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Impact: EaStCHEM spin out Albachem (1994), subsequently incorporated into the Almac group, enabling the latter company to become a world leader in the provision of chemically synthesised proteins.
Significance: Chemical synthesis is competitive with recombinant methods for commercial production of the therapeutic polypeptides that represent ~50% of drugs in big pharma pipelines and have a market value in 2008 of over $13B. The value attributable to Ramage's methods for polypeptide syntheses over the REF period is estimated at approximately £6M.
Beneficiaries: Drug manufacturers, contract research organisations, patients, clinicians.
Research: Studies (1993-6) led by Ramage (at the University of Edinburgh) on new methods for high-yield total syntheses and purification of long polypeptides.
Reach: Almac's protein-manufacturing team remains in the UK with 24 staff members. The Almac Group, headquartered in N. Ireland, has 3300 employees globally (1300 outside UK) and sells to 600 companies worldwide.
In High Gravity (HG) brewing the substrate (the wort§) fermented by the yeast is concentrated from a traditional value of about 12% solids to concentrations of upwards of 20%. Research (1993-2008) by Graham's Stewart's team at Heriot-Watt, into the process of brewing beer and distilling spirits in a more cost effective and quality enhanced manner led to substantial improvements in the HG brewing process, now used worldwide. This allows up to 50% more beer to be made at the same plant and reduces distillation costs. In both industries HG-wort production has allowed very substantial savings (>£555 million) in capital expansion costs.
§The substrate produced by the mashing of malt and grains — primarily consisting of fermentable sugars.
Research and knowledge dissemination led by Greenwich on biological pesticides has made a major contribution to the introduction of novel safe commercial pesticides based on insect viruses to help farmers overcome the problems of chemical resistance in major crop pests in Asia and Africa. Research at Greenwich identified effective virus strains, methods of production and formulation which were then developed and evaluated with in country research collaborators before being transferred to local SMEs to start up production in India, Thailand, Kenya and Tanzania. Greenwich advised governments on adopting suitable regulation to support the registration and sale of these novel pesticides.
The impacts in this case study arise from research into the pathways, and processes by which novel vectors and vector borne diseases may be introduced into the Galapagos islands. On the basis of the research, the Ecuadorian government changed national legislation on biosecurity, and implemented a suite of new mitigation measures including requiring all aircraft flying to Galapagos to have disinsection treatments, and banned direct international flights to the archipelago. The work increased general awareness of potential impacts from introduced diseases on Galapagos biodiversity, and the need to improve the biosecurity of the islands, influencing policy decisions in a range of other international organisations including UNESCO. The globally important biodiversity of Galapagos is the basis of a significant fraction of the tourist and national economy of Ecuador.
Industrial collaborators have achieved more efficient and cost-effective routes to market for their oral hygiene and wound healthcare products as a result of UWE in vitro biofilm models based on perfusion flow. These have been used to measure the products' efficacy.
These companies include GABA international, GlaxoSmithKline, Insense Ltd (now Archimed), and Healthcare International.
Healthcare International has developed an oral healthcare product following the use of the UWE models to identify which of several compounds were best suited for this; it has been sold and distributed by Boots International.
Practising dental professionals have been trained by UWE researchers, using insights gained from our research findings, in correct procedures to diagnose and treat breath malodour.
The use of implantable polymeric devices is limited by infection. University of Nottingham research led to patented technology for hydrocephalus shunts that provides biomaterials with long-acting antimicrobial action. Almost 70% of shunts used annually in England now comprise our [text removed for publication] shunt, and UK usage has grown by 22% since 2008. The technology has reduced infection rates from 8.75% (2008) to 3.6% (2013), and prevents around 370 brain infections and 38 deaths in England each year. This is saving NHS England an estimated £18.4m in treatment costs each year, and generating company revenue. Furthermore, our [text removed for publication] EVD catheters for temporary relief of intracranial hypertension have reduced the rate of brain infections from 7.6% to 0.9%.
The parasite Neospora caninum is the leading cause of abortion in cattle in the UK, resulting in around 6,000 abortions per year; and a $1.3b pa international problem. There are no effective drugs or vaccines to control neosporosis. University of Liverpool (UoL) research on the development of diagnostic tests, understanding the pathogenesis, epidemiology and transmission of N. caninum has made an important contribution to developing best practise herd health schemes, now offered by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) and by a commercial company `myhealthyherd', to eradicate N. caninum infection from a herd. This has enabled cattle farmers to improve their businesses by reducing abortion rates and other costs associated with neosporosis.
Researchers at Plymouth University were the first to demonstrate the occurrence of microscopic plastic debris in the environment. Professor Thompson's team showed that `microplastic' particles had accumulated since the 1960s and are present in oceans worldwide. This case study describes the impacts from these findings and the subsequent research by the team which demonstrated that marine organisms could ingest and retain this material and that, upon ingestion, microplastics had the potential to release chemical contaminants. The research impacted on UK, European and American policy and contributed to a body of evidence which influenced companies to phase-out microplastics from their products.
Weak acids (e.g. sorbic acid) are used by food manufacturers to prevent fungal contamination of food and beverages. Professor Archer in the Molecular Microbiology group determined the fungal species that cause such contamination, and identified fungal genes and enzymes that confer resistance to sorbic acid during initial outgrowth of fungal spores. They characterised the biochemistry of the resistance mechanism, enabling design of improved mould inhibitors. These inhibitors, used at the correct time, have improved manufacturing processes to prevent mould contamination and product wastage. Knowledge of mould genetics has also been applied to other industries to improve food additive and biofuel manufacturing processes.
Research conducted by Professor Butt at Swansea University has led to significant environmental and economic impacts. It has provided evidence critical to the successful registration and commercialisation of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae as a biocontrol agent in Europe and North America for insect pests, thereby enabling a reduced dependency on chemical pesticides. Insect pests cause £billions of crop losses globally; this is projected to increase due to intensified farming, pesticide resistance and climate change. Many chemical pesticides have been withdrawn due to the risks they pose to human health and the environment, creating a need for benign alternatives. A novel risk assessment showed that the risk to human and animal health was minimal, as metabolites generated by these fungi did not enter the food chain. Furthermore, the data and risk assessment methodology developed have been used by industry and regulatory authorities (such as the European Food Safety Authority) to make informed decisions about the safety of fungal biocontrol agents.