Company Spotlight: Momentum Bioscience

A silent and indiscriminate killer, sepsis claims over 48,000 lives in the UK each year. It occurs when the body’s response to an infection spirals out of control, making it difficult to detect and often taking clinicians days to diagnose.

In that time, suspected cases can progress to septic shock, multiple organ failure or even death if not identified and treated promptly.

Despite the severity of the condition, public awareness remains low. In time for September’s Sepsis Awareness Month, we speak to Momentum Bioscience to shine a spotlight on the team’s groundbreaking work to reduce mortality from sepsis. 

Driven by a single mission

Launched in 2008, Momentum Bioscience was founded with one mission in mind: to speed up the diagnosis of bloodstream infections.

“Sepsis kills more people than breast, bowel and prostate cancers in the UK,” explains Sumi Thaker, Momentum Bioscience’s Chief Executive. “Momentum was built to serve that unmet need – helping clinicians to understand and improve the diagnosis of blood infections.”

By raising awareness Momentum Bioscience hopes to inform both the public and healthcare professionals about the importance of early recognition and rapid intervention, something which has the potential to save thousands of lives.

Why time and awareness are critical

If it’s not spotted early and treated promptly, sepsis can progress quickly from what might seem like a trivial injury or infection into a life-threatening issue.

The current standard to diagnose a patient suspected of the condition is a culture-based method, which relies on the growth of organisms in labs and can take days to return a result. After this time, physicians provide targeted antibiotic treatments but often it’s already too late for the patient.

Dan Lockhart, Momentum Bioscience’s Head of Research and Development, explained the urgency: “Diagnosing bloodstream infections really is a race against time for sepsis patients. With our technology, we can provide a diagnostic result on the same day, as opposed to the current method, which can take two to three days.”

For patients with sepsis, every minute counts. The conventional method of diagnosing bloodstream infections can take days; however, Momentum Bioscience’s technology can provide a same-day result, giving clinicians a head start.

Innovating to automate and accelerate testing

Since moving to Milton Park in late 2024, Momentum Bioscience has been developing its flagship product, SepsiSTAT®, a molecular diagnostics system, which detects and identifies infections directly from blood samples, informing doctors within hours on how to treat suspected cases.

High-throughput and automation of its diagnostics machines have been key to not only speeding up the process but also to the company’s growth. 

“The biggest challenge for us was taking a large complex sample like blood and shrinking it down to something ready for testing,” explains Cyrine Mestiri, Momentum Bioscience’s Senior Development Scientist.

“Having created a fully automated system means we’re able to speed up the process and get more data faster with fewer errors. It’s a lot easier to train staff and produces far more consistent results.”

Together under one roof

Moving from two separate bases in Cardiff and Oxford, Momentum Bioscience’s new space at Milton Park has brought its manufacturing and research and development (R&D) operations together, allowing its 12 scientists to collaboratively build, test and run diagnostic solutions.

MEPC Milton Park worked with Sumi and his team to design the custom-built labs and communal breakout workspaces, with the installation delivered by the refurbishment and commercial property fit-out specialists Total Projects, also based at Milton Park.

Reflecting on the move, Sumi adds: “We worked closely with the Milton Park team to find this place. What we’ve got now is a lovely office environment that’s ready to accommodate future expansion and below us, we have a whole suite of kitted-out laboratories and a warehousing facility which have been adapted to suit our needs.”

What it’s like working at Milton Park

Milton Park means more to the Momentum Bioscience team than just the bricks and mortar of the new headquarters. According to Sumi, it’s the vibrancy of the Park’s surrounding environment and supportive community which was the main reason behind the move in 2024.

Dan adds: “What really stands out is the Park’s infrastructure. I’m able to cycle to work five days a week, almost as the bird flies from my house to the office, using entirely off-road paths. I feel a lot happier, healthier and I’m certainly saving a lot of money on fuel.”

Collaborating with the Milton Park community

Whether collaborating in Bee House’s well-equipped meeting rooms or catching up over a coffee at the Hive Café, the Park’s environment helps to drive creativity and collaboration.

The location also means being surrounded by like-minded innovators. Home to over 270 occupiers, the team has settled into Milton Park’s diverse community, which ranges from small-stage life science startups to leading industry ‘unicorns’ like Immunocore and Evotec.

Sumi concluded: “We moved here to give us space to grow and make connections within Milton Park’s extended community. With the team already settled into our new place, we’re really pleased to have quickly become part of the wider ecosystem. 

“The team is confident about the next five years, and we’re excited to see how Momentum will expand and grow in the near future.”

Momentum Bioscience’s move to Milton Park

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