52North develops cutting-edge medical devices to enhance patient care, particularly for those living with cancer.
One such device is Neutrocheck®, a low-cost, finger-prick test and app which gives quick, reliable results at home, enabling cancer patients to check their risk of neutropenic sepsis – a dangerous side effect of chemotherapy – without going to hospital.
52North’s technology integrates seamlessly with digital platforms, enabling decentralised clinical decision-making and improving health equity. 52North’s devices can both improve patient outcomes by getting treatment to those at risk sooner, and have the potential to streamline NHS operations, reducing costs and waitlists through more efficient, personalised care.
By facilitating at-home monitoring, Neutrocheck® is expected to significantly improve health outcomes, quality of life, and safety. As a low-cost medical device, it is designed to improve health equality, as cancer patients from lower socio-economic backgrounds are disproportionately affected by needing to attend hospital urgently.
“The digitisation of healthcare can often exacerbate health inequality. We are focused on reinventing the healthcare journey for all patients, keeping health equity and improved health outcomes at the heart of our work.”
Impact through affordable and patient-centred solutions
52North is on a mission to reinvent the healthcare journey by creating affordable and patient-centred solutions, such as developing NeutroCheck, a fully-integrated clinical, AI and medical device-based system for people living with cancer. Co-founded by CEO Umaima Ahmad, MPhil; Chief Scientific & Medical Officer, Dr Saif Ahmad; CDO, Dr Mireia Crispin; and CTO, Dr Nikki Weckman from the Department of Oncology and Department of Engineering, 52North’s digital platform uses AI to better predict patient risk and outcomes, aiming to significantly impact how healthcare professionals treat patients.
In 2022, 52North raised 1 million in its first round of funding from leading UK and European specialist investors. This round was led by Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, with participation from Crista Galli Ventures, King’s Health Partners MedTech Innovations, Meltwind, Milltrust Ventures, and a number of angels. This funding helped 52North develop their Neutrocheck® technology, helping patients monitor their risk of neutropenic sepsis, a potentially life-threatening complication of chemotherapy.
“I don’t think it would have happened anywhere other than Cambridge. Winning that first funding from the postdoc business plan competition gave us access to early funding but more importantly it gave us the belief that setting up the business would work.”
Umaima Ahmad, Co-founder and CEO, 52North
In December 2024, 52North announced the close of a major funding round, co-led by KHP Ventures, and Cedars-Sinai Intellectual Property Co. in California, affiliated with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centres in the USA. This deal marks the first instance of an investment being co-led by leading hospital ventures funds from both the UK and the USA, underlining 52North’s positioning as a healthcare innovator for global impact.
Image Credits: 52North
