Delivering life-saving blood supplies to remote areas via drone is a step closer to reality, with Samoco – a smart medical transport device company – prototyping its flagship product within PHTA’s Makerspace.
Up to 60% of trauma-related deaths in low- and middle-income countries occur due to blood loss, with a lack of refrigeration equipment and long transportation distances threatening already-low stocks of donated blood.
Samoco’s solution is a novel device capable of keeping blood in optimum condition, even across long distances in high temperature climates, where bacterial growth and cell damage during normal transit are a significant risk. The device agitates and cools blood throughout its journey by road or drone, contributing to global efforts to improve medical provision in underserved regions – reducing time and saving lives in challenging environments.
Michelle Montemayor, co-founder and Head of Strategy at Samoco, said: “Beginning our prototyping in the PHTA Makerspace was a natural next step in our journey – the team met while studying at the University of Birmingham, and since establishing Samoco we have been supported by the University’s Elevate programme.”
Manpreet Saggoo, co-founder and Head of Engineering, added: “Our mission is to revolutionise life-saving blood delivery and since joining PHTA, we’ve already been able to optimise our design in CAD and 3D print our very first prototype – backed by the design support and technical expertise offered by the Makerspace team. We’re very excited about the next stage of product development and are proud to be the first commercial users of this incredible space.”
Professor Gino Martini, Chief Executive Officer of PHTA, said: “Samoco is exactly the kind of company we want to work with at PHTA. Founded by passionate young scientists and engineers, they’ve developed a genuinely innovative solution to a global healthcare challenge, with huge opportunity for both civilian and military applications. We’re delighted to be able to support their product development.”
PHTA, which opened in 2025, helps businesses developing new medical devices and treatments to grow. Its health and life sciences research facilities include the 4,000 sq ft Makerspace, an innovation hub custom-designed for research, development and prototyping.
Main image caption, L-R: Oscar Collins, Head of Business Development; Manpreet Saggoo, Head of Engineering; Michelle Montemayor, Head of Strategy, Samoco; Rhys Coldrick, Makerspace Technical Advisor, PHTA
