Imperial Innovations was the lead investor in the round and invested £650,000. Its co-investors included NESTA and The Capital Fund, managed by Yorkshire Fund Managers. This follows funding to date of £1,000,000, of which Imperial Innovations invested £600,000. Imperial Innovations now has a 31.3 percent share in OSspray on a fully diluted basis.
OSspray has developed a new dental technology application, which involves using bioactive glass as a desensitising and cleaning agent for air polishing of teeth. This is a treatment in which the dentist or hygienist fires a fine abrasive powder, in this case OSspray’s new product Sylc™, at teeth using a high pressure air stream. Clinical tests have shown that dentists, hygienists and, most importantly, patients have significant benefits to gain from OSspray’s Sylc™ technology over existing products – the treatment is quicker and easier to use, more comfortable, and it cleans, brightens and, crucially, desensitises teeth better than existing powders.
Importantly, traditional teeth whitening (bleaching) processes often cannot be used on patients with sensitive teeth. OSspray’s novel use of bioactive glass helps overcome this problem, enabling treatment of a wider audience and increased revenue potential for the dental office. The chemical composition of the bioactive glass also means that, when combined with water or saliva, it forms crystals that become trapped in the dentine of the tooth and biologically bond into the mineral surface to promote regeneration of dentine and damaged tooth surfaces.
OSspray has now signed distribution arrangements for the UK with Optident Ltd and White Cross GmbH in Germany, and has now launched Sylc™ in Europe. Sylc™ is also being test marketed in a number of locations in North America.
Susan Searle, Chief Executive of Imperial Innovations, commented: "OSspray is an exciting company with its lead product now in the market. This is an excellent demonstration of how we work with early stage companies to take a discovery from the laboratory to successful commercialisation of its products.”
