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There are about two million visually-impaired people (VIP) in the UK, over four times the number of wheelchair users. Research performed in Reading's School of Construction Management and Engineering has brought significant improvements to the quality of life and safety of VIP by developing a better measurement of their visual contrast sensitivity and putting this measurement into practice. For someone with a visual impairment, the ability to distinguish between different objects and surfaces is crucial for assessing the surrounding environment and navigating it accurately and safely. The research has defined a measurable contrast difference (30 points on a 1-to-100 light reflectance value (LRV) scale) between surfaces of any colour that can be confidently identified by 80% of VIP in the UK. This new contrast standard offers a significant breakthrough in understanding and simplifies the concept of LRV. It provides designers and product manufacturers with a useful yardstick by which urban environments and public transport systems can be made more accessible and safer for VIP to use. The new definition has effectively replaced the previously used concept of luminous reflectance in this arena and is now in widespread use, thanks to the establishment of an internationally recognised method of surface colour measurement (BS 8493) in 2009 that draws on the Reading work. The research has led to improved national and international standards and national regulations on building and accessability product design, among other things, and continues to enhance the quality of life and employment prospects of people who are visually impaired by providing clear guidance for designers and manufacturers.
Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is a frequently fatal disease of haematological malignancy patients, caused by fungi from the genus Aspergillus. Dr Christopher Thornton has developed and commercialised a novel point-of-care test for the diagnosis of IPA with an Aspergillus-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) JF5 generated using hybridoma technology. Using this mAb, he has developed a lateral-flow device (LFD) for the rapid detection of Aspergillus antigen in human serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALf) that signifies active infection. Commercial exploitation of the patented technology has been met through the establishment of a University of Exeter spin-out company, Isca Diagnostics Limited.
Research co-led by Prof Roz Anderson, in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team, resulted in a new chromogenic substrate for the rapid detection and specific identification of the bacterial pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a `super-bug' that threatens many thousands of hospital patients annually, leading to poor clinical outcome and increased risk of mortality.
bioMérieux adopted the technology for a new product, ChromID® P. aeruginosa, for commercial realisation as a clinical microbiology test; it was launched in the EU, USA and Australia, supporting the company's commercial position as leaders in this field. This test has enhanced the care of patients, through more rapid detection of P. aeruginosa and earlier informed clinical decision- making.