720736Novarix Vein Visualisation DeviceClosedGRD Development of PrototypeInnovate UKEvery year more than 1bn peripheral cannulas are used globally to draw blood or to deliver intravenous therapy, making the insertion of a cannula into a vein one of the world’s most common medical procedures. Yet it’s not always straightforward: at least 1 in 4 patients require 3 or more stick attempts, with some having to endure 10 or more, and once in place up to 50% of all cannulas fail through inflammation of the vein (phlebitis), infection, blockage, infiltration and most dangerously extravasation [Helm et al, 2015] and require replacement. These issues can dramatically extend treatment times, cause significant pain and serious injury to patients and rapidly escalate healthcare costs. In recent years the use of near-infrared (NIR) imaging has been introduced to help clinicians find difficult veins and to assess a patient’s vascular structure to ensure that the right cannula is inserted into the best vein. In the UK the Infection Prevention Society now recommends the use of IR vein imaging devices. However, scientific and user feedback suggests that, although useful for many patients, NIRbased imaging needs greater consistency and clarity of visualisation across all patient types to be fully accepted and widely adopted by the medical community. Novarix, the company behind the IV-Eye, a first generation NIR device, is one of the UK’s pioneers in the field of NIR vein detection. The company is now seeking Innovate UK’s support to harness recently identified technological advances in order to drive forward radical innovation and the development of a second generation NIR vein imager. Novarix intends to combine advances in optics, electronics and software algorithms in a new device capable of visualisation of a patient’s vascular system with industry leading clarity, accuracy and depth. This will allow the company to capitalise on a growing market opportunity & to build a world-leading UK technology platform with a wide-range of followon applications.