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ISSN 1753-6677

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PROTEIN TESTS TO HELP TACKLE CANCER

SCIENCE ENGINEER ING & TECHNOLOGYMAGAZINE

A HEALTHIERWORLD

FOREWORD

NETWorks is published by Distinctive Publishing Ltd, Aidan House,Sunderland Road, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE8 3HU

Telephone 0191 4788300

Managing Director John NeilsonCreative Director Martin Williamson

Editorial John Dean

For all enquiries including editorial, subscription and advertising please contact Distinctive Publishing.

With thanks to all our contributors.

NETWorks is supported by NETPark www.uknetpark.net

NETWorks reports on the very latest science and technology news, putting discoveries and advances in the context of everyday life – showcasing County Durham and the North East as a place of scientific excellence.

This issue looks at healthcare, bioscience, and medical devices and instrumentation – areas in which, as a region, we have tremendous strengths and also areas which have a very direct impact on all our lives.

These are sectors for which innovation is their lifeblood and in which the private, public, voluntary, scientific and academic communities all have crucial roles to play. Collaborative working and technology transfer are vital elements of businesses success.

Take just as one example our recent collaboration with the Electronics KTN in staging a debate at NETPark on the subject of microdiagnostics. Leading speakers were attracted, including Professor Peter Fielden, Professor of Analytical Science at Manchester University, and Professor Zulfiqur Ali who outlined the important engineering innovation work his team at Teesside University are carrying out in the development of diagnostic and medical devices for the early detection and treatment of deep vein thrombosis. In the same debate, Dr Dale Athey of Orla Protein Technologies pointed out that there’s often a long, arduous journey from the university research bench to commercialisation.

So having the right support systems in place is essential. Organisations like the Research Councils to fund research, the regional development agencies to coordinate action, and centres of excellence like Cels which is right at the heart of our region’s biotech and healthcare support infrastructure.

And it’s why we place so much emphasis on the practical, tailored business support CDDC provides at the NETPark Incubator, designed to supply the total support environment needed to help early stage science and technology businesses to thrive.

Innovation is much spoken of - what CDDC and our support partners are doing is giving the innovative ideas which begin life in our universities and research institutes every chance of becoming viable business opportunities by helping in a wide range of ways such as sourcing funding, supply chain networks and new market opportunities.

What was then British Telecom launched an advert back in 1994 asserting “It’s good to talk” – fifteen years later for science, engineering and technology we’d say “It’s a must to talk”. That’s certainly the thinking behind our NETPark Net initiative, built to encourage innovative companies throughout the region to communicate and share ideas and experience.

And it’s also the thinking underpinning the North East Stem Cell Institute (NESCI), a unique regional collaboration of clinical, academic and commercial partners, and Cels’ HealthConnect. This is a network of professionals and organisations working in assistive technology, health informatics, medical devices, biotechnology and life sciences, health and social care, and health and well being.

Innovation and investment in these areas are crucial to both the economic and physical well-being of our region. They are, in a very real sense, life-saving.

Stewart WatkinsManaging Director, County Durham Development Company (CDDC)

CDDC is driving the development of the North East Technology Park (NETPark) and the virtual business support environment, NETPark Net.

N ETPARK

CONTENTS

04. PROTEIN TESTS TO HELP TACKLE CANCER

08. WORKING IN A RICH VEIN

10. AWARDS, ACCREDITATIONS AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

11. IMPROVING OUR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

12. MICRODIAGNOSTICS DEBATE

14. ENTERPRISE AND INNOVATION

15. THE CHALLENGE OF DRUGS DEVELOPMENT

16. CREATING THE CUTTING EDGE

18. RESEARCHERS SEEK BETTER DIAGNOSIS

19. SOPHISTICATED SOFTWARE TO HELP TACKLE FRAUDSTERS

20. BIOCHEMICALS TO BE PART OF INITIATIVE

21. PROTECTING SHIPS FROM RISK

23. POLYMER BASED MICROENGINEERING

24. CARINA VT PIONEERING RESPIRATORY TECHNOLOGY

26. CALLING ALL ENTREPRENEURS

28. CREATING NEW HORIZONS

30. EVENTS RAISE AWARENESS OF HEALTH SECTOR

31. UNIQUE STUDY AIMS TO HELP OLDER PEOPLE

32. RESEARCH EXCELLENCE

34. QUANTUM GENETICS

35. NUTRITION AT WORK

36. INTEGRATED PROCESS DEVELOPMENT

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35. NUTRITION AT WO

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CONTENTS

Image of blood serum proteins, separated by charge and size. Consensus of protein signature shown in black.

N H S I N N O V A T I O N S N O R T H S U P P O R T S N E W P R O T E I N T E S T S T O H E L P T A C K L E C A N C E RCancer patients who undergo treatment may no longer have to suffer debilitating side effects if clinical trials taking place in Newcastle prove to be a success.

Nonlinear Dynamics spin-out company, ‘Biosignatures’, has developed a new test which better identifies protein markers in the blood and tells specialists how patients will respond to different treatments.

Working on the project with some of the biggest names in pharmaceuticals, the company recently commissioned the NHS Innovations North team at RTC North to broker introductions and help set up clinical trials within the health service.

The work of Biosignatures build on existing research which has allowed doctors a better understanding of the way the cells and proteins of the body work. NHS Innovations North Intellectual Property Manager, Carl Brown, explained:

“By examining a much larger sample of protein markers within a patient’s blood sample, the new test will provide doctors with much more detailed information about the patient’s disease status.

“Blood serum contains in excess of 20,000 proteins and, rather than making a diagnosis using a single biomarker, the new test will report changes to a much larger set of markers associated with a particular disease. It is this disease specific signature that will assist early diagnosis.”

Biosignatures CEO, David Bramwell, added:

“What we are doing may dramatically improve diagnosis and the selection of methods used to treat patients. We know many clinicians are frustrated that they cannot give the level of care they want to.

“If they had the right information to assist them then they could not only minimise patient discomfort but also target expensive treatments to those they will work on.

“You may have a patient who would, as it stands, go through chemotherapy or be put on a course of a particular drug. Our test could tell the doctor if that is likely to work, or whether a different course of action may be a better option.

“The tests would give clinicians more options in monitoring and managing the disease which could have a major impact on patients’ quality of life.

“The team at NHS Innovations North has provided us with crucial access into the health service and helped us set up clinical trials. Ultimately this will allow us to refine the tests in the field and make a real difference to patient care.”

Clinical trials are already underway on patients suspected of having prostate cancer and thanks to NHS Innovations North, Biosignatures is also working on a proposed trial with Thyroid Cancer patients at Newcastle’s RVI.

05

A C C E S S T O T H E N H S A N D H E A L T H C A R E M A R K E T SCompanies developing new products for use in healthcare markets can now access support from the NHS Innovations North team.

Working on the commercialisation of healthcare related intellectual property, NHS Innovations North has a proven track record in managing the commercialisation of new ideas and research in the North East, offering assistance to businesses as well as staff employed in the region’s Trusts.

Specialising in IP assessment, patent searching, market research and due diligence, the team also provide consultancy for businesses looking for support in research and development funding applications.

Offering a high quality service that includes prior art exploration, market assessment and the commercialisation of new healthcare technology, the team have recently assisted a locally based company providing support research into groundbreaking diagnostics devices.

NHS Innovations North is one of a network of innovation hubs across the UK set up to help make the most of new ideas within NHS Trusts and improve healthcare.

Delivered in the North East by RTC North, the project will benefit from £800,501 of European Union investment from the ERDF Competitiveness Programme 2007-13, managed by regional development agency One North East.

The ERDF programme is bringing over £250m into the North East to support innovation, enterprise and business support across the region.

For more information on NHS Innovations North services call Carl Brown on 0191 516 4400Email enquiry@nhsinnovationsnorth.org.uk

www.nhsinnovationsnorth.org.uk

W O R K I N G I N A R I C H V E I NCounty Durham security company Biotecnix Limited has announced the latest advance in technology that eradicates the need for fingerprints when it comes to security access.

The company, based on Ponds Court Business Park, in Consett, has been working on technology which recognises vein patterns to confirm a person’s identity.

Co-directors Mia Chapman and Michael Largue, who established the company in August 2008, have been developing new applications for sensor technology developed in the field known as biometrics.

Michael, who used to work in a senior position within the IBM global network security division, said: “The main form of biometrics has tended to be fingerprints so if you want to get into a building, the sensor reads your fingerprints and allows you in if there is a match.

“However, that can be a flawed system. For instance, a labourer may find his fingerprint eroded through his work. Certain types of

bleaches and detergents used by those who clean can have a similar effect. The result is that the sensor can erode over time and will not work and users will not be allowed access to their own buildings, which is inconvenient to the individual and the company. There are also concerns over iris recognition systems and their usability in the market place.

“What we have done is utilised the technology for sensors which can read vein patterns and come up with new security applications such as access control and time and attendance hardware and software systems. The technology exists, what we have done is developed it further for high security applications for the working environment.

“Vein patterns are unique to each individual and the sensors can identify them in order to allow access, whether it be to open a door in a building or allow a vehicle engine to be started. The sensors can even tell if the person is alive or dead so there is no way a person’s finger or hand can be cut off and used to authenticate.

09

“One of the advantages is that it is a contactless biometrics system where there is no need to touch the sensor; a contact biometric can lead to it becoming dirty, wearing down and not working properly. All you need to do is place your finger above the sensor and it will instantly identify you from your vein patterns, in addition to having the unique capability of recording those who are denied and attempt access.”

Mia said: “We have taken the best of technology to develop our solutions. We have developed some very interesting high security applications for businesses utilising the next generation of biometrics – digital vein recognition.”

The company already provides sensors for buildings and has, for several years, also provided intelligent tracking systems for more than 9,000 client fleet vehicles. Now, it plans to develop and expand the use of its vein recognition sensor systems further.

Michael said: “Our tracking systems already monitor the movements

of vehicles throughout the UK and Europe. Our vein recognition sensor will make the vehicle even more secure because if someone tries to steal the vehicle, the sensor will not recognise their vein configuration and send an instant alert to our monitoring centre in North Yorkshire.”

Another of the applications available is a system that protects computers and server access so that the user’s unique vein pattern is used via the sensor to unlock sensitive files as well as protecting private files and login to a high standard of encryption.

Mia said: “At a time when companies are increasingly sensitive about their protected information, especially with the current climate and unfortunately people being made redundant, systems like ours that increase security access to computers and buildings are ideal to dramatically improve business security.“

www.biotecnix.ltd.uk

Michael Largue and Mia Chapman

A W A R D S , A C C R E D I T A T I O N S& S T R A T E G I C P A R T N E R S H I P SThe last two years have proven to be rather busy for Complement Genomics Ltd, a service laboratory based at the North East BIC, Sunderland. Founded in 2000 by its two co-owners, Dr. Neil Sullivan and Louise Allcroft, the Company has focused on providing clients with high quality services at competitive prices and this is reflected in the numerous quality standards and customer service awards the company holds and in the loyalty of its client base, which extends the length and breadth of the country. Through its trademarked, ISO9001:2008 certified Geneblitz® service, the Company offers a comprehensive range of molecular biology services to the bioscience community, both commercial and academic, which include:

n Residual DNA analysis e.g. for bio-manufacturing companies n Pharmacogenetic testing e.g. for clinical trials volunteersn Genome Wide Association studies (GWAs) e.g. for pharma and academic researchersn DNA sequencing – including next generation sequencing and sequence enrichmentn Gene expression studies e.g. pre and post treatmentn Validation of stem cell lines e.g. DNA fingerprinting, genotyping n Mutation detection and screeningn Nucleic acid isolationn Eco/Toxicology testing e.g. AMES n Forensic/human identity testing servicesn Accredited paternity testing services*

(*The ISO17025 accredited dadcheck® service is the only DNA testing laboratory in the North East that is accredited by the Ministry of Justice “as a body that may carry out parentage tests directed by the civil courts in England and Wales under Section 20 of the Family Law Reform Act, 1969”.)

In addition, the Geneblitz® service also offers clients a bespoke assay design, optimisation and validation service for a number of the above techniques. More information can be found by visiting the website www.geneblitz.com

Over the last two years, this small but highly ambitious bioscience company has begun to make a name for itself not only regionally and nationally but also in the US where it recently announced a strategic partnership with Expression Analysis – a leading provider of high throughput genomics solutions based in North Carolina.

“The partnership with Geneblitz® provides us with an established presence in the United Kingdom, with an experienced service provider who operates with the same philosophy and similar quality standards and platforms,” stated Steve McPhail, President and CEO of Expression Analysis. “Geneblitz® will focus its efforts on Genome-Wide Association studies which have become an increasingly larger part of our business”, continued Mr McPhail.

“Expression Analysis is an industry leader with a great reputation in the field of genomics services and our decision to partner with them was not a difficult one,” said Louise Allcroft, Chief Executive Officer of Complement Genomics Ltd. “By combining our experience, scientific leadership and high-throughput capabilities, we will be able to help meet the needs of the extensive pharmaceutical and biotechnology infrastructure in the United Kingdom.”

In addition to providing research and supportive laboratory-based services to the bioscience sector, Complement Genomics Ltd. also runs its own internal research and development and over the last two years has been awarded a number of grants including a Grant for Research and Development (GRD) from One North East for developing novel ways of extracting DNA from rare scene of crime samples (2007) and, more recently, the company was part of a successful 5-party consortium (RegeniTherix), that won a bid for Technology Strategy Board funding towards a 3 year project looking into the development of intelligent dressings for wound healing. This project will generate intellectual property for the company through the discovery of new genetic associations with the wound healing process as well as the early identification of infection at the wound site through the detection of specific markers at the molecular level.

For further information please contact Louise Allcroft, Chief Executive, on +44 (0)191 516 6500 or email info@compgeno.com

I M P R O V I N G O U R H E A L T H A N D W E L L - B E I N GAn impressive research base and a commitment to the principle that research should inform teaching at all levels lies at the heart of the work of a key department in one of our region’s universities.

The University of Sunderland’s Department of Pharmacy, Health and Well-being brings together a variety of disciplines and programmes, with a theme of improving people’s Health and Well-being, at the centre of which is the long established Sunderland Pharmacy School.

A measure of the standing of the School is the recent success of third year pharmacy student Matthew Crum, crowned winner of this year’s BPSA McNeil Responding to Symptoms Competition.

The award, made at the British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association (BPSA) Conference, marks Matthew out as one of the best pharmaceutical students in the UK and he was also named runner-up in the Reckitt Benckiser Student of the Year Award Competition.

Located on the University’s City Campus where facilities are excellent, and set to improve further through a multi-million pound investment programme, the Department has highly qualified staff who use their wealth of experience in the education and training of future professionals in many different arenas of Health Care.

And they also offer postgraduate programmes and short courses which contribute to Continuing Professional Development for Health Care Professionals across the Health Service.

Pharmacy, Chemistry & Biomedical sciences graduates are involved in diagnosing and treating diseases, research into how diseases develop and investigating how particular chemicals can enhance healing. Many of them go on to work for top pharmaceutical companies.

Research excellence in pharmacological and biomedical sciences at Sunderland takes place in well equipped laboratories equipped with a wide range of state-of-the-art instruments and expert staff who know how to get the best out of the specialist equipment.

In recent years, in collaboration with Professor Michael Spedding, Deputy Director of Research, Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier (IRIS), France, the team has identified a number of significant findings in relation to the ability of brain-derived neurotrophins to modify oxygen utilisation, organelle oxidative efficiency and glutamate metabolism - cellular events which have major implications for neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. Collaborating with international institutions of the highest quality is crucial to research and the aim now is to build on these findings further by incorporating essential measurements, such as cellular and intracellular cationic movement, membrane potential, permeability transition and levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) into these research programmes.

A number of researchers in this team study the differential expression of genes and proteins and their relevance to human and animal disease - fundamental to the understanding of biological processes. To enhance the understanding of these processes further a systems biology approach is developed, taking a more global analysis of gene expression whereby the technology is underpinned by the recently acquired facilities for proteomics research.

The group is also engaged in collaborative research with chest consultants from regional hospitals in Sunderland and Newcastle in a study of lung function in asthmatic and non-asthmatic patients and of the respiratory health and quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Further research is investigating the determination of the optimal perfusion for non-heart beating donation; islet transplantation using non-heart beating donors; the treatment of acute renal graft rejection; neuroprotection and quality control tests for hyperimmune response. These research topics are funded by high-esteem bodies such as the Wellcome Trust, the Kidney Research Fund and the NHS.

www.sunderland.ac.uk

11

M I C R O D I A G N O S T I C S D E B A T EIn the fast-changing world of healthcare, miniaturised diagnostics can deliver real benefits to patients and healthcare providers. Mike Parker was in the audience at a debate held at NETPark to explore its potential.

In recent years, long-distance travellers have increasingly been seen sporting new leg garments that closely resemble the once fashionable pop socks.

And, while they may not be the best look for a 50-year-old businessman in a suit, compression tights are the footwear of choice on long-haul flights because they are the only readily accessible method to tackle deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The condition, where a clot can form in the deep vein in a person’s leg with often fatal consequences, has particularly been linked to longer aircraft flights.

According to a report by the Surgeon General in the US, DVTs occur in about one in every 1,000 people each year. In a paper calling for action to prevent these blood clots, the US Department of Health and Human Sciences estimated that approximately 350,000 to 600,000

Americans each year suffer from DVT and at least 100,000 deaths may be directly or indirectly related to this condition.

A team of scientists at the Teesside University is thinking small when it comes to finding the most cost effective way to combat this large-scale health threat.

Professor Zulfiqur Ali, Assistant Dean in the university’s School of Science and Technology and Director of the Technology Futures Institute, is leading the team which is developing a point-of-care device to detect DVT.

They are using polymer substrates to create a low-cost, disposable device that ordinary members of the public can use. The team is exploring hot embossing and injection moulding techniques to make the product.

Prof Ali chaired a debate on the role of microdiagnostics held at the North East Technology Park (NETPark) in Sedgefield. He said: “Microdiagnostics offers the potential for the early detection of

disease. If you can detect diseases before the physical symptoms become apparent you have a better chance of a cure. We also have to provide care at the point of need.”

Microdiagnostics technology has enormous implications for changing the face of global healthcare both from a cost perspective and in providing cutting edge diagnostics right at the point where they are most needed and where laboratories are unavailable.

Also speaking at the NETPark debate – hosted in partnership with the Electronics KTN - was Professor Peter Fielden, Professor of Analytical Science at Manchester University, who outlined how his team has been working on devices to detect troponin – one of the markers used to detect heart disease.

Prof Fielden also highlighted the wider applications of microdiagnostics in the security sector, explaining how handheld devices were being developed to analyse inorganic materials used in explosives such as the nail bomb that was detonated in the Admiral Duncan pub in May 1999.

Dr Dale Athey, a former biochemist in the NHS and now chief executive officer at Orla Protein Technologies Ltd, told a 40-strong audience at the event that microdiagnostics was driving the growth in decentralised healthcare.

Dr Athey’s company, which spun out of Newcastle University in 2002, uses protein engineering to produce a range of applications including more accurately detecting bacteria, viruses or proteins in blood.

He explained how his company had formed a joint venture with Japanese electronics manufacturer Japan Radio Company, to use Orla’s technology in diagnostic devices which can be used by doctors and paramedics to perform tests on patients without the need for complex equipment.

But, taking a bright idea and turning it in to a profitable product is both long and expensive, according to Dr Athey. He said: “From the university bench to commercialisation is a long and arduous route. There are many mistakes that can be made along the way.

“This is down to the fact that the commercial opportunity is right at the high end of the risk curve. There is quite a tortuous route to getting a technology through to making some commercial gain. There’s a lot we can share on how we can do that successfully.”

Dr Athey quoted data from the US indicating that it can take between $50m to $100m to get a diagnostic test to the market and he pointed out that scientists needed to think about their business model as well as their technical one.

Microdiagnostics clearly has an exciting role to play in the future development of healthcare and security, not least for its ability to provide faster analysis and response times, high-throughput analysis, lower fabrication costs and a safer platform for chemical, radioactive or biological studies. However, with commercialisation costs still incredibly high, it will be the best business cases that will head the field.

13

M I C R O D I A G N O S T I C S D E B A T EIn the fast-changing world of healthcare, miniaturised diagnostics can deliver real benefits to patients and healthcare providers. Mike Parker was in the audience at a debate held at NETPark to explore its potential.

In recent years, long-distance travellers have increasingly been seen sporting new leg garments that closely resemble the once fashionable pop socks.

And, while they may not be the best look for a 50-year-old businessman in a suit, compression tights are the footwear of choice on long-haul flights because they are the only readily accessible method to tackle deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The condition, where a clot can form in the deep vein in a person’s leg with often fatal consequences, has particularly been linked to longer aircraft flights.

According to a report by the Surgeon General in the US, DVTs occur in about one in every 1,000 people each year. In a paper calling for action to prevent these blood clots, the US Department of Health and Human Sciences estimated that approximately 350,000 to 600,000

Americans each year suffer from DVT and at least 100,000 deaths may be directly or indirectly related to this condition.

A team of scientists at the Teesside University is thinking small when it comes to finding the most cost effective way to combat this large-scale health threat.

Professor Zulfiqur Ali, Assistant Dean in the university’s School of Science and Technology and Director of the Technology Futures Institute, is leading the team which is developing a point-of-care device to detect DVT.

They are using polymer substrates to create a low-cost, disposable device that ordinary members of the public can use. The team is exploring hot embossing and injection moulding techniques to make the product.

Prof Ali chaired a debate on the role of microdiagnostics held at the North East Technology Park (NETPark) in Sedgefield. He said: “Microdiagnostics offers the potential for the early detection of

disease. If you can detect diseases before the physical symptoms become apparent you have a better chance of a cure. We also have to provide care at the point of need.”

Microdiagnostics technology has enormous implications for changing the face of global healthcare both from a cost perspective and in providing cutting edge diagnostics right at the point where they are most needed and where laboratories are unavailable.

Also speaking at the NETPark debate – hosted in partnership with the Electronics KTN - was Professor Peter Fielden, Professor of Analytical Science at Manchester University, who outlined how his team has been working on devices to detect troponin – one of the markers used to detect heart disease.

Prof Fielden also highlighted the wider applications of microdiagnostics in the security sector, explaining how handheld devices were being developed to analyse inorganic materials used in explosives such as the nail bomb that was detonated in the Admiral Duncan pub in May 1999.

Dr Dale Athey, a former biochemist in the NHS and now chief executive officer at Orla Protein Technologies Ltd, told a 40-strong audience at the event that microdiagnostics was driving the growth in decentralised healthcare.

Dr Athey’s company, which spun out of Newcastle University in 2002, uses protein engineering to produce a range of applications including more accurately detecting bacteria, viruses or proteins in blood.

He explained how his company had formed a joint venture with Japanese electronics manufacturer Japan Radio Company, to use Orla’s technology in diagnostic devices which can be used by doctors and paramedics to perform tests on patients without the need for complex equipment.

But, taking a bright idea and turning it in to a profitable product is both long and expensive, according to Dr Athey. He said: “From the university bench to commercialisation is a long and arduous route. There are many mistakes that can be made along the way.

“This is down to the fact that the commercial opportunity is right at the high end of the risk curve. There is quite a tortuous route to getting a technology through to making some commercial gain. There’s a lot we can share on how we can do that successfully.”

Dr Athey quoted data from the US indicating that it can take between $50m to $100m to get a diagnostic test to the market and he pointed out that scientists needed to think about their business model as well as their technical one.

Microdiagnostics clearly has an exciting role to play in the future development of healthcare and security, not least for its ability to provide faster analysis and response times, high-throughput analysis, lower fabrication costs and a safer platform for chemical, radioactive or biological studies. However, with commercialisation costs still incredibly high, it will be the best business cases that will head the field.

E N T E R P R I S EA N D I N N O V A T I O NThe challenging and profound economic climate in which our graduates and universities find themselves means that renewed efforts must be made to ensure that the student experience is imbued with opportunities for the acquisition of knowledge, learning experiences that are relevant and the integration of theory and practice.

Universities like Durham must seek to equip students for a ‘life-world’ of much greater uncertainty and complexity involving frequent occupational, job and contract status change, global mobility, adaptation to different cultures, working in a world of fluid organisational structures, greater probability of self-employment and wider responsibilities in family and social life1.

Enterprise and innovation are increasingly acknowledged by government as the driving force behind change and job creation. The government is supporting major initiatives in all phases of education to drive the introduction of enterprise into the curriculum.

The Regional Economic Strategy emphasises that the North East needs to increase the number of graduate new business ventures. In addition, student perceptions are also changing, with increasing numbers of students registering an interest in following an entrepreneurial career calling for the opportunity to test and develop their entrepreneurial skills and industry is looking for an element of entrepreneurial creativity in its top class graduate recruits.

In October 2007 Durham University established the Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (CfEL). The primary purpose of this centre is to promote and co-ordinate entrepreneurial learning within the university and to harness and develop the capacity of regional, national and international stakeholders. The objective being to facilitate entrepreneurial behaviour amongst students, staff and alumni, while working in partnership with relevant external stakeholders to support this effort.

CfEL’s unique blended approach incorporates enterprise, underpinned by the latest technology, into the formal subject based curriculum. The centre has also developed a wide ranging suite of informal capacity building interventions accessible by students and staff through the colleges and departments.

Durham University has committed itself to the scaling up and embedding enterprise and entrepreneurship education across the university campus to expose all students to inspiring opportunities and meaningful learning experiences. Activities have been developed to equip graduates with entrepreneurial skills and behaviours, and to help graduates to understand the opportunities available to them through utilising enterprise as an appropriate vehicle for career development.

All students are supported to understand the relevance of enterprise and entrepreneurship to their lives and careers.The centre’s strategy focuses upon developing ‘enterprising graduates’ who are equipped to fulfil their potential as employees, entrepreneurs and global citizens by enabling them to:n contribute to economic development, perhaps by starting new venturesn address major societal challengesn affect changen develop their own intellectual, economic and social capital through the acquisition and development of entrepreneurial skills, behaviours and attributes

One of CfEL’s offerings is GLEAM (Graduate Learning of Entrepreneurship Accelerated through Mentoring). This internationally acclaimed graduate start-up programme teaches the practice of business to nascent owner/managers through workshops that take a pragmatic and practical approach, enhanced by one to one mentoring. To date it has assisted more than 160 graduate businesses to develop in the region.

CfEL works in partnership with SMEs from across the region- owner managers acting as role models and mentors for the graduate businesses, helping them to develop social capital as well as business skills. Online virtual communities of practice already link students to over 5000 businesses in the region.

To find out more about our work please contactentrepreneurial.learning@durham.ac.uk

1 Gibb, A (2005) ‘Toward the Entrepreneurial University: entrepreneurship education as a lever for change’, NCGE, Birmingham

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T H E C H A L L E N G E O F D R U G D E V E L O P M E N TThe discovery and development of a new drug is a complex business. Not only is it scientifically challenging, but the international Regulatory Framework demands rigorous attention to standards and procedures in order to successfully deliver a new therapeutic substance into clinical practice.

In essence, drug development depends upon making the right decisions at the right time in order to minimise costs and timelines in a way that maximises the generation of data to characterise and understand the nature of the product. In practice, the process of transforming a compound from lead candidate stage to an approvable drug demonstrating both efficacy and safety comprises a number of main phases. Each of these phases presents challenges and opportunities!

n Choosing the development candidateIt is important to apply the most appropriate technologies to maximise the choice of compounds with the characteristics to survive the hurdles of development.

n Satisfying the Regulatory AgenciesOverall project design and strategy need to satisfy Regulatory Guidelines, taking account of precedent but justified on a case by case basis as necessary.

n Managing the projectThe choice of contract service providers is critical and outsourced projects require careful monitoring to ensure standards and timelines are managed.

n Designing and conducting the studiesCareful study design is necessary to satisfy scientific demands, regulatory expectations and quality compliance programmes. n Interpreting the dataThe ongoing progress of the molecule through the different stages of development depends upon rigorous interpretation of the data across a variety of experimental models and species.

n Preparation of regulatory submissionsAn adequate risk/benefit assessment, taking account of the biological activity of the compound, exposure characteristics and cross-species comparison of effects needs to be presented through the regulatory process to justify clinical development and ultimate marketing authorisation.

Facilitating Drug Development in the North EastFocus Biosciences Limited is an independent consultancy based in the North East which provides expert advice and technical support to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and associated industries.

The company was founded in 2003 by Dr Frank Bonner who has over 25 years of experience in toxicology and drug development, gained through a variety of senior appointments in multi-national pharmaceutical companies and contact research. The Founder is a Past President of the British Toxicology Society, has served on national committees of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Boards for a number of technology companies developing products or services to support drug discovery and development.

Utilising the skills and experience of independent consultants is an effective way of gaining access to specialist knowledge on an as needed basis.

Focus Biosciences Limited provides a range of services to support the drug development process and to help clients navigate the international regulatory environment. In addition, the Company has an extensive network of associates and collaborators which provides the opportunity to gain access to professional expertise and know-how encompassing the wide range of technical disciplines that is required to progress a candidate drug molecule through the different stages of the regulatory process.

Contact Dr Frank W Bonner - Focus Biosciences Ltd, PO Box 89, Ponteland, Newcastle upon Tyne NE19 2ZSTelephone 01434 672622 or email frankbonner@focusbio.com

R E S E A R C H E R S S E E K B E T T E R D I A G N O S I S O F D E A D L Y C O N D I T I O NMEDICAL DEVICESResearch being carried out in the North East is helping to tackle the potentially deadly condition deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Teesside University’s research has been looking at better ways of diagnosing the condition, which is the most common cause of unexpected death in developed nations.

DVT is a condition in which blood clots form in one of the body’s deep veins, often the leg, which can result in pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a clot lodges in the lung. Factors that might lead to DVT include obesity, immobility and old age.

Professor Zulf Ali, Assistant Dean of the School of Science & Technology at Teesside University, in Middlesbrough, is co-ordinating a project which uses nanotechnology to come up with a prototype for a miniaturised, portable device which can diagnose the condition.

The work includes leading researchers from Germany, France, Spain and Hungary as well as private sector companies, who are 26 months into the 36-month project.

Funding for the venture has included finance from the Government’s Science Research Investment Fund (SRIF2), which allowed the creation of a clean-room which has become the UK centrepiece of the research.

Further support has come from what was the Department for Trade and Industry, One North East and Europe.

Prof Ali said that as part of the DVT project, the consortium hopes to carry out a small-scale trial and attract further private sector funding to further develop the idea.

The work has been praised in an independent review conducted by the Technopolis organisation for the Higher Education Funding Council for England into the way public funding is used for research. The work was one of 35 examples cited for special mention.

Prof Ali said: “We are very conscious that our work should bring economic benefit to the region and improve quality of life, so we are obviously delighted to be recognised in this report.”

Dr Elizabeth Robertson, Dean of Teesside University’s Graduate Research School, said: ‘This is a really excellent result for Zulf’s team to get this level of recognition.” www.tees.ac.uk

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S O P H I S T I C A T E D S O F T W A R E T O H E L P T A C K L E F R A U D S T E R SINNOVATION CONNECTORSA new centre has opened which will help companies tackle the growing problem of digital fraud.

Gateshead College’s £75,000 Digital Forensics Lab will offer courses to equip companies with the skills needed to recognise and track criminal activity and put preventative measures in place.

Fraudulent activities covered include those using computers, mobile phones and the internet – known as cybercrime.

The Federation of Small Businesses estimates that fraudulent internet transactions, unscrupulous emails known as ‘phishing’ and security problems caused by viruses and hackers costs an average small business £800 a year, running into several thousands of pounds. Computers are also used to commit financial frauds like money laundering or false accounting and to gain unauthorised access to restricted websites or information held on databases.

Now, organisations can enrol their IT technical staff on a digital forensics investigation course at the college to learn how to recognise the tell-tale signs of criminal activity, using the centre’s up-to-date equipment and software.

The Digital Forensics Lab was designed with help from Northumbria Police and the North East Fraud Forum, which works with organisations to raise awareness of the latest techniques for fighting fraud. Investment was provided by One North East.

Detective Sergeant Alan Batey, head of Northumbria Police’s computer crime unit, said: “We are seeing year-on-year growth in the number of people using computers, the internet and mobile phones to co-ordinate and undertake criminal activities.

“The new Digital Forensics Lab will be a great resource to help companies uncover fraudulent activity, helping them to better protect their business, market share and ultimately profits.”

Gateshead College’s assistant principal (adult and higher education), Mary Lindsay, said: “Our digital forensics courses will provide people with the skills and confidence to tackle a costly and highly damaging problem that could be affecting hundreds of local businesses.”

Tim Pain, head of business, enterprise and skills at One North East, said: “Gateshead College is using cutting edge technology to provide businesses with training in the latest digital forensics investigation techniques.

“While we hope that organisations never experience digital fraud, which is a growing threat, it is comforting to know that such a state-of-the-art facility is available locally to help train staff to deal with the issue.”

www.gateshead.ac.uk

C A M B R I D G E R E S E A R C H B I O C H E M I C A L S T O B E P A R T O F G R O U N D B R E A K I N G I N I T I A T I V E BIOSCIENCESResearch support company Cambridge Research Biochemicals (CRB) Limited has secured a key role in a European initiative to bring together experts in scientific research from across Europe .

CRB, which is based in Billingham, Teesside, in North East England, specialises in the synthesis of peptides, protein fragments which are used in the research and discovery of new medicines.

Already partnered with a number of major companies, CRB has now been named as one of the partners in the BIOSCENT project, part of the Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development (FP7).

Established by the European Commission to co-ordinate scientific research, FP7 brings together research-related EU initiatives, allowing companies like CRB to share their scientific know-how in peptides with other experts from across Europe.

Peptides are short polymers formed from the linking of amino acids. Reagents are used to develop new peptides. Understanding the way peptides work is key to tackling a wide range of medical conditions.

The idea of BIOSCENT is to give Europe leadership in key scientific and technological areas.

CRB’s involvement is as a SME which will include providing peptide synthesis expertise and synthetic peptides to support the development of peptides within the field of heart stem cell research.

The company will be eligible for EC support of 196,400 Euros as part of a consortium research and development programme worth Euros 6,305,731 with the project lasting five years.

There are 15 European members of the consortium, which is headed by the University of Pisa, Italy, through Professor Paolo Giusti, Department of Chemical Engineering, Industrial Chemistry and Materials Science.

CRB Commercial Director Emily Humphrys said: “To be involved is very exciting for us because it means that we are collaborating with some of the most respected research groups across Europe. We are already working with some of the biggest names in the pharmaceutical industry so strengthening our place in the academic network is very important to us.“

The news comes at a time of continued growth for the company, which was recently awarded a Grant for Business from the former Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR).

The grant, administered by regional development agency One North East and aimed at companies who are involved in innovative work, will help CRB further develop its Billingham laboratories in order to increase production and improve efficiency.

Another driver to further expansion is the alliance established between CRB and a major European chemical company. Under the agreement, CRB will carry out a range of research on new products as well as testing the effectiveness of existing ones.

Emily Humphrys said: “We will be providing product support for the company, which means making peptides to test existing products to prove their ongoing consistency and reliability. However, our work will also provide data which will be used in the development of new products.”

www.crbdiscovery.com

Peptide synthesis at CRB

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P R O T E C T I N G S H I P S F R O M R I S KA company based in a North East research centre has introduced a new service designed to provide further protection for ships against potentially damaging fuels.

The primary business of Guardian Marine Testing Limited (GMT), based at The Wilton Centre, near Redcar, is to test fuels used by ships, to confirm that they are safe to use.

Now, GMT has developed a system for detecting chemical contaminants in the fuel.

Sales and Marketing Manager Andrew Shaw said: “Our testing service is vital because it allows our clients to use the fuel with confidence that they will not damage or destroy their engines, endanger the crew or create environmentally damaging exhaust.

“However, there are occasional incidents when a fuel appears to be perfectly in accordance with specification but causes serious problems when the ship burns it. In some cases, it has been known to cause complete power failure. It would be catastrophic if a crude oil carrier was drifting off a coastline somewhere.

“When the fuel is then investigated further after the incident, it can be found that it is contaminated with chemicals.“

The company, which began trading in May 2008, has responded by launching ChemScan, which will allow its team to test fuel samples for chemicals and report the findings to the client in the same time frame as the usual testing.

Andrew said: “This will, no doubt, give in 99% of cases a clear result but it’s the one per cent which we are looking to identify and catch before the fuel is used.“

www.gmtlab.com

Technology developed and piloted at The Wilton Centre by chemical company Lucite International has been used to start up a new world-scale plant in Singapore.

The plant uses Lucite International’s alpha process, a new technology for the manufacture of methyl methacrylate, or MMA.

Test tube experiments on what was to become the alpha process began in the early 1990s, when the Acrylics business was still part of ICI.

Scale-up via batch-type reactors and distillation units took place, and this led to the design and construction of the first continuous pilot plants in 2001.

The pilot plants were used to develop the technology further, and to validate process engineering models of the new system, before moving to the design of Alpha Plant 1 for Singapore.

The significantly lower cost-base of the alpha technology has put Lucite in an excellent position to move forward as a leader of the worldwide acrylics industry.

GMT Technical Manager Andrew McEwen (left) with Operations Manager Paul Livingston and Sales and Marketing Manager, Andrew Shaw

Lucite’s Alpha 1 plant heralds the dawn of a new era for MMA

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L E A D I N G T H E W A Y I N P O L Y M E R - B A S E D M I C R O E N G I N E E R I N GEpigem is a highly specialised company, whose core competences are in fabricating products enabled by polymer microstructures (typically channels and wells, ridges and domes - in the size range of 100 nanometres {diffractive colour} to 100 microns {miniature plumbing}). These microstructures are manufactured into key components for our customers serving applications ranging from bioanalytical instrumentation used in drug discovery, to display touch screens, to creative fashion accessories. Process microengineering creates coatings and integrated microstructures providing functional properties including optical, electrical, magnetic, chemical and biological, as required.

Epigem span out of the strategic R&D operation of ICI at Wilton14 years ago. We offer product development and contract manufacturing services worldwide to the Microsystems and optoelectronics industries. Epigem have strong links with the region’s universities. For example, Newcastle, Durham and Teesside have been involved in providing supporting science to EU research projects in the field of miniaturised bioanalytical instrumentation and UK projects on polymer electronics for display and lighting applications. We are part of the region’s supply chain, developing film based products for emerging markets, and are one of four (with INEX, NanoCentral and PETEC) North East based centres of excellence offering open access services in the field of micro and nanotechnology; in our case under the Fluence brand name (www.fluence.co.uk). We also provide access to leading edge EU MNT centres including QinetiQ and CSEM through the silicon-polymer integration service “Integramplus” (www.integramplus.com). In the first three years of operation the Fluence Microfluidics Centre has supported 29 companies and 25 universities; locally in the North East (5), Nationally (34) and Internationally (15). As well as multinational companies, start up companies from universities

have been supported from the proof of concept stage through to commercialisation - with support when required transferring from R&D by Fluence to manufacture of key components by Epigem.

Microfluidics has a wide range of applications both for enabling new or improved products and also in new processes. This includes methods of making products (chemicals, materials, portable instrumentation etc) or for undertaking alternative methods of measurement or for intensifying processes by making them smaller and more energy efficient. Microfluidics is frequently integrated with other functions. Microfluidics is enabling the way products are delivered and used to be radically transformed, for example, pregnancy testing in the home and drug delivery inhalation sprays. Epigem / Fluence is supporting bioanalytical instrumentation development and manufacture - used in support of drug discovery and miniaturised assays at the DNA, protein and cultured cell levels- for various drug screening environments including in-vitro models of the microfluidic environment within blood capillaries.

Other measurement applications have been developed including an aerodynamics system for monitoring the air pressure profile across a structure such as an aircraft wing or car for increasing energy efficiency. A range of microfluidic printing processes are available within Fluence for product manufacture that are a key part of our activity in the emerging polymer electronics market and are being employed, for example, in the manufacture of display touch screen components.

Unit 3, Malmo Court, Kirkleatham Business Park, Redcar TS10 5SQT: 01642 496 300 F: 01642 496 301 E: info@epigem.co.uk

www.epigem.co.ukwww.fluence.co.uk

C A R I N A V T P I O N E E R I N G R E S P I R A T O R Y T E C H N O L O G YACUTE CARECarina VT is proud to supply some of the most technologically advanced portable ventilators in the world for the acute management and transfer of critically ill patients with respiratory failure.

For those patients requiring weaning from invasive ventilation, advances in non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) have undoubtedly increased survival, requiring short or long term ventilation as a means of life support. Mechanical ventilators supplied by Carina VT are capable of NPPV delivery or use in weaning programmes.

HOME CARE AND RESPIRATORY THERAPYIncreasing numbers of children and adults with longterm breathing difficulty are able to leave hospital and regain a high level of independence at home, thanks to technological advances in lightweight, portable and versatile mechanical ventilators.

Carina VT provides specialised ventilators for home care use, as well as follow on support as part of the overall care package that enables ventilator dependent individuals to enjoy living in the community again.

We are now proud to introduce a range of therapy devices to assist the patient in airway clearance and preventative techniques to promote respiratory independence.

SERVICE EXCELLENCE FOR UK CUSTOMERSResponsible for world leading portable ventilator technologies, Carina VT is dedicated to providing the highest level of service, after sales support and customer care.

n Supplies of service parts stock held in the UK are only genuine manufacturer parts.

n Service and after sales support remains within the expertise of Carina VT Ltd and strictly follows manufacturer guidelines and quality systems. All of our service programmes are performed by the Carina VT service team, and not subcontracted to external service providers.n Flexible programmes of aftercare are tailored to customers’ individual requirements.n With a choice of Maintenance Only options or Comprehensive Service Contracts, Carina VT can offer annual renewable service agreements as well as extended Technical Support programmes.

TRAININGCarina VT is committed to providing the highest quality aftercare and support to our customers. Along with service support to suit a wide variety of user situations, we are proud to offer user training appropriate to the required level of competency.

Device training can be provided at the clinical lead site, with sessions ranging from one to four hours, and tailor-made bespoke training can be designed for delegates off-site to suit user needs.

Following standard or extended warranty on our range of high quality products, it is also possible that organisations would wish to perform maintenance or servicing on their own products.

Service technical training can also be provided either direct from our supplier manufacturer or authorised service training packages directly by the Carina VT service management team. A comprehensive training course would be designed to meet our technical customers’ needs.

www.carinavt.com

C A L L I N G A L L E N T R E P R E N E U R S ! It’s been almost a decade since Henry Chesborough, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, first wrote about Open Innovation. This is the concept that companies can no longer afford to rely entirely upon their own internal research and development and may lack the agility to respond quickly to market opportunities. Instead, they should draw on external resources, ideas and best practice to complement their own work and advance the development of new technologies.

One organisation taking a truly Open Innovation approach is Alliance Boots, which launched the Boots Centre for Innovation in 2007. Alliance Boots develops many successful products in its own research facilities in Nottingham, but also wanted to introduce more exciting new product ranges by working in partnership with external parties.

The Centre works with early stage companies and inventors to develop pioneering healthcare and beauty products. Set up as a partnership between Alliance Boots, the Institute of Life Science at Swansea University and Longbow Capital, it is open to ideas from around the world, and invites entrepreneurs to present their innovative health and beauty concepts for consideration. The Centre is also working with some of the UK’s leading universities to seek out new technologies that can be applied to the health and beauty sector.

This offers innovators a unique route to market. The Centre’s team provides advice, technical expertise and sources of funding to stimulate the development of new ideas and bring new concepts to market quickly and successfully. Importantly, the creator retains their original IP rights.

The team’s experience – it includes retail experts, scientific advisors and project managers – reflects the diversity of innovators’ needs. They can provide as much or as little support as required, working with experts within Alliance Boots and externally to move concepts through the development cycle and onto the shelves. Recent product launches illustrate how this process works.

IncoStress is a new and effective solution for women suffering from urinary stress incontinence. Its inventor approached the Centre at a trade show with a finished and patented product addressing a significant consumer need but no plan for bringing it to market.

The Centre’s team offered vital business support, including guidance on supply chain management and packaging, assistance with funding by helping the inventor to navigate through the investment process, and marketing expertise. Less than a year later, the device was available across the UK on the Boots consumer website.

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“Working with the Centre was easy and the team were incredibly supportive throughout the whole process,” explains Gaynor, the product’s inventor. “Their expertise, especially in marketing, distribution and packaging, was invaluable.”

Another product launched through the Centre’s work is Boots Smooth Skin, a handheld device that uses Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) technology by Swansea-based CyDen Ltd. to provide permanent reduction of unwanted body hair.

The technology was first developed at the University of Swansea to treat children with birthmarks. During their work on the treatment of the skin with light, scientists realised that this technique could also suppress the growth of hair. Medical device company CyDen was set up to exploit the IPL technology, and has been successfully supplying the professional market for a number of years. The company wanted to address the consumer market and began to develop a prototype for home use.

CyDen introduced the prototype to the Boots Centre for Innovation

team, who quickly realised that it addressed a major consumer need. They carried out research to understand how best to position the product, quantify potential demand and investigate price elasticity, and then worked with CyDen to optimise the technology for consumer use. This resulted in a small, affordable device that was easy to use in the home and was launched successfully earlier this year.

“There are some amazing technologies out there, and we aim to stimulate the development of new applications that can benefit the general public, as well as providing business opportunities for their inventors,” explains the Centre’s managing director Ron Petersen.

“We believe there are market opportunities for new solutions across the healthcare spectrum, from diagnostic devices to pain relief. We offer inventors a unique combination of advice, funding and a route to market for their products. If they have innovative ideas, we’d like to work with them to develop the next generation of health and beauty products.”

www.bootsinnovation.com

C R E A T I N G N E W H O R I Z O N S F O R T H E U K ’ S I N D U S T R I A L B I O T E C H N O L O G Y F A C I L I T YThe Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), a key driver of market-led innovation in the UK’s processing sector, has launched a new Biosource programme which will help open new doors to companies looking to embrace the industrial biotechnology revolution.

The new programme will see the National Industrial Biotechnology Facility (NIBF), managed by CPI, enhanced with a range of new equipment that will bolster its capabilities in enabling customers to replace traditional chemical processing techniques with new cleaner and less wasteful enzyme routes.

Providing a single centre to trial and develop manufacturing processes the £12 million NIBF, based at CPI’s head quarters in Wilton, is an open access facility enabling customers to scale up proof of concept ideas in the emerging field of industrial biotechnology.

Through its partnership with CoEBio3 the facility provides a unique gene-to-kilo service and an integrated ‘plug and play’ design, allowing customers across a diverse range of sectors to produce trial quantities of products, scale-up processes and provide detailed real time information on fermentation.

The Biosource programme will enable the installation of a range of new facilities including; a 15L steam-in-place fermentor; a photobioreactor and other equipment for the growth of algae; a high speed centrifuge; and additional analytical capabilities. At pilot scale, additions include pre-processing equipment for wet and dry biomass and membrane and filtration equipment for down stream processing.

Sophie Walton, business manager for the NIBF, said “Integral to NIBF’s success to date is its adaptability in allowing a range of businesses to test new processing concepts to ensure they are viable before further investment. The Biosource programme will enhance the facilities”.

CPI is currently working with a range of customers operating within fine chemical, cosmetic, fragrance, food, marine, and fuel markets. The centre is also working on several FP7 projects, collaborating with partners across Europe with the aim of developing new technologies for the greater good of European industry.

What NIBF offers?n 2 x 1000 litre fermentors. n Online PAT to tell you exactly what’s happening within your fermentation – as it happens.n Unique plug and play DSP. n New pre-processing options. n Development labs to 10 litre scale. n Marine fermentation capability. n Novel bioreactor design, build and optimisation. n Dedicated 50 litre solvent facility and integrated chemical processing capacity. n Consultancy services and process packages.

If you need a passionate, intelligent and flexible partner for your scale up, who can add value through innovation, then please contact Sophie Walton at ap-info@uk-cpi.com.

E V E N T S R A I S E A W A R E N E S S O F I M P O R T A N T H E A L T H S E C T O RWork is under way to raise awareness of the massive potential of bio-business among academics and business people in the North East. Newcastle University Business School has been staging a series of events designed to encourage debate and discussion about the sector, which has been responsible for some of the most important medical breakthroughs of recent times.

The city already has a number of successful companies specialising in the field and the monthly events at the University have outlined the further potential through presentations and discussions.

They follow the appointment of four Professors of Practice in the fields of bioprocessing technologies, medical science, ageing and health and energy, whose remit has been to support good business ideas emerging from the University, as part of Newcastle Science City.

Named Conversaziones, defined in the dictionary as ‘a meeting for conversation, especially about art, literature, or science’, the events are organised by Research Associate in Biobusiness Lucy Foley. The most recent one was on June 25 when Tony Bradshaw, of bioProcessUK, a national Knowledge Transfer Network for the bioprocessing sector, addressed the gathering.

Lucy said: “The Conversaziones events are aimed at making people more aware of the potential of the biopharmaceutical sector and its place in the drugs market.

“The events have been excellent and have been evolving as more people engage with what we are trying to do.

“This really is a lifesaving industry in terms of the drugs it can produce and we want academics and business people to work together more closely to share their expertise.

“One of the benefits will be that existing companies can have access to support through Newcastle University Business School and it would also be good if start-up companies emerge from this process.”

Lucy is also completing a project aimed at researching the development of monoclonal antibodies, which have already led to the development of drugs used to fight conditions including respiratory illnesses.

Her research, to be published later this year, will examine ways in which academics and businesses can work closer together to streamline the process.

Lucy said: “It took approximately 25 years for the first monoclonal antibodies to reach the market and I will look at the lessons that have been learned during that process and also look at ways in which it could have happened faster.

“For instance, you might get a medical researcher who spends six years getting a product to a certain stage then calls in a bioprocess engineer who says it can’t be produced in large enough quantities. That is six years lost. It would be much better if some of the processes can overlap to lessen the time taken.”

www.ncl.ac.uk/nubs

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U N I Q U E S T U D Y A I M S T O H E L P O L D E R P E O P L EA unique research project led by North East experts is helping to shape the long-term provision of health and social care services for older people across the UK.

The Collaborative Development Network, which brings together health, social science and mathematics experts, is being pioneered by Northumbria University, in Newcastle.

Building on a 25-year study into the well-being of a group of pensioners from the North East who are now in their 80s, the network has been awarded £50,000 by the Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Cross-Council Initiative to further the work.

Professor Charlotte Clarke, Associate Dean of the School of Health, Community and Education Studies at Northumbria, said: “Society today is often guilty of focusing on older people as a problem, instead of concentrating on what people can offer to society and how to develop ways of managing.

“This exciting new network is taking a completely different approach by identifying those aspects of the social, psychological and physical environment that enable an older person to use their own skills and abilities to the best effect.”

Professor Clarke is working with a multi-disciplinary team on the project and believes that their work will provide huge benefits to older people in the future.

The Collaborative Development Network will involve health, social science, psychology and mathematics experts from Northumbria and academics from the Universities of Sheffield, Newcastle and Manchester, as well as international advisors from Australia and South Africa.

Prof Clarke said: “We believe the network will both inform and support individuals, policy makers and healthcare professionals to ensure the UK is able to provide the very best support for older people in the future.”

The network will build on work done by the British Academy International Research Network on risk and ageing, the UKCRC Centre for Translational Research in Public Health and data collated from older people taking part in North East Age Research, the study which started more than 25 years ago.

The latter has been investigating older people’s cognitive abilities - the way they think and process information.

Dr Lynn McInnes, the co-ordinator of the 25 year study, said: “The original research actually started back in the 1980s when we wanted to examine what happens to people’s cognitive abilities as they get older. We discovered that age has little bearing on cognitive performance and there’s great variability amongst older people. However, we also discovered that older people felt good cognitive performance helped enhance their quality of life and that having better cognitive abilities was intrinsically linked to better health in general.

“Now we have the opportunity to feed those findings into an important piece of research which will draw on a wide range of expertise to help shape the future provision of services for older people right across the country.”

www.northumbria.ac.uk

Newcastle Biomedicine is a world leading collaboration of research scientists, engineers, clinicians and teaching professionals, working together across traditional disciplinary divides.

Joining Newcastle University with the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and other academic institutes and NHS hospitals in the North-East, we excel in tackling challenges in health and healthcare.

Our principal aim is to support strong basic science at Newcastle University and translate that into direct benefits for patients in our partner NHS Trusts. This strategy has already led to major advances in the healthcare of patients within the region, nationally and internationally.

We aim to transform people’s perceptions of their own health and their healthcare. We are firmly rooted in the North-East of England, its culture, and its people. With their enthusiastic support we have been able to build research, teaching and clinical facilities that are now among the best in the world.

R E S E A R C H E X C E L L E N C ENewcastle Biomedicine reaffirmed its research excellence in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), the UK’s official survey of research quality. The work of research staff was assessed by special panels and graded for quality, ranging from 4* (world leading) to 1* (nationally recognised). Overall, Newcastle University was ranked 17th out of 162 universities and colleges in the UK, in a league table compiled by ‘Research Fortnight’ magazine.

In Medicine, the results provided an external endorsement of our international standing in key areas of research.

n We were ranked 8th in the UK overall for all “medical” Units of Assessment combined.n We were in the top 5 for both hospital- and laboratory-based

clinical subjects, where two-thirds of the outputs were classified as world leading (4*) or internationally excellent (3*)n Cancer studies had 75% of its research classed as internationally excellent and a further 15% as world leading.

Our research is organised into 8 Institutes in:n Ageingn Cellular Medicinen Cancern Cell and Molecular Biosciencesn Health and Societyn Human Geneticsn Neurosciencesn Stem cells (jointly with Durham)

2009 marks the 175th anniversary of medical teaching in Newcastle and the 25th anniversary of the opening of the current medical school. The Newcastle upon Tyne School of Medicine and Surgery (then part of the University of Durham) was established in 1834. A new medical school opened in 1984.

Our hospitals now combine excellent day-to-day patient care with world leading innovation and research. A Europe-wide healthcare survey in 2007 gave us the highest level of patient satisfaction for any city in Europe.

The quality of service provided in Newcastle hospitals makes them much more than local hospitals. They are recognised nationally as centres of healthcare excellence, with over 30% of patients coming from outside Tyne and Wear to take advantage of the quality of our care and of our expertise. We treat complex cases referred to us by other hospitals from across the UK.

We’re at the forefront of healthcare practice in many specialist areas. The Freeman Hospital has an international reputation for leading-edge transplant surgery, for both children and adults. The team there performed Europe’s first successful heart transplant for a child in 1987 – that patient is now a healthy, young woman. And we have continued to pioneer healthcare, performing the first single lung and the first dual lung transplants in.

At the Newcastle General Hospital we have one of only two ‘bubble units’ in the country, where children with severe immune system problems are treated in a special air-tight isolation ward.

Massive investment in facilities and people continues, including the £300 million ‘Transforming Newcastle Hospitals’ programme to upgrade our city centre hospitals.

A L O N G H I S T O R Y O F B E N E F I T I N G P A T I E N T S

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P A R T N E R I N G W I T H I N D U S T R YNewcastle Biomedicine has strong strategic relationships with the medical, pharmaceutical and life sciences industries. Partnerships with companies ranging from North-East based SMEs to major multinationals are developed through a Joint Research Office, which brings together university and NHS staff to provide a one-stop shop for commercial interactions.

We have a growing range of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities for doctors and dentists. They range from classes of

less than 8 students to much larger sessions for over 100 students; and from a few hours up to several days, often spread over several weeks or months, available for more in depth material. Accredited and unaccredited CPD is available. In response to employer demand, there has been a strong movement towards accredited CPD. CPD can be developed quickly for specific subjects utilising the embedded expertise in the Institutes & Schools and resources and specialist equipment is available for technical training.

T A K I N G S C I E N C E I N T O T H E C L I N I COur Clinical Research Platforms – eight first class facilities - provide practical support for researchers and a caring and supportive environment for study participants. Supported and managed by a core team, the individual platforms operate in state-of-the-art facilities with experienced staff capable of conducting all phases of research, including early-phase work.

The platforms comprise:n Newcastle NIHR Clinical Research Facility - situated at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, staffed by experienced research nurses and research professionals. n The Wilson Home Immunotherapy Centre - at the forefront of the development of tolerogenic therapies, the Centre shares staff with the Clinical Research Facility. n Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre - situated in the Campus for Ageing and Vitality at Newcastle General Hospital, this facility is equipped with a high field (3T) magnetic resonance scanner.

n Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre - our newest platform (opened in March 2009) is situated in the new Northern Centre for Cancer Care (NCCC) at the Freeman Hospital. n The Positron Emission Tomography Centre - temporarily located at the Campus for Ageing and Vitality, our clinical PET-CT scanner is likely to move shortly to the NCCC, as most early studies are likely to be in cancer research. n Clinical Ageing Research Unit (CARU) - situated on the Campus for Ageing and Vitality, CARU provides an ideal high-quality patient-friendly environment for phase II-IV clinical studies in the older patient.n The Newcastle Clinical Trials Unit helps investigators design, conduct and analyse trials across all types of health and social technologies and supports intervention trials designed to improve clinical and service effectiveness.n South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust Clinical Research Facility - a satellite partner platform of Newcastle Biomedicine located in the Academic Centre, James Cook University Hospital.

With all of this excellence with a purpose, it is no surprise we are punching well above our weight nationally. Two of the six national clinical research networks (the only ones outside of Oxford, Cambridge and London) are based in Newcastle (one jointly hosted with London). We host the national Biomedical Research Centre on ageing and two national Medical Research Council coordinating centres.

If you want us to work with you, contact:Martin CoxBusiness Development ManagerTelephone 0191 2227309Email m.b.cox@ncl.ac.uk

www.ncl.ac.uk/biomedicine

Q U A N T U M G E N E T I C SNovel chemistry provides the essential raw material for the innovative products and processes that are the lifeblood of the UK chemical industry. For many years, the only available approach to early stage discovery has been through traditional laboratory chemistry methods, often with an element of luck providing the key advances. More recently, the pharmaceutical sector has led the way in using computer-based methods, initially to augment experimental studies, but increasingly to find creative new ways to tackle the discovery process.

Today, the remarkable advances in computer power that we have seen over the last few decades are opening up exciting new possibilities to bring computational chemistry into the centre of the discovery process, across the whole range of the chemical industry.

At Northumbria, we have developed a proprietary new computer-based method for chemical discovery, called Quantum Directed Genetic Algorithms (QDGA). The approach is built on research carried out at Northumbria University in partnership with major industrial chemical manufacturers.

QDGA can be tailored to a very wide range of problems and provides a dramatic acceleration of the development cycle while reducing discovery cost. It also provides a detailed picture of the fundamental chemistry of a desired process, giving a reliable assessment of the feasibility of new concepts and products. Projects are handled at a business-to business level through Quantum Genetics. The company aims to provide specific, disruptive catalyst and reactant products that:

n deliver a positive step-change in the financial and environmental impact of existing chemical engineering processesn enable entirely new processes and products

Quantum Genetics’ mission is to provide solutions in many chemical sectors including Consumer Chemicals, Process Chemistry, Pharmaceuticals, Fuels, Mining and Metal Extraction, and Petrochemicals.

www.quantumgenetics.co.uk

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N U T R I T I O N A T W O R KNutrition is our business, make it part of yours.

‘Nutrition at Work’ is an enterprise developed by Registered Nutritionist, Dr. Fiona Caple (RNutr), which provides consultancy and training in all aspects of diet and nutrition for delivery in the workplace, from short ‘lunch and learn’ interactive workshops for employees to menu analysis or individual nutritional advice.

The driver for this enterprise comes from a number of Government strategies which directly involve employers taking responsibility for the health of their workforce. Case-studies published by the Department of Health indicate that businesses who have introduced a focused and accessible wellbeing strategy have been rewarded with reduced absenteeism, reduced attrition rates and increased staff morale.

More and more businesses are introducing and developing wellbeing strategies and indeed ‘The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For’ takes into account scores for wellbeing.

Employers are in a strong position to help improve the health of their employees and, in a review by the Health Development Agency, identified workplace interventions as being an effective way of communicating information to a large proportion of the adult population.

This innovative service delivered in your premises includes the following workshops:

n weight management

n understanding food labels

n menu analysis services

n personalised nutrition advice

www.northumbria.ac.uk/consultancyenterprise

B I O M A N U F A C T U R E I N T E G R A T E D P R O C E S S D E V E L O P M E N TLyddallan Consultancy Ltd was established in 2007 by Andy Lyddiatt to service technical and strategic projects in the field of biomanufacture. The company works closely under NDAs with small and large corporations, government agencies and academic collaborators to deliver innovative solutions to complex problems associated with the conception, research and development and achievement of the integrated manufacture of macrobioproducts (proteins, nanoplexes or cells). These are targeted at applications in biopharmaceutical, fine chemical, food and drink or diagnostic sectors.

In recent times a recognition has grown that an understanding of the response of molecular and biological properties of products to the process environments of their manufacture (fermentors, centrifuges, filters, precipitators, chromatographic contactors, concentrators etc) is as critical as the engineering design and integration of such unit operations to establish successful processes. Indeed, such properties may govern whether a bioproduct can be made to the specifications required by the market place (efficacy, safety, shelf-life etc). Proof or prediction of manufacturability in newly discovered candidates is increasingly an early goal of putative development.

Like many bioscientists, Andy Lyddiatt was drawn to the study of protein structure and chemistry by a fascination in the understanding of biological functionalities. During PhD training in the 1960s in the Durham University lab of Don Boulter, it was necessary to manufacture and purify significant quantities of plant and animal proteins to states of near molecular homogeneity in order to enable unambiguous structural characterisations.

It was clear that these same molecular properties could usefully inform and facilitate the design of improved, bulk manufacture for individual protein products. The harnessing of structural information for target products (and unwanted impurities) to the design and implementation of efficient, up-scaled biomanufacture has since been central to Andy’s professional career.

After research posts in Dublin, London and Cambridge, Andy joined the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Birmingham in 1983 to establish the Biochemical Recovery Group (BRG) whose development of novel biomanufacturing methods became based upon sound molecular and process engineering principles. A key feature of this period was the high number of research contracts successfully concluded with government, academic and industrial partners (the latter including Astra Zeneca, Celltech, Cobra Biomanufacturing, GSK, Medimmune, Millipore, Unilever, Whatman and Whitbread).

Projects commonly focused on researching robust alternatives to established chromatographic practice (fluidised bed adsorption, foam flotation, aqueous two-phase fractionation, selective precipitation etc) and their evaluation when fully integrated into representative operational manufacturing flows from upstream bioreactor to downstream formulation. In the 90s the focus shifted increasingly from proteins toward nanoscale products such as viruses, virus-like particles and plasmid DNA whose physical dimensions pose a new set of manufacturing challenges. Augmenting the technical output of the BRG during this period was the steady flow of trained personnel experienced with representative feedstocks who were recruited by biotechnological companies such as Avecia, Centocor, Genentech, Millipore, Pall, GSK, Lonza, Merck Serono, Novozymes, Prometic, UCB Celltech and Wyeth.

In 2002 the unique regional attractions of the North-East, first encountered as a Durham undergraduate, proved critical in persuading Andy Lyddiatt to accept the post of Director of R&D with Millipore Corporation at their manufacturing facility in County Durham.

Managing separation technology and innovative product development in both Consett and Bedford MA offered an invaluable learning curve in R&D delivery to service the prescribed needs of the market-place. The intimate relationship of a material supply vendor with biopharmaceutical manufacturers offered a great learning experience, and yielded unique insights into commercial R&D, not least the need for researchers to understand key business drivers and for marketing folk to better appreciate technical constraints inherent in R&D processes.

Thus were sown the seeds of an interest in the reactive interfaces between science, engineering and business thinking relevant to bioproduct development which Andy currently explores as Professor of Practice in Bioprocess Technologies in the Newcastle University Business School (NUBS). Here he has worked with Professors Gary Montague and Elaine Martin of Chemical Engineering and Advanced Materials in the establishment of a University Research Centre and an Engineering Doctorate Training Programme in Biopharmaceutical Technology. He also works closely in NUBS with Lucy Foley, a biochemical engineering postgraduate from UCL who is researching and defining how process engineering and biobusiness awareness could contribute to a compression of the timeframe to market for scientific inventions in emerging fields of nanotechnology and cellular therapies. There are many salutary lessons evident in the 25+ year evolution of therapeutic antibodies from discovery to the present day products of mature template processes.

Newcastle University currently has four Professor of Practice Posts active within the four themes of Newcastle Science City (Energy, Ageing and Vitality, Molecular Engineering and Regenerative Medicine). The part time nature of these appointments is designed to enable the incumbent to be active as catalyst and role-model for engagement and change within the translational interface of academic teaching and research, whilst remaining active and visible in commercial and entrepreneurial arenas.

Lyddallan Consultancy is the commercial outlet through which Andy Lyddiatt offers technical and strategic services in bioprocess technologies underpinned by 35 years experience in academic and corporate research, development and manufacture. Practical skills are offered in the design, implementation and trouble-shooting of integrated bioprocesses for the manufacture of natural and recombinant bioproducts (proteins, nanoplexes, cells). Innovative solutions to technical problems and networked sources for customer solutions are a speciality. Past projects have involved technical input to product and process development in small and large companies, assembling technical evidence in support of company patent litigations, and strategic reviews of funding and policy landscapes for regional and national bodies.

A significant ongoing project is the Programme Management of the Bioprocess Research Industry Club (BRIC) formed by BBSRC, EPSRC, bioProcess UK and a consortium of 17 companies. BRIC currently funds 24 research projects in 18 Universities focused upon industrial needs for bioprocess technologies in an integrated programme worth in excess of £13 million. A proposal to government sources for further rounds of BRIC funding to meet unmet needs is in currently preparation.

Andy Lyddiatt can be contacted at al@lyddallan.co.uk