Interventional Biophotonics – A UK Healthcare Technology Accelerator Facility
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Technical Summary
The Confidence in Concept scheme is a key part of MRC’s translational research strategy and provides annual awards to institutions, to be used flexibly to support the earliest stages of multiple translational research projects. The award can be used by the institution to support a number of preliminary-stage translational projects. The projects supported should aim to provide sufficient preliminary data to establish the viability of an approach –– before seeking more substantive funding. It is intended to accelerate the transition from discovery research to translational development projects by supporting preliminary work or feasibility studies to establish the viability of an approach.
Publications
Chandrasekharan HK
(2021)
Ultrafast laser ablation of a multicore polymer optical fiber for multipoint light emission.
in Optics express
Gunasekaran R
(2020)
Exploratory Use of Fluorescent SmartProbes for the Rapid Detection of Microbial Isolates Causing Corneal Ulcer.
in American journal of ophthalmology
Long J
(2020)
Frugal filtering optical lenses for point-of-care diagnostics.
in Biomedical optics express
Mills B
(2021)
The role of fungi in fungal keratitis.
in Experimental eye research
Sloan-Dennison S
(2022)
Towards quantitative point of care detection using SERS lateral flow immunoassays
in Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry
| Description | Increase in University of Edinbrugh funded infrastructure aimed at supporting medical technology development |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Description | Uniting Clinical 'Pull' with Engineering and Physical Sciences 'Push' |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Description | Challenge Led Applied Systems |
| Amount | £463,914 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ST/S000763/1 |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2018 |
| End | 09/2021 |
| Description | IRC Next Steps Plus: Photonic Pathogen Theranostics - Point-of-care image guided photonic therapy of bacterial and fungal infection |
| Amount | £1,115,129 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/R018669/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2019 |
| End | 03/2023 |
| Description | Impact Acceleration Account (Durham University) |
| Amount | £60,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2020 |
| End | 11/2020 |
| Description | Impact Acceleration Account (University of Strathclyde) |
| Amount | £33,285 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2020 |
| End | 06/2021 |
| Description | MICA: Point-of-care assessment of drug-induced liver injury (POC-DILI) |
| Amount | £1,473,734 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MR/V038303/1 |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2021 |
| End | 06/2024 |
| Description | Optical Confirmation of Nasogastric Tube Placement with Early Photon Imaging |
| Amount | £1,305,474 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MR/W029979/1 |
| Organisation | Research Councils UK (RCUK) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2022 |
| End | 03/2025 |
| Description | University of Bath Impact Acceleration Account |
| Amount | £45,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2020 |
| End | 09/2020 |
| Description | Window to health: ocular imaging for chronic and systemic disease assessment |
| Amount | £1,386,992 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MR/W009293/1 |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 07/2022 |
| End | 07/2026 |
| Title | Generation of new medical devices |
| Description | This award funded 10 early-stage research of projects. Projects were generally collaborations between an NHS Lothian/University of Edinburgh clinician and an engineer or physical scientist from one of six universities: University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, University of Strathclyde, University of Bath, Dundee University and University of Durham. Here, the clinician identified an area of unmet clinical need - a clinical problem that currently lacks a satisfactory solution. HTAF then matched the clinician with an engineer/physical scientist who has a potential technological solution to that problem. For this specific round of CiC funding all potential solutions were biophotonics-based. The projects funded by HTAF encompass a wide variety of subject areas, including (but not limited to) ophthalmology, neurodegeneration, inflammation, septic shock, post-surgical infection, malaria, eye infection, lung transplant, liver injury and cancer. The devices that may result from these research projects may have great utility in a great number of areas of both treatment and research. |
| Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | N/A |
| Description | Aravind Eye Care System |
| Organisation | Aravind Eye Hospital |
| Country | India |
| Sector | Hospitals |
| PI Contribution | Provision of SmartProbes and experimental protocols. Researcher time (visits). Intellectual input. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Intellectual input. Researcher and clinician time. Equipment. Data. |
| Impact | Research direction. New research directions. Grant applications. Joint manuscripts. Reciprocal visits. Disciplines: microbiology, immunology, engineering, chemistry, medicine, epidemiology, global health. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | California Life Sciences Institute |
| Organisation | California Life Science Institute |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Funding to enable this collaboration is provided via this Confidence in Concept award. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The California Life Sciences Institute (CLSI) are a San Francisco-based non-profit. They are providing commercialisation support to those project teams that have been awarded funding via this Confidence in Concept award. CLSI are helping the projects teams map out a pathway by which their technology (currently under development) could be commercialised/translated. An effective pathway must take into account many factors including, but not limited to, funding mechanisms, product development timeline, intellectual property, pathways to market and regulatory pathways. For each CiC-funded project CLSI will carry out the following: 1. An initial assessment of each project and its needs, strengths and weaknesses from a commercial viewpoint. 2. Assembly of a bespoke advisory board for each project drawn from CLSI's Bay Area Network of over 400 experienced industry professionals. 3. With input from each project team and each project's advisory board, assembly of a commercialization plan for the technology under development. Elements of this plan will include: a. Laying out a product development programme, accompanied by timelines and projected costs. b. Details of the available funding mechanisms for support of product development, and a consideration of which are most appropriate for the technology in question. c. Details of the commercial, legal and organizational structures germane to product development. d. Considerations of alternative paths to market, and an assessment of their relative merits. e. Guidance on how to secure IP protection and Freedom to Operate. f. Identification and documentation of relevant regulatory pathways. g. Identification of stakeholders and assessment of the product's opportunities in the context of stakeholders' interests. h. Assessment of any competiting technologies. i. A preliminary first pass product cost and pricing analysis. CLSI have remained engaged with the CiC project teams beyond the initial planned period engagement, and have continued to offer advice, guidance, and letters of support where appropriate. |
| Impact | In February 2020, project teams funded through this award attended an intensive strategy and networking event hosted by the California Life Sciences Institute (CLSI) at their Bay Area Offices. This brought together the HTAF project teams (encompassing PhD students, early career researchers, clinicians and senior academics) alongside over 30 seasoned professionals, from the Bay Area and beyond, with expertise in a range of areas related to healthcare technology commercialisation (medtech, biotech, regulatory pathways, funding, legal/I.P., CEOs/CTOs, marketing). The project teams received feedback on their technology and proposed developmental/commercialisation plans from panels of advisors drawn from CLSI's extensive network of industry leaders, clinical experts and business professionals. Each team had a full day review and developmental/strategy discussion focused on the technology they had developed via their Confidence in Concept funding. The feedback and advice they received was invaluable in ensuring that the projects within the HTAF CiC portfolio develop in a way that maximises the chances of successful future translation, commercialisation and adoption. Key outputs included identification of new IP, support for company formation, exploration of developmental paths, and, crucially, the identification of experts that will support projects in moving forward after CiC support. The cohort nature of the training and mentorship also served to train the researchers and clinicians in entrepreneurship, with whole-group sessions on technology licensing, intellectual property, spinning out companies, and how to move beyond academia. Insight garnered during this in-person workshop, and additional support from CLSI (in the form of advice, guidance, and letters of support) have bolstered efforts by the CiC project teams to achieve additional funding and progress their technologies down the translational pathways. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Point of Care Diagnostic for Drug-Induced Liver Injury - SERS-based measurement of liver injury biomarkers |
| Organisation | Wasatch Photonics |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | One of the projects within the HTAF portfolio, and funded through this CiC award, concerned the development of a point of care diagnostic assay for assessment of drug induced liver injury, intended for use Emergency Department of Hospitals. Through CiC funding and support, the project team obtained preliminary data which underpinned a successful application to the MRC's DPFS funding scheme. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Wasatch Photonics were included as an industrial partner on this DPFS application. The intention is that they will provide access to their new handheld spectrometer, and provide intellectual input regarding how best to interface our assay with the device. |
| Impact | DPFS funding (~£1.8M) has now been awarded in principle, pending minor alterations to project plan. Project to formally begin in sumemr 2021. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Point of Care Diagnostics for Microbial Keratitis - Market Entry and Technology Adoption in India |
| Organisation | Sathguru Management Consultants |
| Country | India |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | We provided funding for this work through this award, in addition to research and project manager time & intellectual input |
| Collaborator Contribution | Sathguru are a market leading consulting firm based in Hyderabad, India, and operating in the life sciences segment since 1985. They have significant experience across pharma, biotech, medtech, healthcare delivery, animal health, food and agribusiness sectors, and a particular focus on the Indian Healthcare System. They have demonstrable experience in supporting early stage healthcare technology projects with entry into the Indian Market. One of the projects within the HTAF portfolio, and one which is supported through this award, concerns the development of a point of care diagnostic device for the detection of corneal infection. Said device is intended for use in low and middle income countries (LMICs), with a particular focus on the Indian Market. The project team, and HTAF itself, sought to understand the overall market landscape in India for corneal infection detection, the key factors that will influence product adoption, the regulatory pathway for the Indian market, and to obtain support in shaping strategy for market entry in India. |
| Impact | Sathguru provided advisory support for strategic market entry and increasing adoption of the corneal opacity detection devices. Specifically, their analysis covered the following areas/subjects: - Current landscape of devices, standard of care and unmet needs in corneal opacity detection - Assessment of customers by segment, potential for near term adoption of the innovative product - Pricing potential - Critical insights for pricing or positioning of the product - Regulatory pathway for Indian market - High level strategies for IP protection Overall analysis for recommendation on market entry strategy and key inputs for any design or functional requirements in the device for fostering higher adoption |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Through Body Medical Device Imaging - Medical Device Design Consultancy |
| Organisation | Design Partners |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Funding, Researcher & Project Manager Time/Intellectual Input |
| Collaborator Contribution | One of the projects within the HTAF portfolio, and funded through this CiC award, concerned the development of a medical device for determining the location of other medical devices within patient's bodies. Design Partners are a Medical Device Design Consultancy Firm that possess expertise in Human Factors engineering and medical device design. Design Partners carried out a process which analysed the device under development, the requirements of the end user, and the strengths and weaknesses of competing technologies (from a design point of view) and allowed the team to understand the opportunities for differentiation. This allowed device development to proceed in a way which was guided by the requirements of the end user, and in a way which ultimately increases the chances of adoption and commercial success. Project team are currently assembling an application to the MRC's Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme to support the first clinical evaluation of the medical device. Design Partners will provide a letter of support for this application, and will provide design input for the project if funded. |
| Impact | Key outputs from Design Partner's analysis included: - Review of usability documentation to date. - Analysis of competitor products from a usability perspective. - Mapped key work flows and user journey from a design perspective. - Identified usability issues and common failure modes. - Design recommendations for product success, including technical and usability criteria as well as opportunities for differentiation and innovation. - PowerPoint document summarising the findings from the usability research. - Conference call to present the research, discuss product recommendations and answer any required questions from the project team. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Title | IMAGING METHOD AND APPARATUS |
| Description | A method of determining a location of an optical fibre positioned at least partially inside a scattering medium, the method comprises transmitting pulsed light into the scattering medium, receiving, by a detector, photons of the pulsed light that have passed through the scattering medium, selecting signals corresponding to some of the received photons, wherein the selecting is based on a time of arrival of the received photons; and determining a location of the optical fibre based on the selected signals. |
| IP Reference | US2019298158 |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2019 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | Patent has now progressed to National Phase Filing. Results from a market assessment focused on this technology, funded through this award, was key in convincing the institution which held the patent to progress it, and support filing in additional territories. |
| Title | IMAGING SYSTEM AND METHOD |
| Description | A system comprises a medical device configured to be positioned at least partially within a scattering medium, the medical device comprising at least one optical fibre or other waveguide having a plurality of light-emitting regions arranged along at least part of the length of the at least one optical fibre or other waveguide; a pulsed light source configured to transmit pulsed light into a proximal end of the at least one optical fibre or other waveguide, such that the pulsed light is guided along the at least one optical fibre or other waveguide to the light-emitting regions and emitted by the light-emitting regions into the scattering medium; at least one detector configured to receive photons of the pulsed light that have passed through the scattering medium; and a processor configured to: select signals corresponding to at least some of the received photons; determine a respective location of each of the light-emitting regions based on the selected signals; and determine a path of at least part of the medical device based on the determined locations. |
| IP Reference | WO2019138220 |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2019 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | Patent has now progressed to National Phase Filing. Results from a market assessment focused on this technology, funded through this award, was key in convincing the institution which held the patent to progress it to National Phase in a number of territories. |
| Title | Generation of new medical devices |
| Description | This award funded 10 early-stage research of projects. Projects were generally collaborations between an NHS Lothian/University of Edinburgh clinician and an engineer or physical scientist from one of six universities: University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, University of Strathclyde, University of Bath, Dundee University and University of Durham. Here, the clinician identified an area of unmet clinical need - a clinical problem that currently lacks a satisfactory solution. HTAF then matched the clinician with an engineer/physical scientist who has a potential technological solution to that problem. For this specific round of CiC funding all potential solutions were biophotonics-based. The projects funded by HTAF encompass a wide variety of subject areas, including (but not limited to) ophthalmology, neurodegeneration, inflammation, septic shock, post-surgical infection, malaria, eye infection, lung transplant, liver injury and cancer. The devices that may result from these research projects may have great utility in a great number of areas of both treatment and research. |
| Type | Diagnostic Tool - Imaging |
| Current Stage Of Development | Refinement. Non-clinical |
| Year Development Stage Completed | 2019 |
| Development Status | Under active development/distribution |
| Impact | N/A |
| Description | Article in Impact journal |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An article outlining the purpose of the Healthcare Technology Accelerator Facility (HTAF), and informing interested parties about its raison d'être and the facilities and services which it can offer to help academics and companies translate medical technology. This article is now in press and is due to be published Q2 2019. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Engagement with Technology Transfer Offices of Consortium Universities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Visit of HTAF Project Manager to the technology transfer offices (TTOs) of the institutions involved in this award. Provided the TTOs with an overview of HTAF and formulated a plan for how best to coordinate efforts in order to drive forward the translation of promising medical technologies being developed in those institutions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
| Description | HTAF website launch |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Launch of the website for the Healthcare Technology Accelerator Facility. This provided an avenue by which interested parties could learn more about HTAF, the services/advice that HTAF can offer, and how they can access these things. HTAF has received numerous enquiries about potential use of HTAF facilities, with the resulting projects under development. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.ed.ac.uk/healthcare-technology-accelerator |
| Description | HTAF/Optima student collaboration |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | PHD Students on the Optima doctor training programme receive, over the course of their PHD, an education on matters related to business and commercialisation of science. For this cohort the students worked with the CiC-funded project teams in order to gain first-hand experience of the process of developing and attempting to translate a real-life piece of medical technology. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019,2020 |
| URL | https://www.optima-cdt.ac.uk/ |
| Description | Meeting with Director of N8 Research Partnership |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Conversation with Dr Annette Bramley, N8 Director. The purpose of this conversation was to introduce Dr Bramley to the concept of the Healthcare Technology Accelerator Facility and discuss opportunities for expansion into those other institutions that fall under the N8 umbrella. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.n8research.org.uk/ |
| Description | NHS Health and Social Care Innovation Network |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Presentation outlining the purpose of HTAF and its collaboration with Codebase. We also led a panel looking at various healthcare challenges facing the NHS. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/meeting-of-the-nhs-health-and-social-care-innovation-network-tickets-... |
| Description | Presentation at Health Innovation and Technologies Research Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of a poster at the Health Innovation and Technologies Research Festival (Heriot Watt University). The purpose was to inform the wider community about the Healthcare Technology Accelerator Facility and the facilities and services that can be accessed by researchers and companies. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/events/health-innovation-and-technologies-research.htm |
| Description | Scottish Parliament Presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Talk by Kev Dhaliwal to the Scottish purpose, outlining the concept behind HTAF and what HTAF can provide in order to increase the translation of promising healthcare technologies. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |