Benjamin Dodsworth (former Cowley/ James group) and Mehak Mumtaz (former Hassan group) were inspired by the Dunn School’s world-leading medical research environment and the University’s pioneering approach to digital innovation as they created and grew their start-up companies.
Benjamin said: “For me, the Dunn School was a fantastic place of innovation. The open-minded culture, shared spaces, and the removal of artificial barriers between disciplines creates this beautifully fertile ground for ideas.”
Mehak credited the translational focus of the Hassan group as providing the springboard to her success. Mehak said. “I was part of a truly translational lab with projects in different phases of the commercialisation lifecycle. As a postdoc, Bass provided me with the opportunity to work on the commercialisation strategy for a spinout, which helped me build the skills for the transition.”
Mehak, a founding member of ILoF, is now its Chief Operating Officer. The company is combatting neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s through artificial intelligence and photonics.
Commenting on iLoF’s mission, Mehak said: “By aiding the drug discovery process, we aim to open new avenues for Alzheimer’s Disease treatment, providing a lifeline to millions around the globe.” Continuing its association with Oxford, iLoF is now based at the Oxford Foundry.
Benjamin is a founding member and Chief Technical Officer of PIPRA. PIPRA aims to protect surgical patients’ brain health. One in four patients over the age of sixty are affected by postoperative delirium with devastating consequences. To address this unmet need, PIPRA is developing an AI-powered preoperative tool which identifies patients who are at high risk of developing postoperative delirium. This assessment can aid clinicians in choosing effective risk reduction options or help patients to make an informed judgement of risk versus benefit to potentially cancel their surgery.
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Written by Jo Peel