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Research into electrochemical biosensors conducted at the University of Cambridge between 1998 and 2002 led to the development of the WaveSense™ line of diabetes products by start-up, AgaMatrix. By 2012 AgaMatrix had sold 3M glucose meters & 3B biosensor test strips worldwide across 20,000+ retail locations including Boots UK, and since 2010 also globally in partnership with Sanofi. [text removed for publication] AgaMatrix UK continues to grow its business with compound annual growth rates for revenue in excess of 100%. Agamatrix UK now supplies over one million glucose test strips per month to the NHS. Agamatrix has developed >10 FDA-cleared products since 2008, including the first FDA approved smartphone linked diagnostic device.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a major cause of death in older men, in the UK and elsewhere. A large UK trial led by the University of Cambridge evaluated the long-term benefits of ultrasound screening for AAA in men aged 65-74 years. This provided the basis for the introduction of a UK national AAA screening programme in men aged 65; this was announced in 2008, initiated in 2009, and achieved full coverage of England in 2013. Similar screening has started in Sweden, New Zealand and in parts of Italy, and is being actively discussed in Denmark, Norway and Finland.
Eating disorders affect 5-10% of young people and in many cases persist into adulthood. At their most severe they can evoke intense emotional responses from those closest to the person. King's College London (KCL) research established that the response from others, combined with personal factors and beliefs, were key maintaining factors in the disorder. As a result, KCL researchers developed self-help materials that reduced distress and improved carers' ability to manage the person they were helping. This intervention programme has been adapted into a workshop, a self- help book, a DVD and a clinical handbook. The programme has been adopted by two of the largest UK eating disorder charities (BEAT and SUCCEED) and is recommended by the USA-based international charity FEAST and forms the basis of local NHS and international services including in the USA and Australia.
Professor Peter Giblin (Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Liverpool), together with collaborators, used methods from singularity theory to develop an approach for recovering 3-d information from 2-d images, such as photos. In the past decade, these have been implemented and built upon by software engineers, leading to significant cultural, economic and societal impacts. These include the creation of an innovative 25m high sculpture of the human body in the Netherlands by the sculptor Antony Gormley and the virtual modelling of clothing on online clothing websites such as Tesco's (Virtual Changing Room by Tesco/F&F). These have reached thousands of consumers worldwide and represent a significant commercial success for the company which developed the software.
This case study assesses the impact of a series of knowledge exchange and public engagement projects undertaken in London and Northern Ireland between 2009 and 2013. These projects have made innovative applied use of a substantial body of research into modern British and Irish religious history conducted in the Unit.
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The Republic of Cape Verde is an island nation of approximately 500,000 people off western Africa. Following a history of European colonization, particularly in the context of slave trading, it achieved independence in 1975. Its economy is largely service- and tourism-oriented, making enhanced recognition of its heritage of paramount social and economic importance. At the invitation of the University Jean Piaget, Cape Verde, and working with the country's Ministério da Cultura, the University of Cambridge has conducted excavations since 2006 and trained local archaeologists since 2007. This work helped underpin the Ministry's successful bid, in 2008 to 2009, for Cape Verde's first World Heritage Site (WHS) - overturning a previous negative decision by the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee in 1992.
In 2008 the Philosophy Department decided to organise its impact strategy around the research activities of the Essex Autonomy Project (EAP). EAP research has been conducted in two distinct strands with different research outputs and impacts. This case study summarises the impact of our work concerning the legal concept of best interests decision-making. Through EAP public policy roundtables, EAP technical reports, and through work with public organisations and public officials, EAP research has informed professional and public discussion of the law of best interests, has had impact in the development of public policy guidelines for implementing legal requirements, and has played a role in the review and reform of existing regulatory frameworks.
In 2008 the Philosophy Department decided to organise its impact strategy around the research activities of the Essex Autonomy Project (EAP). EAP research has been conducted in two distinct strands with different research outputs and impacts. This case study summarises the impact of our interdisciplinary research on the legal/psychiatric concept of `mental capacity.' Through the EAP practitioner network, Summer School, and on-site workforce training programme, that research is now informing and changing the assessment of capacity undertaken by frontline medical professionals and social workers acting under the 2005 Mental Capacity Act.
The zebra mussel is one of the world's most economically and ecologically important pests, but existing control approaches cause significant deleterious environmental effects. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a `BioBullet' against zebra mussels, which encapsulates toxins in a harmless edible coat, enabling efficient, targeted product delivery and dramatically reducing environmental pollution. [text removed for publication] Further successful formulations are being developed by the researchers and the company for fouling in shrimp farms and enhancing shellfish aquaculture.
The zebra mussel is one of the world's most damaging invasive species, but existing control approaches cause significant environmental damage. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed the patented `BioBullet', which encapsulates a toxic active ingredient in a harmless edible coating, enabling efficient, targeted product delivery and dramatically reducing environmental pollution. [text removed for publication]