Australian medtech innovator Micro-X has taken a major step forward in its mission to revolutionise emergency stroke care, securing a $4.4 million grant from the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Program. The funding will support a world-first trial of a stroke-capable ambulance, integrating Micro-X’s ultra-lightweight Head CT scanner into frontline emergency services.
Every minute counts in the treatment of stroke, the world’s second leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability. Rapid diagnosis is critical—yet conventional CT scanners weigh more than 700kg and are restricted to hospitals, delaying time-sensitive treatment for thousands of patients each year.
Micro-X’s Head CT device, weighing just 70kg, changes this equation. For the first time, a scanner small and light enough can be installed inside a standard ambulance, bringing diagnosis to the patient rather than the other way around.
"This award of $4.4 million in non-dilutive funding is a significant step towards getting our stroke diagnosis device into ambulances around the world," said Micro-X CEO Kingsley Hall. "We must find ways to get patients diagnosed and treated faster. This trial will see us undertake a world-first standard ambulance stroke patient imaging program in partnership with the South Australian Ambulance Service and the Royal Adelaide Hospital."
Over the next two years, the Industry Growth Program funding will support three key milestones:
The project will not only generate the data needed for regulatory approval, but also provide a blueprint for ambulance services globally to follow.
The Industry Growth Program award builds on Micro-X’s earlier $8 million grant from the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund through the Australian Stroke Alliance. Together, these programs have supported the rapid development of the Head CT scanner, including hospital imaging trials scheduled to commence in 2025.
The scanner is based on Micro-X’s proprietary NEX Technology—a breakthrough in cold cathode carbon nanotube X-ray tubes. By placing multiple miniature tubes in a curved array, the device achieves dose efficiency and imaging performance at a fraction of the size and cost of conventional CT technology.
As Stockhead noted in its coverage of the announcement, this grant is a “non-dilutive boost” that allows Micro-X to accelerate its commercialisation pathway while retaining all intellectual property rights. For investors and partners alike, this demonstrates both government confidence in the company’s technology and the potential for transformative global impact.
Beyond the technology, the Head CT project has profound implications for health equity. Rural and remote communities are often the hardest hit by delays in stroke diagnosis, with limited access to hospital imaging. A lightweight, mobile CT that can travel in standard ambulances or retrieval aircraft creates opportunities to close this gap, delivering earlier treatment and better outcomes for patients regardless of location.
The ability to diagnose stroke type - whether ischemic or hemorrhagic - before hospital arrival means patients can be directed to the right treatment pathway immediately. For ischemic strokes, that can mean faster access to clot-busting drugs or interventional procedures. For hemorrhagic strokes, it prevents the risk of inappropriate treatments that could worsen outcomes.
The Industry Growth Program funding is more than an investment in one device—it represents a commitment to reshaping the way health systems respond to stroke. By enabling rapid, accurate diagnosis in standard ambulances, Micro-X is setting the stage for a new global standard in emergency medical care.
“This ambulance trial will provide a demonstration case study to promote the commercial launch of the Head CT device into global markets,” Hall said. “We are proud to lead this innovation with the Australian Stroke Alliance and deliver a new global standard in emergency stroke care.”
When the first ambulance-based patient trials commence, all eyes will be on South Australia as a global leader in pre-hospital stroke innovation. The lessons learned here will inform how ambulance services worldwide adopt lightweight CT technology, potentially improving survival rates and recovery outcomes for millions of stroke patients.
For Micro-X, this milestone is part of a broader journey. Alongside its Head CT program, the company continues to advance a portfolio of innovative imaging products, from mobile medical X-ray units under contract with US Government agency ARPA-H, to security screening technologies under contract with the US Department of Homeland Security.
With stroke impacting more than 12 million people worldwide each year, the Head CT may prove to be Micro-X’s most life-changing innovation yet.
Chief Scientist and CEO Americas Brian Gonzales will present Micro-X's Nano Electronic X-ray Technology: Current and Future Clinical Applications on Thursday October 1 at the World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering in Adelaide, South Australia.
Australian medtech innovator Micro-X has taken a major step forward in its mission to revolutionise emergency stroke care, securing a $4.4 million grant from the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Program for a world-first trial of a stroke-capable ambulance, integrating Micro-X’s ultra-lightweight Head CT scanner into frontline emergency services.
Micro-X will showcase the Miniature CT Baggage Scanner for the first time at Future Travel Experience in Long Beach, California from 9 to 11 September.
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