Intellectual property specialist Tekcapital PLC (LON:TEK) said one of its portfolio companies is working on a technology that could be used to treat coronavirus victims.
Belluscura and its research partner Separation Design Group have filed a patent on an oxygen enrichment system for people suffering acute respiratory distress, which occurs in those worst affected by the illness.
The two have developed an integrated portable extracorporeal oxygenation and carbon dioxide removal system. The unit is essentially a next-generation ECMO machine, which pumps and oxygenates a patient's blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest.
Belluscura, in which Tekcapital has an 18.9% stake, is focused on developing oxygen-based treatment platforms that can be adapted and applied in a wide range of markets beyond those traditionally applied to a single product or product line.
It is launching its first product, the X-PLOR portable oxygen concentrator, this year into the respiratory treatment field. It will be used to treat people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The shares were changing hands for 5.3p each mid-afternoon, up 9.3%.