Micro-X secures $4.4m government grant to bring Head CT stroke scanner into ambulances

• Micro-X awarded $4.4 million Australian government grant to build and trial an ambulance with its Head CT device to detect stroke
• Company plans a full patient imaging trial to collect data from stroke patients transported in the stroke ambulance
• Data from project, including technical file and clinical evaluation report, to be collected to support integration into ambulances following regulatory approval

Special Report: Leader in cold cathode X-ray technology Micro-X has been awarded a $4.4 million grant by the Australian government’s Industry Growth Program to build and trial a world-first stroke-diagnosis-capable ambulance using its Head CT device.

Adelaide-based Micro-X (ASX:MX1)  said the contract confirming the terms and conditions of the grant – to be awarded over two years – was being finalised and is expected to be executed shortly.

In advanced development, Micro-X’s Head CT weighs ~70kg and is about a tenth of the weight of a traditional CT device and capable of being fitted to a standard ambulance.

Over two years, the Industry Growth Program funding will be used to manufacture the first ambulance-ready Head CT scanner prototype.

Micro-X will also build and fit a South Australian ambulance with the prototype and conduct real-world patient imaging and workflow testing.

The company will work with globally recognised neurologist Professor Timothy Kleinig, neurologists at the Royal Adelaide Hospital Stroke Unit, and the South Australian Ambulance Service (SAAS) on the project.

Together they will design protocol for ambulance paramedics and hospital-based physicians, enabling remote diagnosis through the stroke capable ambulance.

A training package will be developed with Adelaide University to teach paramedics how to use the technology.

Subject to clinical and ethics approval, the second phase of the program will see the launch of a full patient imaging trial to collect data from stroke patients being transported to hospital in the stroke ambulance.

Diagnostic decisions will be made based on imaging taken following the patient’s arrival at the RAH.

Micro-X said data collected would be used in a reader study to show clinical acceptance that its Head CT imaging device meets diagnostic standards.

The third phase of the program collates data for publication on the outcome of the project, including the technical file and clinical evaluation report, parallel to medical device regulatory submissions which will be made at the conclusion of hospital trials.

Micro-X said the ambulance trial would provide a demonstration case study to promote the commercial launch of the Head CT device into global markets.

Source: Micro-X

Development of Head CT well underway

In partnership with the Australian Stroke Alliance (ASA) and with $8m funding from the Australian government’s Medical Research Future Fund, Micro-X is in advanced development of its portable Head CT scanner.

Small and light enough to fit in a standard ambulance or retrieval aircraft, it has been designed to promptly help medical staff determine stroke type.

Diagnosis is considered crucial in treatment because strokes are caused either by a clot (ischemic) or a bleed (haemorrhagic), each requiring different treatments.

Using a series of Micro-X’s patented NEX Technology X-ray tubes placed in a curved array, the Head CT device is designed to deliver dose efficiency, and a lower system cost from its size and weight reduction.

The company is currently building prototype test systems to prepare for Australian hospital imaging trials scheduled to commence in 2025, subject to ethics approval.

Micro-X said improving patient access to lifesaving stroke diagnostic equipment that is easily deployable outside of a hospital creates opportunities for greater health equity across metropolitan and rural populations and improved stroke recovery rates, globally.

‘Significant step’ in Head CT development

Micro-X CEO Kingsley Hall said the funding marked a major milestone for the company.

“This award of $4.4m in non-dilutive funding is a significant step towards getting our stroke diagnosis device into ambulances around the world,” he said.

“Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally and we know that time to treatment is pivotal – we must find ways to get patients diagnosed and treated faster.

“This award will see us undertake a world-first standard ambulance stroke patient imaging trial, in partnership with the South Australian Ambulance Service.

“We are proud to lead this innovation with the Australian Stroke Alliance and deliver a new global standard in emergency stroke care.”

This article was developed in collaboration with Micro-X, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.