Bristol-based medical technology startup Siloton has been awarded an \u00a38.4 million commercial contract by Innovate UK to accelerate the clinical development of its portable retinal imaging technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two-year agreement, funded through the Contracts for Innovation: Quantum Missions Primer initiative, supports the development and clinical testing of Siloton’s GiraffeOCT optical coherence tomography (OCT) system. OCT devices use light measurements to generate detailed images of the retina, allowing clinicians to detect and monitor eye diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Current commercial OCT machines are large, desktop-sized hospital installations. Siloton’s technology compresses these optical components onto a photonic chip smaller than a \u00a31 coin, allowing the creation of portable handheld devices for use in community clinics and patient homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the terms of the contract, Siloton will run clinical trials in partnership with Sunderland Specialist Eye Hospital, testing in-clinic versions of its scanning device with patients in the North East and North Cumbria. Independent health economics data from the trial will be analysed by the York Health Economics Consortium to evaluate potential NHS cost savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ophthalmology represents the single largest outpatient speciality in the NHS, recording approximately nine million attendances in England during 2023\/24. Official figures show that nearly 623,000 patients were waiting for an ophthalmology appointment in England at the end of July 2026, accounting for 8.7 per cent of total NHS waiting lists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project forms part of wider government objectives under the National Quantum Strategy, which targets the deployment of quantum sensing technologies within NHS trusts by 2030. Siloton expects the contract to shorten its technology development timeline by up to two years and plans to expand its headcount to 16 staff by August 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n