Founder Journey: Professor Yuhang Chen – From Discovery to Commercialisation

Every innovation starts with an unmet need

For Professor Yuhang Chen, that need was clear: finding a better way to assess and monitor lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), a condition affecting millions of people worldwide but often requiring lengthy referral pathways and repeated hospital appointments.

The idea for UroFlo emerged through a close collaboration between biomedical engineers at Heriot-Watt University, led by Professor Chen, and consultant urologists Mr Daniel Good and Mr Matthew Trail at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.

Together, they set out to address a growing healthcare challenge.

"As populations age and demand for urology services continues to increase, healthcare systems are struggling to provide timely assessment for patients with lower urinary tract symptoms," Yuhang explains. "We wanted to develop a solution that could support earlier triage and monitoring, both in primary care and in patients' own homes."

The result is UroFlo: a smartphone-based digital uroflowmetry platform capable of conducting clinically validated flow tests and analysing the results remotely. Designed for use in GP practices, community healthcare settings and at home, the technology has the potential to improve access to care while reducing pressure on overstretched specialist services.

What began as a clinical research collaboration is now progressing towards becoming a healthcare technology company.

Building the foundations

As the technology matured, the team recognised that successful translation would require more than scientific and clinical validation.

Working alongside Heriot-Watt University's commercialisation team, they began preparing UroFlo for commercial development.

Over the past two years, the team has received dedicated commercialisation coaching, support to engage external experts and investors and opportunities to build valuable networks across Scotland's innovation ecosystem.

"We've benefited enormously from the University's commercialisation support," says Yuhang. "The team has helped us understand the commercial landscape, challenge our assumptions and prepare the technology for the next stage of development."

Rather than viewing commercialisation as something that happens once research is complete, the process has become an integral part of shaping the project's future.

Preparing for the next stage

Following the successful completion of a 150-patient clinical validation study in 2025, the team is now participating in Scottish Enterprise's High Growth Spinout Programme, validating international market opportunities while preparing for company creation.

From July 2026, the technology will also be demonstrated within hospital and GP settings across NHS Tayside through support from TayHealthTech, providing valuable real-world evidence to inform future adoption.

The longer-term ambition is to establish UroFlo as a Heriot-Watt spinout by the end of 2027, creating a pathway for the technology to reach healthcare providers and patients at scale.

The value of commercialisation support

For Yuhang, one of the greatest benefits of engaging with Heriot-Watt's commercialisation team has been gaining access to expertise that sits outside the traditional academic environment.

"The commercialisation team brings knowledge of intellectual property, investment, market strategy and company building that most researchers simply don't encounter during their academic careers," he says.

"Having people who understand how to translate research into products and services has been invaluable. They've helped bridge the gap between scientific discovery and commercial opportunity."

This combination of commercial expertise, strategic advice and industry connections has strengthened both the technology and the team's confidence as they prepare for the next stage of their journey.

Why researchers should explore commercialisation

Yuhang believes many researchers are already generating ideas with commercial potential, they simply need the right support to realise it.

"Many discoveries never reach the people who could benefit from them," he says. "Commercialisation helps translate research into products, services and solutions that create real societal impact, while also maximising the value of the intellectual property generated through our research."

Perhaps most importantly, he sees the process as an opportunity for researchers themselves.

"For me, commercialisation has been a learning experience. It has given our academic team the opportunity to work alongside people with real-world entrepreneurial experience and understand what it takes to transform an idea into a product that can genuinely improve people's lives."

For researchers considering the next step, his advice is simple: start the conversation early.

Because when clinical insight, engineering expertise and commercial support come together, research has the potential to become far more than an academic discovery, it can become an innovation that transforms healthcare.