The Team
Fursey Duggan
Mark Leaning
Philip Leaning
Samantha Leaning
Advisors
Prof. Maurizio Cecconi
Tony Manuel MD
David A Russell B.Sc.,C.Eng.
Paul Coss
Board
How I became Founder of Directed Systems
As a young Cambridge engineer, I became fascinated with applying engineering science to biological systems. I vividly remember the day when I read von Bertalanffy’s ‘General System Theory’ and thought “wow – we can apply differential equations to understand living systems – I want to do that!”
That led me into healthcare and research. I was really fortunate to be able to do pioneering research on computational modelling of physiological systems with my two wonderful mentors Ewart Carson and Ludwik Finkelstein at City University London. Some of the models we developed back in the day still get cited – including by NASA scientists.
Then at University College London, I had another aha moment when my boss, the amazing Ray Jackson, steered me towards clinical applications. From him, I learnt the importance and pleasure of working and collaborating closely with clinicians of all types. The idea was – and still is – simple – deliver technology that makes life easier for clinicians, improves patient outcomes and makes healthcare more productive.
I really had the bug, and before long, I was setting up and growing digital health companies in the UK, US and Australia.
My work spans primary care to operating rooms and intensive care, from prevention of disease to caring for the very sickest patients. I am very proud that it has led to large scale market adoption, listings, acquisitions and the development of ground-breaking products.
I founded Directed Systems Ltd to develop and market the next generation of clinical decision support and closed-loop systems for critical care and the operating room. We exploit the latest advances in software engineering, data analytics, signal processing, control engineering, and artificial intelligence!
I really love what I do and it gives me great satisfaction to know that each day we help save lives and make people healthier.
Mark S Leaning MA, MSc, MIOD, PhD
CEO and Founder
