Eye imaging chip aims to reduce preventable sight loss

The funding package will help health tech company Siloton to further develop its Akepa optical coherence tomography (OCT) chip technology and bring a version of the device for researchers to market in 2025.

Later this year, the company is aiming to deliver a world first by capturing the first chip-based OCT image of a living eye in a commercial setting, which is a key milestone for its future use by clinicians.

Evenlode Impact Investments committed further capital in the latest round alongside members of the South East Angels, the Francis Crick Institute, and other angel investors. Non-dilutive funding from an Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst grant takes total funding in Siloton so far to £1.7m.

Siloton’s technology aims to make the diagnosis and monitoring of treatable retinal diseases more affordable and accessible, by compressing a tabletop-worth of heavy, expensive, and fragile components onto a single chip. The technology could save the NHS over £1bn annually and allow patients to monitor their condition at home.