Occuity secures £1.5m grant for diabetes screening tech

MedTech company, Occuity, has secured a £1.5 million Innovate UK grant to advance handheld technology designed to support diabetes and pre-diabetes screening through a non-contact scan of the eye.

Occuity’s SD1 is being developed to measure advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) within the crystalline lens.

These biomarkers accumulate over time and are associated with long-term glucose exposure and diabetes risk.

Occuity received funding through Innovate UK’s Biomedical Catalyst 2025 programme and was one of only eight projects funded from 347 applications.

Dr Dan Daly, co-founder and CEO of Occuity, said: “This award is a significant endorsement of both our technology and our long-term vision. To be selected in such a competitive programme is a fantastic achievement for the team and reflects the strength of the platform we have built.”

Occuity highlighted that diabetes accounts for £1 in every £9 spent by the NHS and is a leading cause of kidney failure, working-age blindness and lower-limb amputations.

More than half a billion people globally have diabetes, with a further half a billion estimated to have pre-diabetes.

Occuity suggests current pathways are “slow, invasive, and difficult to access,” proposing that its SD1 device could support a faster, more accessible approach for early intervention.

The new development builds on Occuity’s patented optical technology platform behind the PM1 Pachymeter and AX1 Axiometer which provide rapid, non-contact assessments.

The technology is suitable for use outside of traditional GP and laboratory settings, Occuity has said, suggesting that the technology is particularly suited to community optometry.

Dr Alistair Bounds, lead scientist and UKRI Future Leaders Fellow at Occuity, commented: “Community optometry is well-placed to support this type of approach, combining clinical expertise, accessibility and regular contact with large numbers of people who may not otherwise engage with preventative health services.”

“By helping refer people into existing clinical pathways sooner, we believe it could support earlier intervention and reduce the long-term burden of diabetes,” he added.