Company narrows product strategy as it prepares webinar showcasing IB Nimble update
Imaging technology group Imaging Biometrics Ltd (LSE:IBAI, FRA:5Y1) has said it will prioritise core clinical products after acknowledging it had pursued too many projects without sufficient resources.
The decision follows a strategic review, which concluded that this broad focus had limited investment in the company’s main commercial assets and failed to generate expected returns.
Chief executive Trevor Brown said: “We recognise and share the frustration and disappointment experienced by shareholders in recent years and are determined to find a new modus operandi for the future.”
He added that the company was projecting a small profit in 2026 and did not expect to require further shareholder funding this year.
The group comprises two subsidiaries: US-based Imaging Biometrics LLC, which it acquired in 2018, and UK-based Kirkstall Limited, added in 2025.
A new version of IB Nimble, its imaging analysis tool, is nearing completion with integrated DICOM viewing, a feature requested by customers. The company will host a webinar on 27 February to demonstrate the updated system.
Brown described IB Clinic as the cornerstone of the company’s portfolio. The latest release, announced in 2025, has seen adoption among existing clinical sites, particularly for faster tumour-response metrics using FTB Express.
Longitudinal reporting will be added, following feedback from neurosurgeons.
QSMetric, a platform for generating quantitative susceptibility maps from MRI data, is now ready for trials. IB Zero G, a patented technology with longer-term potential, will remain on hold to avoid diverting focus from the core business.
Imaging Biometrics confirmed it will not continue development of gallium maltolate (GaM), a treatment granted multiple designations by the US Food and Drug Administration.
While the company holds rights to phase I trial data, it said the costs of a phase II trial were beyond its independent means.
Sales at Kirkstall Limited rose 84% in 2025 to £123,000, driven by demand for its QV1200 organ-on-a-chip system and new distributors in China, South Korea and the United States.
In the US, the company appointed MB Research Labs, a contract research organisation with over 50 years' experience in toxicology, to enhance its reach.
Government policies in the UK and US are increasing support for alternatives to animal testing, such as organ-on-a-chip systems.
The UK has pledged £75 million to phase out animal testing, while the US Food and Drug Administration and other agencies have begun to phase in “new approach methodologies”.
At Nottingham Trent University, researchers are using Kirkstall’s QV1200 system in blood-brain barrier studies. Professor Cave’s team has shown that cells grown in the system behave more like real tissue due to its dynamic, flowing environment.
He said, “Our partnership with Kirkstall and their Quasi Vivo technology is enabling us to build blood-brain barrier models that are closer to human physiology than ever before.”
Belgium’s Gent University has also adopted the QV1200 system for gut-brain barrier research, having evaluated and rejected two competing platforms.
Imaging Biometrics said its strategy for the current year is to address the gap between market perception and operational performance, noting its market capitalisation stands at £1.2 million.