Micro-X Ltd (ASX:MX1), an Australian hi-tech company that develops and commercialises innovative products for global health and security markets based on proprietary cold cathode, carbon nanotube (CNT) emitter technology, has been awarded a $4.4 million grant from the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Program. The funding will support the development and trials of a world-first stroke capable ambulance, utilising Micro-X’s Head CT device, which is currently under development. The contract confirming the grant’s terms is being finalised.
The grant, to be distributed over two years, will facilitate the manufacturing of an ambulance-ready Head CT scanner prototype. Micro-X’s Head CT weighs approximately 70kg, a fraction of traditional CT devices, making it suitable for standard ambulances. The prototype will be installed in a South Australian ambulance for real-world patient imaging and workflow testing, in partnership with the South Australian Ambulance Service and the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
The project aims to integrate the device with telemedicine, create a paramedic training program, and establish new ambulance and hospital emergency protocols. Data gathered from hospital patient imaging trials, along with the ambulance trial, will be used for regulatory submissions. Micro-X will retain all intellectual property rights, and the funding is non-dilutive.
According to Micro-X CEO Kingsley Hall, this funding marks a pivotal step toward deploying their stroke diagnosis device in ambulances globally, addressing the urgent need for faster stroke diagnosis and treatment. The ambulance trial will set a new global standard in emergency stroke care, in collaboration with the Australian Stroke Alliance.
