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The International Bio-sensor and Chemo-sensor Network

Linking academic, clinical and commercial worlds

Sensor100

News and views from the Sensor100 community

Edited by:Michael Brand PhD SM FRSC

Sensor100’s eNewsletter is published by:Captum Capital LimitedCumberland House35 Park RowNottingham NG1 6EEUnited Kingdom

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Table of contents

Editorial 4

Biosensors for Cancer Diagnosis

6

Departments

Coming S100 Events 8

Coming Events 14

Agriculture 17

Environment 18

Healthcare 19

Technology 23

See Sensor100 on social media

Sensor100 Group

Sensor100

@Sensor100AgTech

@Captum_Capital

Sensor100 July 2016 4

From the Editor

Without a doubt, this months highlight for Sensor100 was our Workshop on Biosensors for Cancer Diagnosis. Possibly not the easiest event we have ever organised, but arguably the most successful. Two speakers cancelled a few days before the event, so a very special thank you to Richard Bayford and Sylvain Ladame who filled in for us at remarkably short notice.

Despite the organisational problems, the presentations from acknowledged ex-perts were outstanding, and generated a wide ranging, challenging and enjoyable discussion at the end of the day. Possibly because the meeting was relatively small and the participants all experts, the discussion quickly surfaced a number of issues and problems which will need to be solved in the future. More details on this meeting on Page 6.

Sensor100 has taken on the task of raising the profile of biosensor technol-ogy for the early detection of cancer. This is an important worldwide social need, and represents a major challenge for sensor technology, which if success-ful will dwarf current applications in glucose monitoring and infectious disease diagnosis. It was disappointing that the NHS, bigPharma and the medical device industry were notable by their absence at the Workshop. We still have work to be done for biosensors to gain the recognition they deserve.

You may possibly notice this Newsletter is a couple of days late. Another IT problem broke our five year record of always being on time.

Enjoy the summer.

Kind regards

Michaelmichael@sensor100.com

5 Sensor100 July 2016

Sensor100 July 2016 6

The Workshop

On Thursday, 21 July, a small but perfectly formed group gathered in the rather impressive Council Chamber of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to discuss the current state and future oppor-tunities for sensor technology in the early diagnosis of cancer.

After a opening talk by Nick Ormiston-Smith (CRUK) on why early diagnosis is very much needed, we heard from companies with developed technology and academic researchers develop-ing the next generation. Marc van der Schee (Owlstone Medi-cal) brought us up to date on LuCID, a breathalyzer for cancer; Chris Adams (QuantumDx) offered PoC solutions for cancer detection; Wendy Alderton (Abcodia) described a test for early detection of ovarian cancer. The academics were equally persuasive: Pedro Estrela (Univer-sity of Bath) is developing electrochemical sensors; Richard Bayford (University of Middlesex) builds sensors using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy; Sam Tothill (Cranfield Univer-sity) sensed biomarkers for PoC cancer diagnosis; Sylvain Ladame (Imperial College, London) has sensors for microDNA/RNA fragments. The presentations concluded with a summary by Michael Brand (Sensor100), after which there was a free and wide ranging discussion.

Some issues which emerged:

There is going to be a long lead time before sensor technology reaches the cancer clinic - 5 years or more

Funding for engineering to take technology from lab to marketplace is difficult to obtain

Diagnostics does not get publicity like chemotherapy or surgery, where most re-search funding goes.

Will biosensors to detect early stage cancer be competitive with next generation sequencing - or does NGS only predict probability of getting cancer?

Why weren’t the NHS, bigPharma and Medech companies at the Workshop (they were invited!)?

Overall, it was considered by participants to be an exceptionally useful day, and a meeting which would be worthwhile repeating, on a larger scale perhaps in the USA.

RCOG Council Chamber

Would it be valuable to have a European Early Stage Cancer Detection Network? Sensor100 is exploring the level of interest. Learn more or express interest in the NETWORK

7 Sensor100 July 2016

At Cancer Research UK, the world’s largest independent cancer charity, we fund more than £350m of research each year. We know the key to real progress begins with thinking about our challenges from new perspectives so we’re increasingly looking to new fields and disciplines to bring novel ideas, new technologies, and different ap-proaches to help us find new ways to tackle cancer.

The Pioneer Award was launched last year to fund truly innovative ideas, from indi-viduals, teams or companies, that could improve cancer prevention, diagnosis or treat-ment. The scheme has already funded some outstanding projects ranging from an AI program to guide surgical decision making, to the development of palladium-based drug delivery platforms to be used post-surgery.

The projects span a range of disciplines and exemplify the ‘all welcome’ nature of the award. We want to hear from anyone with an idea that they think could be applied to cancer. You don’t need vast amounts of data to back up your idea, we’re interested in its potential.

The application process is also unique, you just need to submit a short two page pro-posal, which is anonymously judged by a committee of innovators and if you’re idea is shortlisted you will be invited to present your idea in a Dragon’s Den style pitch. The quick process means you can receive funding within four months of submitting your idea. The next deadline for applying is 5 September 2016, further information is available on our website.

You can learn about the process of how to apply and hear what our funding committee are looking for by watching our video.

Sensor100 July 2016 8

21 - 22 September 2016 Ron Cooke Hub, University of York

ProgramPlenary Session: How and Why of Environmental Monitoring

Technical Sessions: Pollution Assessment in the Urban EnvironmentSensors for Water MonitoringAir Monitoring for Health

Invited and Submitted Papers | Poster CompetitionExhibits | Book of Abstracts | Networking Reception

Full Program and Registration details at:www.sensor100.com/IEM2016

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Call for Papers is now ClosedMissed the deadline? Send us an Abstract anyway.

There is still room for one ot two more presentationsPoster Abstracts accepted until 27 August

9 Sensor100 July 2016

Program Call for Papers Registration Venue

Confirmed Speakers

Prof. Dermot Diamond Dublin City University

Dr. Werner BrackHelmhotz Centre

Prof. Rod JonesUniversity of Cambridge

Dr. Francesco PillaDublin City University

Prof. John AtkinsonUniversity of Southampton

Prof. Gerald ThouandUniversity of Nantes

Organised by:

Sensor100 July 2016 10

The 4th annual Sensors in Medicine Conference will bring together academic, clinical and commercial experts to explore new ideas and innova-tions in the application of sensors to medicine and healthcare.

This unique Conference focuses on applications to diseases and patient out-comes, as well as on sensor technology. The Conference is an opportunity to explore new developments at all stages in the pathway from laboratory, to early stage company, through corporate partnerships to the clinic. Sensor technology is also becoming increasingly important through wearable sen-sor technology, both for monitoring chronic diseases and improving health through lifestyle changes.

The 4th Annual Sensors in Medicine Conference will comprise: Invited and contributed papers Poster competition with cash awards Exhibits of sensor technology Panel discussion Networking reception

Papers and Posters are invited on the Conference topics:Implantable and wearable sensors

Sensors and PoC for infectious disease diagnosisSensors for diabetes management

Advanced sensor technology for healthcare

Abstract submission deadline: 23 SeptemberAbstract Submission Instructions

11 Sensor100 July 2016

Canary Wharf view from Docklands Riverside

Confirmed Speakers

Dr. Yuksel TemizIBM Research

Dr. Til BachmanUniversity of Edinburgh

Prof. Tony CassImperial College London

Prof. Jon CooperUniversity of Glasgow

Dr. Luke MooreImperial College London

Prof. Menno PrinsTechnische Universiteit Eindhoven

VenueDocklands Riverside Hotel

265 Rotherhithe Street, London, SE16 5HW, United Kingdom

Exhibitors: Contact Sensor100 to arrange your space info@sensor100.com

Regsitration is now open

A Block of Rooms has been re-served at the Hotel at a

preferential rate.Contact the Hotel on

+44-207-231-1001

Sensor100 July 2016 12

Introducing the First Sensors in Medicine

HackaThonWhen: 11th November 2016 - 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Where: DoubleTree Docklands Hotel, London

What’s a HackaThon:

Teams of post-graduate students will spend the day devel-oping innovative ideas for the application of sensor tech-nology in medicine and healthcare. There will be a short introduction to the task, and some advice on problem solving. Teams will have access to one or more mentors. At the end of the day, each team will present to a judging panel

Who are the judges:

A distinguished group of academic and industry represen-tatives

Is there a prize:

Like MasterMind, the prestige of winning the SiM16 Hack-aThon. We hope there will be modest seed money to allow the winning team to take the idea further

What does it cost:

Students registered for SiM16 come free. For others, there is a £60+VAT entry fee

How do I enter:

You can enter as a team, or individually, and we will assign you to a team

Sounds interesting? Email michael@sensor100.com to let us know you would like to take part.

13 Sensor100 July 2016

29 - 30 November 2016Møller Centre, Cambridge UK

Keynote Speakers

Program TopicsRemote sensing | The Internet of Things | Data Analysis

Sensors in Food ProductionDetection of Contaminants and Pathogens

Food Quality from Farm to TableAnimal, Bird and Fish Welfare

Sensors in Plant Crop Production | HydroponicsNew Sensor Technology for Agriculture

Call for Papers Now OpenDeadline: 7 October

Register Interest and Abstract Guidelineswww.sensors100.com/SIFAA16

Stephen WhalleyMEMS & Sensors Industry

Group

Prof. Antje BaeumnerUniversity of Regensburg

Sensor100 July 2016 14

Com

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nts RSC Faraday Discussion

Single Entity Electrochemistry31 August - 2 September 2016, York UK

Topics include: nanoparticles. nanaotubes and nanowires; nanopores; complex surfaces and reactions at the nanoscale; molecular electro-

analysis from single molecules to single cells.

13 - 14 December

2016Amsterdam

15 Sensor100 July 2016

Learn more:sensus.org

Register:sensus.org/register

SensUs 2016

www.sensus.orginfo@sensus.org @SensUs2016

What is SensUs?SensUs is the first international student competition on Molecular Biosensors for Healthcare Applications. On the 10th of September, there will be a contest day where teams from five countries will present their creatinine biosensor that they have developed in the last eight months. Moreover there will be interesting talks from experts in the biosensing field and stands from our partners.

Dr. Barry FitzgeraldMaster of CeremoniesEindhoven University ofTechnology

Prof. Geert-Jan Dinant“Biosensors Change Healthcare”Maastricht University

Prof. Koen Kas“Past, Present and Future of Biosensing”Gent University

Participating Teams

Let’s compete for quality of life/SensUs2016

Eindhoven, The Netherlands

10September

Sponsored by:

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ture Researchers Use NIFA Grant to Develop Rapid

Food Safety Test

Keeping the food on America’s tables safe to eat is a major priority at USDA, where they are constantly working to find innovative ways to stay a step ahead of bacteria and other dangerous contaminants that can cause illness. Thanks in part to a grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), a research team led by Dr. Bryan Chin, director of the Auburn University Detec-tion and Food Safety Center, has developed a cheap, portable and easy-to-use new screening tool to test fresh fruits and vegetables for the presence of bacte-ria that can cause foodborne illnesses.

The team has developed biosensors that are placed directly upon the fresh fruits or vegetables being analyzed. The eyelash-size biosensors are coated with antibodies and phages (viruses that target specific bacteria) and vibrate when placed within an oscillating magnetic field. If targeted bacteria are present, they bind to the antibodies and phages and change the vibration frequency of the bio-sensor. These frequency changes help inspectors determine the type and amount of bacteria on a given fruit or vegetable. It is fast and has both high specificity and sensitivity. In less than 12 minutes, the sensors can detect as few as five hun-dred Salmonella cells amid a sea of a million bacterial cells. The biosensors are still in the research and development stages. USDA Blog 21 July

Sensor100 July 2016 18

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t Top 50 Cleantech Growth Companies announced at Cambridge Cleantech Conference

The new listing of the 2016 UK top 50 cleantech growth companies has been unveiled at the recent Cambridge Cleantech Conference.

The list of the next generation of cleantech growth companies has been com-piled by Cambridge Cleantech and KPMG. The list is comprised of those com-panies which have developed beyond the start-up phase and are showing real growth against a range of criteria from year on year revenue growth to higher staffing levels and internationalisation.

Press release by Cambridge Cleantech 14 June

Real-time chemical sensor to improve airport security

A team of European scientists has created a hand-held chemical sensor capable of instan-taneous detection from a distance of 30m. Harnessing new photonics technology, the mid-IR sensor uses spectroscopic sensors that read the unique frequencies, or ‘signa-tures’, given off when liquids or gases inter-act with light.

The device can also detect diseases, scan for bacteria in fridges and detect the presence of alcohol, and according to Jose Pozo, director of technology and innovation, at the European Photonics Industry Consortium, spectroscopic sensing in the Mid-IR wavelength band (3 to 12µm) could help with climate change and monitor emission controls.

Reported by newelectronics 29 July

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Hea

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are U.S. Regulator Bans Theranos CEO Elizabeth

Holmes From Operating Labs for Two Years

U.S. Federal health regulators dealt a major blow to Theranos Inc., banning founder Elizabeth Holmes from operating a blood-testing laboratory for at least two years and yanking regulatory approval for its California lab. The sanctions include an unspecified monetary penalty. The Silicon Valley company announced the sanctions, by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in a news release late Thursday night.

Reported by The Wall Street Journal July 8

The Wearable Life 2.0Connected Living in a wearable world

PWC has revisited a 2014 survey to look for current trends in wearable tech-nology. “from our survey as well as external data we’ve analyzed—shows clearly that the explosive growth in this space is all too real. Both men and women like their wearables; however, men are more likely to own smart watches and smart glasses than their female counterparts. And not surprisingly, millennials are far more likely to own wearables than older adults. Adoption of wearables declines with age.”

PWC Consumer Intelligence Series

Fitness runs away with it% of repondents who own a wearable device

Sensor100 July 2016 20

Scripps Research gets record $120M to change medicine

The National Institute of Health has awarded Scripps Research Institute a record $120m grant to help medicine make a historic shift to treating patients based on their specific genetic makeup, lifestyle and environment. Dr. Eric Topol will co-lead the ef-fort to enroll and engage 1 million Americans in a study that will deeply explore peo-ple’s health and regularly provide them with information that they can share with their doctors. Physician-scientist Dr. Eric Topol, one of the US best known advocates for digital medicine, will co-lead the effort to enroll and engage 1 million Americans in a study that will deeply explore people’s health and regularly provide them with informa-tion that they can share with their doctors. Topol’s interests are reflected in the NIH’s new all-volunteer study, which will last at least five years. People will use mobile and web apps to register and participate. The “citizen scientists” will be able to upload a wide variety of data, including blood pressure, heart rhythm, glucose lev-els and sleep and exercise patterns. The app also can upload recordings of the tremors that are experienced by patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Reported by: The San Diego Union-Tribune 6 July

Jawbone Acquires Spectros

San Francisco based Jawbone, which develops and sells wearable wristband technology secretly acquired Spec-tros in 2015. Founded 11 years ago by Jawbone CMO David Benaron, Spectros specialized in using spectrosco-py to create a range of non-invasive molecular sensors. In particular, commercial applications of the technology used it for pulse oximetry, and detection of perfusion and ischemia. The acquisition suggests Jawbone is planning to broaded its product line and technology.Reportetd by MobileHealthNews June 09

21 Sensor100 July 2016

Liquid Biopsy Predicts Colon Cancer Recurrence

One of the most exciting applications of precision medicine is the minimally to nonin-vasive technique of isolating tumor DNA from biofluids for diagnostic purposes—the aptly named liquid biopsy. This screening tool incorporates the power and speed of next-generation sequencing (NGS) to either diagnose disease or track the progression of a disease throughout a patient’s life or treatment course.

Now, investigators at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and the University of Melbourne have utilized liquid biopsy screening to predict the likelihood of recurrence in some—but not all—of a small group of patients with early-stage colon cancer. If confirmed by further research, this new test could eventually help clinicians de-cide which patients need additional treatment at the time of their initial cancer diagnosis of stage II cancer. Reported in GEN News Highlights July 7

Electronic device detects molecules linked to cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s

A biosensor developed by researchers at the National Nanotechnology Laboratory (LN-Nano) in Campinas, São Paulo State, Brazil, has been proven capable of detecting molecules as-sociated with neurodegenerative diseases and some types of cancer.

The device is basically a single-layer organic nanometer-scale transistor on a glass slide. It

contains the reduced form of the peptide glutathione (GSH), which reacts in a specific way when it comes into contact with the enzyme glutathione S-transferase (GST), linked to Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and breast cancer, among other diseases. The GSH-GST reaction is detected by the transistor, which can be used for diagnostic purposes.

Reported in EurekAlert! 19 May

Sensor100 July 2016 22

Robotic rectum may aid prostate cancer diagnosisor why we need biosensor tests for prostate cancer!

The idea is the device helps train doctors and nurses to perform rectal examinations by accurately recreating the feel of a rectum, as well as providing feedback on their examination technique. The device contains small robotic arms that ap-ply pressure to the silicone rectum, to recreate the shape and feel of the back passage.

Imperial College News 4 July

Growth Opportunity in Biochips Market is Expected to Reach USD 17.75 Billion by 2020 from USD 7.63 Billion in 2015 at a Growing CAGR of 18.4%Report by AbsoluteReports 6 July

Workshops

Aug 29, 14:00 - 15:30: “Wearable and Ambient Sensor Technology in Geriatric Medicine and Rehabilitation: examples, challenges and lessons learned”

Aug 31, 17:00 - 18:30: “Wearable sensors in large cohort studies: experiences and future directions”

http://www.hec2016.eu/

23 Sensor100 July 2016

Electrochemical Sensing Symposium

Biomedical Sensing

Environmental Monitoring

Novel Sensing Technologies and Platforms

Industrial Measurements

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the submission of Hickling’s seminal publication outlining control of potential at a working electrode, regarded as the invention of the potentiostat, the 21st annual Electrochem meeting will be held at the location of its discovery, the University of Leicester, in August 2016.

Electrochem 2016

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