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For stroke patients and any patient undergoing surgery the time period from diagnosis to treatment is a major factor in clinical outcomes. Research carried out at the University of Warwick has led to the development of sensors that can be used to measure, in whole unprocessed blood, diagnostically useful analytes that can be used to select the best therapeutic treatments. Point-of- care diagnosis and prompt referral to an appropriate care pathway, facilitated by the use of biosensors, will result in efficiency savings for healthcare professionals and the NHS in the long- term, and will also improve patient outcomes. To commercialize these biosensors, Sarissa Biomedical Ltd was founded in 2002, as a UK-based spinout from the University of Warwick. Sarissa sells, around the world, microelectrode biosensors fabricated by a unique enzyme deposition technology protected by patents filed in 2004 and 2008 by the University of Warwick. The diagnostic sensors are based on technology that incorporates Ruthenium Purple and use a sol-gel coating to entrap enzymes on a microelectrode. Sarissa is pursuing human trials of its biosensors as diagnostic tools in two main areas: stroke, and trauma with associated sepsis.
The impact of this research has been of commercial benefit for TgK Scientific Ltd, a Wiltshire- based SME, who have successfully commercialised a FT-IR Stopped-Flow instrument. This has achieved market share as a result of incorporating an innovative cuvette designed and fabricated by the University of Birmingham's School of Biosciences. The company has sold nine of these instruments since they were first marketed in 2008, generating ~£200,000 in sales. This has made a substantial contribution to the company's total sales, most obviously in 2012 where sales of four instruments accounted for around 10% of their ~£800,000 turnover. The instrument allows the study of fast biological reactions by rapid scanning Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The Birmingham contribution is a cuvette of a unique design that enables biological materials to be mixed and observed after 2-3 ms, allowing enzyme-catalysed reactions which have non- chromophoric substrates to be studied in physiological conditions. TgK have combined the cuvette with their stopped-flow drive system and a spectrometer produced by Bruker to make a complete apparatus; it is believed that this gives the instrument a unique functionality valued by a significant niche market.
An approach was developed that allowed the design of food items to facilitate psychological functioning: the key insight was that food items that slowly and continuously release glucose have a beneficial impact on mood and cognition. The work has impacted on public policy and is used, for example, to justify recommendations made by the European Food Information Council and the US Department of Agriculture and Food. Globally the findings have stimulated significant interest from food and ingredient manufacturers as they can reformulate food items to make claims about mood and cognitive functioning. This is reflected in the funding received from multi-national corporations, based in six different countries, to exploit the key research findings for the development of novel food formulations. In one instance a patent was established.
Translational research created new techniques for medical biosignal analysis in both the ECG and Pulse Oximetry areas. CardioDigital, a university spin-out company, was incorporated in 2001 to commercialise the research and became a world leader in the development and supply of signal analysis solutions for the medical device industry. The technology has been applied to defibrillation techniques to improve survival rates following sudden cardiac arrest, with a range of closely linked pulse oximetry based technologies applicable for general ward use. The technologies provide both enhanced and extended performance of the pulse oximeter leading to improved patient care and hospital workflows.
The Boutelle team has developed a biosensor that uses rapid-sampling microdialysis (rsMD) to detect ischaemia (restricted blood supply to tissue) during surgery and intensive care. The rsMD biosensor is implanted into tissue at risk and provides a real-time readout of chemical markers of metabolism. By 2009, technical improvements researched in the Department of Bioengineering had made the system suitable for routine clinical use. The system has reduced morbidity and mortality by alerting the surgical team to otherwise undetected ischaemia. It has been used by an international consortium of clinical centres to help decide treatment in approximately 100 patients with brain injury. More recently it was adopted by a Portsmouth hospital to monitor cancer patients undergoing reconstruction of the face and jaw; the biosensor detected a failure of perfusion in transplanted tissue in two of the first ten patients, prompting the surgical team to remove otherwise undetected blood clots that could have led to death from septicaemia.
Reliable and timely measurements are vital for innovation, trade, environmental protection and quality of life. University of Bedfordshire work with measurement systems was already established in 1993 with commercially sponsored work to develop and patent sensors for rapid toxicity assessment in the water industry. Biosensor technologies provide approaches to development and application of cost effective devices for measurement at the point of need in many fields of application and the university's Sensor Research Group has continued to work with industry to develop robust (bio)sensor systems to address business and society needs — particularly with respect to environmental protection, health and wellbeing.
Metformin is now the most prescribed medication for type 2 diabetes worldwide. Pre - 1990 it received trivial use and was on the verge of withdrawal. Research at Aston (1993 - 1996) generated a new appreciation of its mechanisms of action and therapeutic potential. Aston research was reinforced with a concerted education programme for healthcare professionals, including high-profile reviews and treatment guidelines. We claim impact on health & welfare and health practitioners as Aston research has provided a foundation for improved care of type 2 diabetes patients on a global scale.