Newcastle upon Tyne, UK – [Wed 18th March 2026] – Salvivo Limited, the North-East based pioneer in oral health monitoring and systemic risk assessment, today announced it has been awarded £99,080 in Innovate UK Analysis for Innovators (A4i) Stage 2 funding to evaluate its FishburneTabs™ platform for saliva collection and biomarker analysis in partnership with the National Physical Laboratory (NPL).

The project seeks to carry out analysis of Salvivo saliva collection devices to study metabolite and biomarker recovery towards future application in early detection of diseases such as diabetes, inflammatory conditions and cancer. This partnership will assist Salvivo in developing their technology towards becoming the saliva equivalent of dried blood spots, the gold standard that has enabled newborn screening programs globally for decades.

Transforming Oral and Systemic Health Monitoring Through Sustainable Innovation

The six-month project, beginning April 2026, addresses a critical gap in disease screening, monitoring and prevention: the lack of standardised, patient-friendly biomarker monitoring. Traditional blood testing can be challenging, while current saliva collection methods lack the reproducibility required for clinical adoption.

“This NPL partnership is transformational for Salvivo,” said Dr. Dale Athey, CEO and Project Lead. ” We’re establishing the measurement science foundation that will enable pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers, and individuals to trust our simple saliva collection and analysis platform. The funding reflects Innovate UK’s confidence in both our technology and the £1 billion+ market opportunity.”

World-Leading Measurement Science Meets Sustainable Healthcare

NPL will deploy advanced analytical techniques including Liquid Extraction Surface Analysis Mass Spectrometry (LESA-MS), immunological assays and Raman Spectroscopy to evaluate FishburneTabs™ across multiple disease-related molecules. The project will assess metabolite and biomarker recovery and inter-device variability compared to fresh saliva – industry standards essential for clinical adoption.

Dr Rory Steven, Principal Scientist and Project lead at NPL: “This project is a great example of how NPL, when partnering with innovative companies such as Salvivo, can provide the metrological underpinning to help accelerate development and application of new devices in life-sciences and healthcare.”

Aligning with NHS Net Zero and Life Sciences Strategy

The project directly supports the Government’s recently published Life Sciences Industrial Strategy and NHS 10-Year Plan, particularly the transition from hospital to community care and sickness to prevention. The FishburneTabs™ paper-based platform offers a sustainable alternative to plastic collection devices, reducing NHS clinical waste while enabling convenient home-based monitoring.

Professor Philip Preshaw, Salvivo’s Co-Founder and Clinical Lead. An internationally recognised expert in periodontology ; “The ability to collect pharmaceutical-grade saliva samples in patients’ homes, without cold-chain logistics, fundamentally changes what’s possible in chronic disease management. This validation bridges the gap between promising technology and clinical reality.”

Strategic Impact and Next Steps

The NPL study data will:

• Guide the Salvivo development strategy.
• Enable further commercial partnerships and market access.
• Strengthen the company’s fundraising position.
• Support participation in international research consortia.
• Generate publications in high-impact analytical chemistry journals.

About Salvivo Limited

Salvivo Limited is an oral and systemic health monitoring company headquartered in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The company’s FishburneTabs™ platform currently serves pharmaceutical trials, and healthcare pathways for oral hydration monitoring. Validated expansion into biobanking and multi-biomarker analysis is underway. Salvivo combines materials science innovation with clinical expertise to transform oral health monitoring into simple, sustainable, and accessible tools for early risk identification and prevention of systemic disease improving lives while reducing healthcare costs globally.

About the National Physical Laboratory (NPL)

NPL is the UK’s National Metrology Institute, providing the measurement capability that underpins the UK’s prosperity and quality of life.

From new antibiotics to tackle resistance and more effective cancer treatments, to secure quantum communications and superfast 5G, technological advances must be built on a foundation of reliable measurement to succeed. Building on over a century’s worth of expertise, our science, engineering and technology provides this foundation. We save lives, protect the environment and enable citizens to feel safe and secure, as well as support international trade and commercial innovation. As a national laboratory, our advice is always impartial and independent, meaning consumers, investors, policymakers and entrepreneurs can always rely on the work we do.

Based in Teddington, south-west London, NPL employs over 800 scientists. NPL also has regional bases across the UK, including at the University of Surrey, the University of Strathclyde, the University of Cambridge and the University of Huddersfield’s 3M Buckley Innovation Centre.

For more information visit: www.npl.co.uk