EDINBURGH MOLECULAR IMAGING LIMITED

Their core work

Edinburgh Molecular Imaging Limited is a Scottish SME that develops molecular imaging technologies for clinical diagnostics and disease surveillance. Their core contribution is translating physics-based imaging methods into practical medical tools — used to monitor disease progression and reduce reliance on invasive procedures. In the CAST project, they worked on imaging-based active surveillance for rectal cancer as an alternative to surgery, supporting the watch-and-wait clinical pathway. Across both their H2020 projects, they served as a specialist imaging and diagnostics partner within large, multi-institutional European research consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earliest H2020 involvement (PRONKJEWAIL, 2016-2021), Edinburgh Molecular Imaging worked at the intersection of infectious disease, microbiome research, and personalized medicine — contributing detection and diagnostics expertise to a broad patient-protection programme. By 2019, their focus shifted decisively toward oncology and imaging-specific tool development, with CAST centred on cancer surveillance, the watch-and-wait clinical model, and physical sciences-driven diagnostics. The trajectory is clear: from general personalized detection applied to infection, toward specialist imaging tools for non-surgical cancer monitoring.

Edinburgh Molecular Imaging is moving deeper into clinical oncology — specifically the growing field of non-surgical cancer monitoring — making them a relevant partner for projects developing imaging biomarkers, surveillance protocols, or diagnostic devices for cancer management.

How they like to work

Edinburgh Molecular Imaging has never led an H2020 project, consistently joining as a specialist partner or third party within larger consortia funded under MSCA schemes. Their two projects collectively involved 37 unique partners across 14 countries, indicating they integrate comfortably into large, multi-institutional European networks. For a prospective collaborator, this means they are practiced at defining a focused technical contribution within a broader consortium rather than driving the project agenda.

Despite only two H2020 projects, Edinburgh Molecular Imaging has connected with 37 unique consortium partners across 14 countries — a direct result of participating in large, pan-European MSCA training networks (ITN and COFUND), which typically involve 10-20 institutions each. No geographic concentration is apparent, suggesting openness to pan-European collaboration.

What sets them apart

Edinburgh Molecular Imaging occupies a specific niche: a small company that brings physics-based imaging instrumentation directly into clinical research programmes, bridging the gap between imaging technology developers and medical research teams. Few SMEs combine molecular imaging expertise with active participation in MSCA training networks, giving them exposure to early-career researchers and academic clinical groups across Europe. Their watch-and-wait cancer monitoring work positions them in a fast-growing area where imaging is being used to replace or defer surgery — a clear clinical and commercial priority across European health systems.

Highlights from their portfolio

• CAST
  Their only directly funded project (EUR 303,173), CAST addresses the clinically significant watch-and-wait approach to rectal cancer using imaging to defer or avoid surgery — making it both the company's largest investment and their most commercially relevant research contribution.
• PRONKJEWAIL
  Demonstrates Edinburgh Molecular Imaging's earlier involvement in infectious disease diagnostics and personalized medicine within a large MSCA training network, showing range beyond oncology and an established track record in EU collaborative research.