Log in
Research carried out by Professor David Smith of the University of Oxford established that B vitamins could slow the rate of Alzheimer-related brain atrophy and cognitive decline in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an early stage of Alzheimer's disease which is common in the elderly. Since 2008 the impact on sales and marketing of B vitamins worldwide has been significant; [text removed for publication], and over-the-counter and prescription B vitamin products marketed as helping to maintain memory function have achieved sales worth many millions of US dollars. Some doctors now prescribe B vitamins for the group of MCI patients identified by Smith as being most at risk.
Use of our new Tandem Mass Spectrometry (MS) technology for measuring 25 Hydroxy Vitamin D (25OHD) has had both major clinical and economic impacts on:
Research by a team at Southampton into amyloid beta protein (A03b2) immunisation to treat Alzheimer's disease has been key to changing the way the global medical community understands and reacts to the disease. The first to observe that A03b2 immunisation clears A03b2 plaques, the team's studies were pivotal in initiating and informing the safe clinical trial development of 40 immunotherapy agents; investments of $3bn by the pharmaceutical industry; and 30 phase II and phase III studies. The research shaped US government policy on new safety measures for clinical trials and played a leading role in the doubling of UK funding to tackle Alzheimer's.
The Brain, Performance and Nutrition Research Centre (BPNRC) has an international reputation for research conducted in collaboration with industry to assess the impact of nutrition and dietary interventions on brain function. Our research benefits our industrial partners financially, in terms of increased product sales, and by providing evidence supporting the introduction of new products that improve consumer wellbeing. This case study focuses on research that supported Bayer to develop successful brands with public health benefits.
Professor Platt and colleagues at the University of Oxford have developed the drug miglustat, the first oral therapy for rare lysosomal storage diseases. These are primarily neurodegenerative diseases that affect 1 in 5,000 live births, always leading to premature death. In 2009, miglustat became the first treatment to be licensed for treating neurological manifestations in Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC). It is now prescribed for the majority of NPC patients worldwide, and has led to significant improvements in both life expectancy and quality of life. Miglustat was approved for type 1 Gaucher disease in 2002 and, since 2008, has proved an effective treatment for patients previously stabilised with enzyme replacement therapy; miglustat has the additional benefit of improving bone disease. Sales of miglustat since 2008 have generated CHF 315 million in revenues for Actelion, the company sublicensed to sell the drug.
CANTAB-Paired Associates Learning (PAL) was developed to detect early memory problems in Alzheimer's disease; and was recently (in 2012) launched by Cambridge Cognition (floated on the London Stock Exchange in April 2013) as a mobile (iPad) application (CANTABmobile™) suitable for use in GP clinics. This and other cognitive tests from the CANTAB battery have also been employed in 77 clinical trials since 2008, involving hundreds of sites world-wide, by most of the major pharmaceutical companies and by biotech, device and nutraceutical companies. CANTABmobile™ currently has 166 licensed user-practitioners including six clinical commissioning groups implementing the national initiative for early diagnosis.
Jayne's team have co-ordinated a sequence of randomised clinical trials, that have defined the standard of care for ANCA vasculitis treatment and shaped national and international guideline statements, NHS national commissioning guidance and an on-going NICE assessment. Together with Ken Smith his group have pioneered the use of the B cell-depleting agent rituximab, in vasculitis, contributing key evidence that led to its licence approval (USA and EU) for this indication. Ken Smith's group supported by Jayne's clinical team have discovered novel therapeutic biomarkers, patented and being assessed in Phase II clinical studies, that promise to deliver "personalised medicine" in this and related conditions. These activities have harmonised the management of vasculitis, are improving patient outcomes, and have provided a resource for on-going scientific and clinical studies.
Pioneering basic research into the role of oxygen free- radical damage and antioxidant micro-nutrient protection in human periodontal diseases by the Periodontal Research Group in Birmingham has led to the development and marketing of novel toothpaste formulations and new applications for other nutrient products in collaboration with global consumer healthcare companies. This work has changed thinking in the field and has had significant commercial impact in terms of changing business R&D and marketing strategies. Resultant technologies have demonstrated reductions in gingivitis and periodontitis with associated social, economic and health impacts. In addition, our research is enabling Triclosan, an antibacterial compound used widely in soaps, detergents, mouthwashes and toothpastes, to be replaced with more environmentally-friendly, natural and equally efficacious agents.
Building on work which has contributed, via NICE guidance, to £1 billion in annual savings to the NHS in its healthcare provision for osteoporotic fractures in older adults, research at the £14.4 million MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit (LEU), University of Southampton, has inspired the world's first randomised controlled trial of vitamin D supplementation versus placebo in pregnancy. This work was designed to provide a definitive answer to the question of whether supplementing pregnant women with vitamin D leads to increased bone mineral accrual in the offspring. This work has also shaped national and international guidance on vitamin D supplementation both during pregnancy and in older age; Southampton's programme of osteoporosis research has attracted £10 million in research funding from health organisations and the EU.
Our research has had a major impact on the way pharmaceutical trials in Alzheimer's disease are conducted. The Boundary Shift Integral technique, which we developed and validated, has changed commercial practice and has become the industry standard for measuring atrophy progression. Our methods have largely replaced previous manual measures and in 2008-13 were used in over 20 large international trials. This had significant economic benefits for several companies providing image analysis services. For UCL alone they generated over £5m of industrial contracts. Additionally, through licensing and collaboration, UCL's research contributed to IXICO establishing a significant market share in this important commercial area.