Key Investor Signals
Pilot differentiated infection-related urine samples
An iiCON-supported pilot evaluated 739 biological samples. A classifier tested on hundreds of clinical urine samples distinguished urosepsis samples from clean samples with near-80% accuracy.
Received £200,000 investment from PraeSeed programme
CCI received £200,000 from the PraeSeed/NPIF II programme to advance InfectiScan. The company also reports grant and LYVA Labs support.
Secured an exclusive licence to founding technology
CCI reports an exclusive licence to its Lancaster-developed technology, covering machine learning applied to vibrational spectra for microbial discrimination.
Team
Carlos Alejandro Meza Ramírez
Co-founder & CEO
- Completed Lancaster doctoral research on biological spectroscopy that formed the basis of the licensed diagnostic technology.
- Worked as a Lancaster research associate applying spectroscopy and machine-learning methods to biological samples.
- Built earlier synthetic-biology and bioprocess experience through iGEM Tec-Monterrey and technology-innovation work.
Craig Williams
Co-founder
- Worked as a consultant microbiologist and infection-control doctor at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay from 2018.
- Held a professorship in healthcare-associated infection at the University of the West of Scotland from 2012–2023.
- Published research on fungal and bacterial biofilms, antimicrobial combinations and clinically relevant infection models.
Ihtesham ur Rehman
Co-founder
- Completed a biomaterials doctorate at Queen Mary University of London, followed by an academic career in biomedical materials.
- Founded and directed an interdisciplinary biomedical-materials research centre at COMSATS in Lahore.
- Developed infrared and Raman spectroscopy research for identifying tissue types and characterizing biological samples.
Product
InfectiScan measures the infrared signature of a biological sample and applies machine-learning classifiers to distinguish infection-related patterns. Its initial application is urinary infection testing, with the longer-term aim of providing organism and antibiotic guidance near the point of care.
Measuring infrared sample signatures
Infrared light interacts with the sample’s chemical components. The instrument measures resulting spectral features, which are analyzed to distinguish biological patterns associated with different organisms or infection states.
Classifying infection-related patterns
Machine-learning models compare sample signatures with reference data. The team has tested clinical urine samples and biological isolates; broad antibiotic profiling remains a development goal rather than a validated universal result.
Moving toward a clinic-ready instrument
The compact system targets pharmacies and clinics, with a stated 15-minute testing goal. The company is refining sample preparation and processing, with an improved alpha prototype planned for late 2026 or early 2027.
Market Overview
CCI addresses the commercial market for infection identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Hospitals and laboratories buy instruments and consumables to guide antibiotic selection; a near-patient device would extend parts of this workflow into community pharmacies and clinics.
England’s Pharmacy First pathway already supports uncomplicated urinary-tract-infection consultations, creating a defined channel for faster prescribing decisions. Adoption of a new test would depend on clinical performance, workflow fit and economics. Laboratory AST spending is broader than the obtainable market for a pharmacy device.
Global antimicrobial-susceptibility-testing revenue in 2025, across laboratory and other testing methods.
Forecast annual growth in antimicrobial-susceptibility-testing revenue from 2026 to 2034.
North America accounted for approximately 34.5% of global antimicrobial-susceptibility-testing revenue in 2025.
Pharmacy First consultations for uncomplicated UTIs in women under 65, January 2024–April 2025.
Comparable Outcomes
Specific Diagnostics
Specific Diagnostics developed a rapid phenotypic antimicrobial-susceptibility-testing system for use directly from positive blood cultures. bioMérieux completed the acquisition in May 2022. Its annual accounts report $407M for 100% of the securities, paid through cash and shares.
BioFire Diagnostics
BioFire developed molecular diagnostic instruments and multiplex tests that identify infectious organisms from patient samples using its FilmArray platform. bioMérieux completed the acquisition in January 2014, adding a rapid infectious-disease testing platform and expanding its diagnostic product portfolio.
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Sources
This profile was built from public company materials, ecosystem sources, market references, and professional profiles.