OpalMedica

Startup

OpalMedica is a UK-based medical technology company focused on reducing the diagnostic delays experienced by people living with rare and underdiagnosed diseases. Founded by Sara Elgott, whose 30-year career has been dedicated to improving outcomes for people living with rare diseases through industry, patient advocacy and research, the company combines patient-reported insights, clinical expertise and machine learning to support earlier identification of conditions that are often missed, misdiagnosed or diagnosed too late.

The company has developed two complementary products. My Rare Journey is a patient engagement platform that captures real-world diagnostic experiences directly from people living with rare diseases and their families, transforming those experiences into structured, anonymised insights. Clinical Flags is a patent-pending medical device that analyses coded and free-text health record data to identify patterns that may suggest an underlying rare condition, supporting earlier clinical suspicion, investigation and referral.

Initially focused on deployment within NHS primary care settings, OpalMedica is working with healthcare, academic, patient advocacy and industry partners to validate its approach in real-world environments. While the company's first priority is supporting earlier identification within the UK healthcare system, its technology has been designed to scale internationally and address the global challenge of delayed diagnosis.

By combining advanced analytics with lived experience data, OpalMedica aims to help clinicians identify patients sooner, improve outcomes and create more efficient and equitable iagnostic pathways worldwide.

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