A Cheshire-based MedTech has secured £4.5 million of investment and grant funding to help transform treatment for glioblastoma (GBM) and potentially extend thousands of lives each year.
QV Bioelectronics, based at Alderley Park, is said to have developed a world-first implantable device designed to improve outcomes for patients with hard-to-treat GBM.
Cancer Research UK says glioblastoma accounted for around 32% of all brain tumours diagnosed in England between 1995 and 2017.
It is the most common type of primary brain cancer in adults, affecting around 2,200 UK adults each year and is known for being fast-growing and difficult to treat.
Only 3% of patients live for five years from diagnosis, while fewer than 1% survive for 15 years, highlighting the disease’s terminal nature.
The Brain Tumour Charity estimates patients currently survive an average of 12 to 18 months after diagnosis.
QV Bioelectronics was founded by Dr Christopher Bullock, a biomedical engineer, and NHS neurosurgeon Dr Richard Fu.
Its flagship technology, GRACE (short for Glioma Resection Advanced Cavity Electric Field therapy), uses electric field therapy to kill residual brain cancer cells following brain tumour surgery.
By delivering continual therapeutic electric fields, GRACE aims to help prevent glioblastoma from returning.
The cancer has a 90% re-occurrence rate within two years, meaning relapse is common even after surgery and further treatment.
The company said GRACE is designed to improve survival while maintaining quality of life for patients undergoing treatment for both newly diagnosed and recurrent GBM.
Early laboratory testing has helped validate the company’s approach and it will now use the new funding to continue its clinical trial work, including its first-in-human clinical study planned for mid-2026.
“Brain cancer is a devastating diagnosis, and for too long patients and families have had few treatment options,” said Bullock.
“Our mission at QV Bioelectronics is simple but ambitious, to develop technology that can meaningfully extend life and give people more time with those they love.
“This investment allows us to take a major step towards that goal, progressing into first-in-human studies and generating the vital evidence needed to bring a new treatment approach to the patients who need it most.
“We are incredibly grateful to our partners and investors for supporting this vision.”
The investment round was led by PXN Ventures, who invested via the GMC Life Sciences Fund, which it manages on behalf of the fund’s limited partners Bruntwood SciTech, Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Further support came from NPIF II – PXN Equity Finance, managed by PXN Ventures as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II (NPIF II).
Empirical Ventures and angel investors also backed the round, alongside non-dilutive support from the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Innovate UK.
Dr Kath Mackay, chief scientific officer at Bruntwood SciTech, added: “The North West is a hotbed of life sciences innovation – Christopher and Richard embody that.
“Their work shows why the UK is an R&D superpower and their technology is poised to improve and save lives.
“Securing this level of funding is a major vote of confidence in both the team and their pioneering approach.
“At Bruntwood SciTech, we’re proud to be part of the support network helping QV Bioelectronics take this vital next step – providing the specialist infrastructure, connections and ecosystem access that they need to accelerate their growth at Alderley Park and advance groundbreaking new treatments.”
QV Bioelectronics’ long-term ambition is to develop a therapy that can meaningfully extend life without adding further burden to patients already undergoing intensive treatment.
GRACE has been designed to integrate into existing care by offering continuous therapy directly at the point where it is needed most, with the potential to shift the standard of care for future generations of patients.
Lawyers DWF advised PXN Ventures on the deal, while QV Bioelectronics was advised by Spencer West.
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