Llusern announces changes to Exec team and new NED

21^st April 2026

Llusern Scientific Announces Changes To Executive Management Team And New NED

Appointments made to advance the commercial launch of Llusern’s Lodestar UTI diagnostic system

CARDIFF, United Kingdom, 21^st April 2026 – Llusern Scientific, a point-of-care diagnostics company, today announces the appointments of Dr Emma Hayhurst as Executive Chair and the appointment of Martyn Lewis as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Additionally, Dr Laurence Tisi joins the Board of Directors as a Non-executive Director (NED).

These strategic appointments strengthen Llusern’s leadership team as the company switches its focus to commercial growth as a leading technology provider in the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in near-patient and point-of-care settings.

Dr Emma Hayhurst co-founded Llusern in 2020 alongside  colleagues from the University of South Wales. She has held the role of CEO since the company was formed and led pre-Seed three rounds of fundraising that has allowed the business to establish itself at Cardiff Edge Business Park. As Executive Chair Emma will lead the Board and the company’s innovation strategy and continue to play a key role in external clinical and strategic partnerships

Martyn Lewis joined Llusern in 2022 shortly after it span out from the University of South Wales. He has been instrumental to the growth of the business, managing the team and leading on Llusern’s commercial strategy. Martyn previously worked at EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc (Penarth, UK) as Head of Marketing and Sales Director where he spent 12 years developing the business and establishing new international sales channels.

Dr Laurence Tisi was the founder and CEO of Lumora Limited prior to it being acquired by Erba Mannheim in 2015. Lumora successfully span out from Cambridge University in 2004 as a specialist in molecular device development, pathogen detection and nucleic acid amplification technologies. Dr Tisi was named the Biotechnology and Biology Sciences Research Council Innovator of the Year in 2012 for his work with LAMP technologies and holds seven patents in addition to being a highly published scientific author. Dr Tisi has first-hand experience of taking a company from pre-seed stage, through multiple funding rounds, to a successful exit.

Dr Hayhurst said, “These changes reflect the fact that Llusern is now an established business with a growing private customer base and an increasing amount of interest from the NHS to use Lodestar DX across a variety of settings within primary and secondary care.  This change of role allows me to focus on building our clinical evidence base and ensuring we remain at the forefront of innovation in UTI diagnostics – developing a much-needed product portfolio to help more UTI sufferers.

Martyn Lewis said, “2026 is a pivotal year for Llusern as we begin establishing strong commercial traction within our beachhead urology market. In 2025 we established our first reference customers in the private sector as well as completing a number of published evaluations within the NHS. Our objective now is to use the weight of our real-world clinical evidence to build our customer base in the UK and overseas.

Dr Tisi will be a huge asset to Llusern. Over the last two decades he has trodden the path that Llusern is navigating. He has considerable scientific experience with LAMP, molecular diagnostics as well as practical knowledge of running and scaling a start-up business, all of which will greatly benefit Llusern.”

Dr Tisi said “I have been aware of Llusern’s progress for a number of years. Since leaving Erba Mannheim I have been looking for an opportunity where I feel I can make a significant difference to a business that has something unique to offer. Llusern has a platform that is clinically proven and has exciting potential, and I felt that I could lend my experience to Emma and Martyn to help guide Llusern through  the next steps in its commercial and technological development.”

– ENDS –

Notes to Editors

About Llusern Scientific

Llusern Scientific is a treatment-directing molecular diagnostics company, developing fast, accurate, and accessible tools to guide real-time clinical decision-making at the point-of-care. Our flagship solution, Lodestar DX, is a portable diagnostic device that delivers lab-accurate results for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in 35 minutes. It is based on isothermal LAMP technology (not PCR) without the need for DNA extraction or centralized lab infrastructure. With industry-leading sensitivity and specificity, Lodestar DX empowers clinicians to diagnose and treat specific microbial infections with precision in a single visit, thereby improving patient outcomes. As well as providing guidance on the best treatment option based on the specific microbial infection, Lodestar DX also provides a clear ‘rule-out’ decision where antibiotics are not necessary, helping to reduce antimicrobial resistance through antibiotic stewardship.

Llusern is committed to transforming diagnostic pathways and making precision medicine equitable, portable, and fast. Due to its high accuracy and speed to result it is used within urology clinics to screen patients prior to surgery to reduce the number of last-minute cancellations thereby reducing waiting lists. Additionally, its small size and ease of portability Lodestar DX make it particularly suitable for resource limited and decentralised healthcare settings including care homes, mobile diagnostics, and community diagnostic centres.

The Lodestar DX UTI testing system has been independently evaluated in studies by University of Oxford, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, Southampton University, and Public Health Wales. The company was established in 2020 as a spin-out from the University of South Wales, UK.

For more information, visit https://llusern.co.uk/ and follow us on LinkedIn.

Media Contacts

Llusern Scientific

Martyn Lewis +44 (0) 7825 708936

martyn@llusern.co.uk