ImmunoServ join Cardiff Medicentre

The Welsh scientists that created a unique kit to test Covid-19 immunity have moved their team into Cardiff Medicentre.

ImmunoServ has taken a lease of 1,000 square feet of laboratory and office space in the biotech and medtech incubation hub, set in the grounds of University Hospital of Wales. From there, the seven-strong team of immunologists, including five PhD-level scientists, is developing ways of expanding its technology into other clinical areas.

Founded in 2020 by Cardiff University alumni Dr Martin Scurr and Professor Andrew Godkin, ImmunoServ pioneered a ‘Covid T cell’ test that measured patients’ T cell responses to Covid-19 vaccinations. The innovation, which enables people to see how susceptible they are to reinfection, has been used in many research studies and has led to in-depth understanding of patterns of human immunity to the disease.

Dr James Hindley, CEO of ImmunoServ, said: “T cells are a type of white blood cell that protect the body from infection. We designed the world’s first home test that enables people to test their T cell response by way of a simple, finger-prick blood test. Observing how these cells react in response to infection isn’t just vital to help us better understand a particular disease, it also means people can take steps to protect themselves.”

Although Covid has been a huge focus for the company in recent years, ImmunoServ is now expanding its technology into other diseases, including influenza, autoimmunity and cancer. In 2023 the team launched its Immuno-T Laboratory Test Kit which enables its T cell tests to be performed in any lab across the world.

Dr Hindley continued: “Our innovation is both scalable and standardisable, making it a hugely significant tool in disease management. For cancer patients, for example, it provides a simple blood test for monitoring treatment responses and relapse. Testing T cells enables clinicians to understand if a treatment is working, as well as testing for relapse without the need for invasive investigations, such as colonoscopies.”

The company’s clients and collaborators include government, academic and pharmaceutical researchers, mainly in the UK. The team provides testing services to Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust that allow clinicians to understand Covid immunity in more depth than anywhere else. And the Covid immunity test is also available to the general public via the company’s direct-to-consumer site: Immuno-T.co.uk.

“As well as our testing services, we provide a growing range of immunology focused contract research services, including human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing, and T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing - two complementary techniques that help us understand people’s risk to disease and help us design better vaccines,” said Dr Hindley. “Over the next few years we’ll be building on the collaborations we’ve made and commercialising our growing research and development activities within and beyond the UK.”

ImmunoServ has received Welsh Government funding through its new flexible innovation (SMART FIS) programme, and overseas business development (OBDV) funding. A tenancy at Cardiff Medicentre is a strategic move for the Welsh company as it seeks to capitalise on local expertise that can help develop ImmunoServ’s offering and international presence.

Dr Hindley said: "I also know the Medicentre well, having been a long-standing tenant previously. It’s great to be back and to reconnect with the support team and other life sciences businesses based here.”

Rhys Pearce-Palmer, Innovation Manager at Cardiff Medicentre, said, “We’re delighted to welcome ImmunoServ to the Medicentre community and to have helped with the lab fit-out costs through our ‘settling in scheme’. The Medicentre team and I look forward to supporting the company as it builds on the impressive developments it has made towards better understanding the complexities of disease and immunity.”