AN MP has hailed the ‘incredible’ achievements of a York technology company which is developing the next generation of brain scanners.

York Outer MP Julian Sturdy was speaking after visiting the offices of York Instruments Ltd, based at York Science Park.

His visit was arranged after the firm received a Business Start-up Award from the Institute of Physics, given to young companies with a ‘great business idea founded on a physics invention, with great business growth potential and/or the potential of significant societal impact.’

A spokeswoman said York Instruments, established in 2015 and a subsidiary of Florida-based Croton Healthcare, was developing the next generation of magnetoencephalography (MEG) brain scanners for the diagnosis and treatment of severe epilepsy and other brain disorders.

“With just 200 MEG scanners currently in use worldwide, York Instruments believes that its newly developed technology will be instrumental in expanding the use of MEG technology worldwide.

“During his tour, Mr Sturdy visited the manufacturing and testing facility, learning from the team about their cutting-edge work into epilepsy and brain injury diagnosis, and how its technology is already helping shed light on issues like concussion in professional sports.”

Mr Sturdy, who met the York Instruments team during a parliamentary visit by staff last year, said: “It’s very impressive to see that as a young company, York Instruments are already trading in the US, with potential to expand into the Chinese and Japanese markets.

“For a company based in York to be leading the field and opening those market opportunities globally is incredible. It’s fantastic to see that York, as a city, is at the forefront of that.”

Gary Green, chief technology officer of York Instruments, said the award had been a significant honour and he was delighted the MP had wanted to visit its offices and manufacturing facilities and learn more about what it was doing.

“It’s important that scientific and medical device development is given as much support as possible and we hope that it continues to be a prominent issue for the government going forward,” he added.

Science park general manager Claire Bennett said she was ‘incredibly proud’ of the amazing work York Instruments was doing to expand understanding of brain injuries.

“They continue to push the boundaries of medical technology and we are proud that the Science Park is home to such an innovative business,” she added.