Medical tech firm to add 60 skilled jobs in major Inverness expansion

A medical technology business is to expand its Inverness research and development centre in a move that will create up to 60 jobs.

Lab technicians working in the ODx lab on the Inverness Campus. Picture: Paul Campbell

The new roles at ODx are set to include assembly technicians and lab, office and clinical staff, who will support the development of a device that helps detect the ability of urinary tract infections to resist antibiotics.

The firm, which currently employs 30 people, established the medical testing business on Inverness Campus last August with £1.75 million of investment support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

Chief executive Giles Hamilton said: “We are delighted to start our next phase of recruitment in Scotland. We’re committed to supporting the NHS and communities in the Highlands, Islands & Moray.

“Our local partnerships, support from HIE and the commitment to medical technology from the Scottish Government were big factors in ODx deciding to place these jobs in Inverness rather than overseas.

“We hope the creation of these positions will also help bolster the local economy as we all tackle the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

The firm’s technology, which is currently going through clinical studies, will aid patients by getting faster diagnosis and treatment, with the aim of saving the NHS costs on hospital admissions, lab time and reducing antibiotic prescriptions. It can provide answers for treatment options within an hour, instead of the current time of two to three days.

Charlotte Wright, chief executive of HIE, said: “This is more excellent news for the region. It is the second significant inward investment and job creation project announced recently, following Capgemini’s major contract win confirmed last month.

“When ODx established its centre on Inverness Campus last year, it was in anticipation of up to 30 new jobs in three years. This latest announcement from the company will take the total figure to more than 90 in around a year.

“Inverness, and the Highlands and Islands more widely, is increasingly recognised for its growing life sciences sector. ODx is at the heart of this. Their work fits well with the collaborative and innovative ethos of Inverness Campus, as demonstrated in the efforts to tackle Covid-19.”

Scottish minister for trade, investment and innovation, Ivan McKee, added: “Scotland is recognised globally for its ground-breaking work in the life sciences sector and our existing investors play a huge role in this, so it’s wonderful to see one of them expanding in this hugely exciting sector.”

In 2018, there were 172,000 hospital admissions for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in the UK, with 12,000 of those presenting as chronic infections. The absence of a point-of-care antibiotic susceptibility test causes suffering and avoidable mortality. ODx is seeking people who suffer from UTIs to be volunteers.

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