Camstent, which develops proprietary bacteria-phobic polymers to apply to medical devices, has successfully closed fundraising at £600,000.

The funds will be used to continue clinical evaluations, pursue regulatory milestones, and allows Camstent to make key appointments to the executive team.

The company will also use the funds to double its manufacturing and lab space. The increased capacity will enable the company to increase production of its polymer coated Foley catheter, and apply its patented coating to other in-body medical devices to develop new products.

Hospital acquired infections (HAI) cost the NHS approximately £1 billion every year and one of its biggest contributors is catheter acquired urinary tract infections (CAUTI) which are caused by bacterial colonisation of a catheter’s surfaces. The polymer coating has been reported to resist attachment of bacteria to its surfaces and this is currently being evaluated in in-human studies at six UK hospitals. Initial results are expected to be announced in mid-March.

Dr Dave Hampton, CTO of Camstent, said: “This latest fundraising marks a step-change for Camstent as we move from small-scale manufacturing to a much larger capacity. We are extremely pleased with the support we have received from investors and it demonstrates the growing interest from the healthcare sector in our novel approach to tackling patient infections caused by medical devices.”