laboratory tests.
Dr Michael Graz, Managing Director of Q5 Healthcare and a specialist in infectious diseases, said, “Our main activity at the moment is in the fields of women’s intimate health and acute systemic infections, where the incorrect diagnosis of infectious diseases often results in the wrong treatment being prescribed, and possibly poor treatment outcomes.”
Q5 Healthcare is preparing for commercialisation. The company’s first device patent has recently reached international publication stage, and the product’s launch is planned for early 2019. At least four other diagnostic products are in the pipeline.
The company will be working with an innovative Pontypridd company to produce its first diagnostic device. All manufacturing and marketing will take place in Wales, and Q5 hopes to recruit local scientists and staff in future.
Dr Justin John, Business Incubation Officer at Cardiff Medicentre, said, “Cardiff Medicentre has a proud history of nurturing businesses that have made significant medical advancements and identified better ways of delivering healthcare. Q5 is another such company. We are delighted to work with Dr Rao and Dr Hughes, and very much look forward to supporting the Q5 team as it moves towards commercialisation.”
Cardiff University and Cardiff & Vale University Health Board’s Clinical Innovation Partnership is an initiative aimed at delivering better patient healthcare and wealth creation in Wales. Consultant surgeon Jared Torkington chairs the Clinical Innovation Partnership’s Multidisciplinary Team.
Jared said: “Working with start-ups and SMEs to develop and deliver patient benefits quickly is one of the core ideals of the Cardiff Innovation Partnership and we are delighted to be working with Q5.”
