Serox Ltd & Oxford BioVault
What does your organisation do?
Serox is developing a low-cost, non-invasive, point-of-care diagnostic uses spectroscopy and AI to find cancer in urine in just 3 minutes. Focussed initially on urological cancers (prostate, bladder and kidney cancer), the approach is ‘disease agnostic’ and can in theory be optimised for any cancer where a response is observed. Oxford BioVault is a commercial‑grade biobank established by Serox to enable the development of its diagnostic platform. Oxford BioVault is the only UK commercial biobank with dual HTA + UKAS ISO 20387 accreditation. One thing you won't learn from our website is that Serox was originally a company called VeriVin which used spectroscopy and AI to analyse wine! It pivoted in 2023 and went from analysing wine, to analysing urine, serum (blood) and saliva.
Why did you choose to build in Oxfordshire?
Serox was not a spin-out but it was an OUI start-up incubator company, and its CEO & Founder, Cici Muldoon, is a holder of a doctorate in Atomic & Laser Physics from the University of Oxford, with a focus on experimental Quantum Computing. The choice of Oxford was due to Cici's connections in the university and the amazing pool of talent it attracts.
What big problem are you trying to solve?
It is well known that early cancer diagnosis is key to improving survival rates in a population - the odds of survival can flip from 9/10 at stage 1 to 1/10 at stage 4. In the context of urological cancers, existing diagnostic modalities like cystoscopy are invasive, expensive and have high negative rates. With healthcare systems already at maximum capacity both here in the UK and in the US, tools that can reduce costs and improve diagnostic workflows are critical. Serox offers a tool that is better, faster, cheaper and can be performed in primary care using a simple urine sample in order to drive the right referrals to cystoscopy, imaging and biopsy and furthermore help reduce diagnostic misses.
How can you support the Oxfordshire ecosystem?
At Serox, we pride ourselves on our collaborative and open-minded mentality, and we are always open to exploring how we can work with other companies in the Oxfordshire ecosystem. In addition to this, our first grade biobank, Oxford BioVault, is in the process of being spun off as an independent entity so that we can serve the Oxfordshire ecosystem's increasing needs.
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Serox Ltd & Oxford BioVault