Spotlight: Spotlight Pathology

Spotlight Pathology is developing AI tools to support pathologists in making complex blood cancer diagnoses. There is a global shortage of highly trained pathologists, resulting in significant pressures on the system and pressures on pathologists that can lead to delays in diagnosis.

Set up with 10.5M from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to drive economic growth through innovation and to create high-quality jobs. We are committed to investing in under-served founders, CEOs, and female-led businesses like Spotlight Pathology – “untapping potential in female founders” LYVA Labs’ CEO, Lorna Green.

The £125,000 investment from LYVA Labs’ Health and Life Sciences Fund supports Spotlight Pathology to accelerate product development and commercialisation, growing its team, and creating a ‘Go to Market’ plan. Spotlight was spun out of the University of Manchester in January 2020 by Dr Martin Fergie and Prof Richard Byers and recently re-located to Sci-tech Daresbury. 

Spotlight’s AI tools streamline the diagnosis process for blood cancer, representing a $15b global market opportunity. Spotlight is already in receipt of a £0.9m Innovate UK grant, which has allowed it to build up a significant data bank of blood tissue samples and recruit Dr Sam Perona as CEO in April 2024, following her successful exit of Perfectus Biomed, which she grew from a start-up.