Early warning system for viruses led by Imperial alumnus wins GBx award

An early warning system for viruses developed by an Imperial alumus has won an award at the prestigious GREAT GBx Gala in San Francisco.

Untap Health, led by Imperial alumnus Dr Claire Trant, has created a device that can be installed in any community to monitor health in real-time using data from sewage, helping to track viral outbreaks before symptoms have been identified.

"I’m honoured that Untap Health received the Best in British Tech, Upstart Award. Imperial has been a supporter of both Untap Health and myself from the very beginning, and I’m immensely grateful to be an alumna." Dr Claire Trant CEO of Untap Health

Many viruses are carried by asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic people, meaning detection can only take place when symptoms have emerged and transmission has already happened. This issue causes significant economic disruption, with figures showing the annual cost of influenza and norovirus alone is estimated to be around £36 billion in the UK and US, according to Untap Health.

The startup says their technology can monitor for multiple pathogens and detect one infected person in 10,000 healthy people.

Dr Claire Trant, CEO & Co-Founder of Untap Health, said: "Attending the GBx Gala at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco for the second consecutive year as a guest of Imperial College London was an incredible experience. Surrounded by fellow attendees who have achieved remarkable success across a range of fields, the event has a spirit of collaboration and friendship.

"I’m honoured that Untap Health received the Best in British Tech, Upstart Award—an extraordinary privilege. Imperial College London has been a supporter of both Untap Health and myself from the very beginning, and I’m immensely grateful to be an alumna."

Professor Hugh Brady, President of Imperial College London, also joined leaders in British tech this week at the GREAT GBx Gala in San Francisco, where he presented an award sponsored by Imperial for tech translation and innovation.

• Read more on Imperial’s trip to San Francisco for the launch of Imperial Global USA.

The GREAT GBx Gala is an annual gathering for the British founders, investors, and industry experts to celebrate the best of British technology, run in collaboration with the UK Government’s GREAT campaign. Imperial is the first university to join the GBx network of leading investors, entrepreneurs and tech executives.

The GREAT campaign aims to enhance the UK’s global reputation and support economic growth by promoting British creativity, diversity, and innovation. It also aims to encourage international audiences to visit, study, trade, invest, live and work in the UK.

The Imperial Technology Innovation Impact Award recognises the most outstanding examples of ‘deep science’ and technological innovation that have successfully made the journey from research labs to the commercial marketplace in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Speaking ahead of the event, President Professor Hugh Brady said: “The solutions that we need to tackle urgent global challenges are often built on fundamental science and engineering breakthroughs - many of which have been made at world-leading academic institutions like Imperial.

“We are proud to be supporting this award which celebrates innovations that are driving economic growth and creating real societal benefits. Through initiatives like our Institute for Deep Tech Entrepreneurship, Imperial is committed to nurturing the growth of the entire Deep Tech ecosystem and finding more ways to turn outstanding research into outstanding real-world impact.”

Supporting women entrepreneurs

Untap Health was supported in its early development by the WE Innovate programme – Imperial Enterprise Lab's programme to help the next generation of women entrepreneurs, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Dr Trant participated in the programme in 2022, where they received help for their business through coaching, mentoring, and business skills masterclasses. Since 2014, WE Innovate has supported more than 60 women-led startups, which have gone on to raise more than £37.5 million.

More information on WE Innovate can be found on the Imperial Enterprise Lab’s website.

Imperial Global USA

As a global top 10 university producing world-leading research in science, technology, engineering, medicine and business (STEMB), Imperial is committed to using scientific discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship to create real-world impact.

As part of the Science for Humanity strategy, Imperial has launched a new hub in San Francisco this week which will develop partnerships with mutually beneficial opportunities in key areas, such as AI, robotics, cleantech, biotech, and engineering biology.

The Imperial Global USA hub – which is the university’s first physical presence in the US - is part of a network of hubs in major cities around the world which will build long-term collaborations for Imperial with key partners.

Imperial Global hubs have been set up in Singapore, Ghana and the USA, with a further hub to open soon in India.

Read more about the Imperial Global hubs.