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Momentum Bioscience moves to develop sepsis tests
Published on 18 March 2025
Biotech’s devices speed up sepsis testing from days to hours
Momentum Bioscience, a biotech company pioneering rapid sepsis diagnostics, has relocated to Oxfordshire’s Milton Park, the UK’s largest single-ownership innovation community.
Established in 2008, the business is at the forefront of developing diagnostic solutions for sepsis, a blood infection with a one in three mortality rate, where timely detection and treatment is critical in saving lives.
Latest figures show sepsis kills an estimated 48,000 people in the UK every year, more than breast, bowel and prostate cancer combined.
According to Momentum Bioscience’s CEO, Sumi Thaker, the team are driven by a mission to tackle sepsis head-on, under the belief the current delay in diagnosis and targeted treatment of the infection is resulting in thousands of unnecessary deaths.
Momentum Bioscience has announced it will develop and test its flagship product, SepsiSTAT® at Milton Park, a molecular diagnostics system which detects and identifies infections directly from blood samples, informing doctors within hours on how to treat patients suspected of sepsis.
The technology speeds up test results and the administering of targeted antibiotics from up to five days to a matter of hours, reducing the reliance on broad-spectrum antibiotic treatments, which combats antimicrobial resistance and improves outcomes.
MEPC Milton Park worked with Momentum Bioscience to design the custom-built labs and communal breakout workspaces, with the install delivered by the refurbishment and commercial property fit-out specialists Total Projects.
The new workspace brings Momentum Bioscience’s manufacturing and research and development (R&D) operations under one roof, allowing its team of 12 scientists to collaboratively build, test and run diagnostics on its solutions.
Commenting on the move, Sumi Thaker, Chief Executive Officer of Momentum Bioscience, said: “Milton Park ticked all the right boxes for us. The decision to move was driven by a desire to find a location with the right collaboration partners and a flexible space which brings our team together with plenty of room to grow.
“Our new space is quite boutique, to say the least. We asked for open-plan communal kitchen facilities to promote collaboration, alongside space for our specialist laboratory equipment, R&D and chemical manufacturing needs. It was certainly a big ask. However, the new space perfectly suits our requirements, thanks to the close support of MEPC and Total Projects.
“We are incredibly excited about our move to Milton Park, which positions us within a vibrant community of like-minded innovators. The exceptional facilities and talent pool at Milton Park will be pivotal as we continue to grow.”
Tom Booker, Commercial Manager at MEPC Milton Park, said: “Whether it’s taking on the climate emergency or pioneering drug discovery breakthroughs, Milton Park’s occupiers tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges.
“Momentum Bioscience’s work in rapid sepsis diagnostics aligns perfectly with the forward-thinking innovators at Milton Park and we look forward to seeing them grow in their new custom-built facility.”
The news follows the Vale of White Horse District Council’s recent Local Development Order (LDO) planning agreement at Milton Park. Under the new LDO, planning approval for laboratories and offices will take just 10 days following a new agreement, which is expected to support thousands of new jobs.
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