Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

T welve new research and development projects that aim to improve the future diagnosis, detection and manage- ment of sepsis, a life-threatening illness caused by the body over- reacting to an infection, are to re- ceive government funding total- ling £8 million. The grant funding – from the Technology Strategy Board, the Department of Health, Ministry of Defence, Home Office, Engi- neering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Medi- cal Research Council – will be matched by funding from the UK companies involved in the projects, bringing the total val- ue of the R&D to more than £15 million. Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board, said: “There is universal rec- ognition of the need for new and improved diagnostic tools to help in the management of sepsis. The products that will emerge from this important re- search and development will help to reduce the economic burden, death and illness from sepsis and infectious diseases and create opportunities for UK companies in the huge global market for diagnostic devices.” The 12 business-led R&D projects will see more than 20 UK companies working collab- oratively with more than a 12 universities, research organi- sations and NHS Foundation Trusts. The funding awards follow successful applications by the consortia to two competi- tions managed by the Technol- ogy Strategy Board. The Multi-pathogen detec- tion and/or simple discrimina- tion competition sought pro- posals for projects to develop point-of-care diagnostic tools to assist clinicians and health workers in the management of sepsis, while the Advancing biomarker use in sepsis man- agement competition looked for R&D projects that would ad- vance the effective use of bio- markers in the management of the condition. The projects will be led by BD Biosciences (Oxford) (2 projects), BioGene (Kimbolton, Cambs), HPA Microbiological Services Porton (Salisbury), In- anovate UK Ltd (Birmingham), Magna Parva (Leicester), MAST Group Ltd (Bootle), MicroLab Devices Ltd (Leeds), Mologic Ltd (Sharnbrook, Beds), Randox Laboratories Ltd (Crumlin, Co Antrim), Sepsis Ltd (Liverpool) and Smiths Detection Watford Ltd (Watford). Taking into ac- count the other organisations that make up the twelve con- sortia, companies and experts from every part of the UK will take part in the research and development activity. The projects include work that will lead to the develop- ment of: • Point-of-care devices to detect multiple pathogens and antibi- otic resistance profiles • A rapid test (less than three minutes) to detect the presence of bacteria in blood • Devices capable of detect- ing pathogens and the host re- sponse in a single system in less than 15 minutes • Biomarker based cellular as- says to predict stages of infec- tion and sepsis • Tests incorporating physical and biological measurements that can be used in multiple set- tlings to detect the early signs of infection and sepsis The Technology Strategy Board used the Multi-pathogen detection and/or simple dis- crimination competition to pilot a planned initiative called De- sign Option, which aims to help businesses think more about design at the start of their re- search and development pro- ject. Through the Design Op- tion initiative, applicants to this competition were offered free access to design mentors while they were in the early stages of developing their project pro- posals. Five requests for De- sign Option assistance were received and approved. Three of these were invited to submit full applications and two were ultimately successful in secur- ing offers of grant funding. The funding programme is part of the Technology Strat- egy Board-managed Detection and Identification of Infec- tious Agents (DIIA) Innovation Platform, which is managing a range of government invest- ment in innovative research and development into diag- nostic tests and devices that will help to cut the number of deaths and cases of illness caused by infectious agents in humans and animals, while re- ducing the economic burden. DT Research to target threat caused by sepsis C ome and celebrate the AOG’s 30th anniversary this summer, at the Hab- erdasher’s Aske’s Girls School in Herts. Enjoy the sun with superb Indian cuisine, wine, beer, soft drinks and plenty of entertain- ment for the kids including a bouncy castle and an interactive animal zoo! The event will take place on 8th July 2012 and tickets are available online. Non-AOG members can purchase tickets from the website for £15 an adult and £3 for children un- der 16, while the special mem- bers’ rates are £5 per adult and £1 for under-16s. The AOG began as a source of social networking for den- tal professionals, and over the years has become a place for people of all ages to come to- gether and give back to those within dentistry. Open to eve- ryone, the AOG organises events, educational support and charitable trips with the aim of working ‘towards the greater good’. Help us celebrate our 30 years of success, and enjoy great company and fun for all the family at our BBQ this summer. DT For further details on forth- coming trips and events, or to join, visit www.aoguk.org Celebrate with the AOG April 23-29, 2012United Kingdom Edition