Formed by the University of Birmingham and Imperial College London, IMS Solutions is advancing mass spectrometry-based diagnostics backed by £3.2 million in funding.
The University of Birmingham and Imperial College London have launched Intelligent Mass Spec Solutions Ltd (IMS Solutions), a joint spin-out company established to commercialize diagnostic technologies that detect disordered steroid hormone metabolism.
The company launched with a £1.1 million seed funding round led by Midlands Mindforge, alongside SFC Capital, the UK Innovation and Seed Capital Fund, NG Bio, British Business Bank, and private investors. The commercialization effort is further supported by a £2.1 million National Institute for Health and Care Research Invention for Innovation Product Development Award granted to Imperial College London.
The spin-out aims to address diagnostic challenges associated with steroid hormone pathways, which regulate critical physiological processes such as stress response, metabolism, blood pressure, and reproduction. Disruptions in these pathways often present with diffuse symptoms that complicate clinical assessment. IMS Solutions’ platform pairs mass spectrometry profiling of steroid signatures in urine and blood with machine learning algorithms.
“IMS Solutions is launching with a strong commercial and scientific team, and a well-advanced roadmap for products that align with current demands from patients, clinicians and healthcare providers,” says Dr Martin Whitaker, CEO of IMS Solutions, in a release.
Differentiating Benign and Malignant Adrenal Masses
The company’s lead product candidate is ACCelerate, a urine-based diagnostic intended to detect adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC), a rare and aggressive malignancy. Adrenal lesions are incidentally detected in approximately 5% of patients undergoing routine chest or abdominal imaging, creating clinical difficulty in distinguishing harmless nodules from malignant tumors.
ACCelerate analyzes a panel of steroid biomarkers using an algorithm trained on retrospective data and validated prospectively in a multicenter study comprising more than 2,000 patients across 11 countries. Study findings demonstrated that the assay is up to four times more accurate than imaging scans alone, helping clinicians identify patients who require immediate surgical intervention while sparing patients with benign masses from unnecessary procedures.
The initial technology was developed by Wiebke Arlt, chief scientific officer at IMS Solutions, director of the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, and head of the department at the Institute of Clinical Sciences at Imperial College London.
“We validated the test through the largest ever adrenal cancer study, which involved over 2,000 patients from 11 countries, and this proved the test’s accuracy,” says Arlt in a release. “The funding means we can now optimise the test and certify to current regulatory standards. In addition, we intend to show that it is also good value for money and can be reliably performed in existing NHS laboratories, without new machines or additional costs.”
IMS Solutions plans to complete regulatory certification and bring the ACCelerate urine test to the UK market by 2029.
Stratification Assay for Endocrine Dysfunction
IMS Solutions is also developing a blood-based stratification assay for polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), historically referred to as polycystic ovary syndrome. PMOS affects 10% to 15% of women globally and elevates the risk for comorbid metabolic conditions, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and fatty liver disease. Despite its prevalence, the World Health Organization estimates that up to 70% of affected women remain undiagnosed.
Current clinical workflows lack a definitive standalone diagnostic, relying instead on clinical criteria matching symptoms, laboratory testing, and ultrasound imaging. The test in development combines biomarker measurements with an algorithm intended for primary care implementation to stratify patients into metabolic risk categories.
“We now know that PMOS is not a single disorder but that there are different PMOS subgroups, and some more than others increase the risk of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease,” says Arlt in a release. “The test we are developing will be able to discern which category patients are in, and identify health risks for an individual patient, enabling earlier and improved treatment options.”
Following completion of proof-of-concept testing, a clinical validation study is currently underway, with results expected to be announced shortly and study data anticipated for publication within the next six months.
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