Commercialisation of membrane-based screen on chip for natural waters and seawater

Lead Research Organisation: University of Leeds
Department Name: Sch of Chemistry

Abstract

The work to be undertaken during the Pathfinder programme can be described as follows.
A fully characterised sensor platform which detects (bio)membrane disrupting compounds in water has been developed to TRL4. The platform is automated and is now in compact configuration as described in the "Case for Support". Through a decade of working with potential stakeholders, including Modern Water PLC and Unilever, we feel the most appropriate "home" for this technology is the environmental water sector. The highest priority activity during this programme will be to carry out a market survey to highlight companies who might be interested in taking up the technology and developing it to higher TRL in association with Leeds. Proof of concept experiments will be carried out checking the response of the sensor element to toxins and contaminants in naturally derived waters. The problem of cyclic peptides in reservoirs and seawater will be specifically addressed by screening for these compounds in waters and comparing sensitivities with other techniques such as HPLC. This work will be done in collaboration with Dr Klara Valkro from Bio-mimetic Chromatography Ltd. The sensor's performance will also be tested on uncontaminated and contaminated Rhine water samples association with the Rhinewater Control Station, Worms, Germany. Finally we shall be demonstrating the operation of the sensing platform to companies who will be interested in visiting Leeds.

How it will inform our understanding.
We have now identified the environmental water sector as the most appropriate market sector for the proposed technology. However we do not know companies or indeed institutes who would be keen to take it up. The market survey carried out under the Pathfinder aegis will inform us exactly which companies and institutes will be interested in our technology. We shall contact these parties from the market survey results and arrange demonstrations of the platform with further discussions at Leeds. The proof of concept experiments will enable us exactly to see how the platform functions in natural waters and seawaters. Preliminary experiments have been done in this area but now with the application sector precisely defined, we can do a systematic study to inform the interested end users on the full performance of the platform. Cyclic peptides are significant toxins in natural waters and seawater and we have the opportunity to compare the functioning of the proposed platform response to that of more conventional HPLC screens. The results of this comparison can be used to sell the system's capabilities on market flyers as well as consolidating the connection between Bio-mimetic Chromatography and Leeds. In addition due to the need for an "alarm" first screen which the Leeds sensor is capable of, we shall look at a series of uncontaminated and contaminated Rhine water samples to assess the ability of the sensor to detect the contamination.

How it will help shape the development and execution of your proposed Innovation Follow-on project work programme.
The results of the Pathfinder programme will provide us with company(ies) to work with to secure a successful transfer of a mature technology at TRL4. It will enable us to further develop the technology to precisely meet the requirements of the end user. It will also help us define more closely the technical elements which require modification in the screening of natural waters for toxins and contaminants in particular those compounds which are of particular hazard to environmental and human health.

Planned Impact

The Innovation Follow-on project would increase the likelihood of commercial adoption and uptake of our technology and/or increase its value in the following way:

1. A particular commercial partner(s) will be identified from the potential beneficiaries listed in the previous section during the Pathfinder programme. A good sound commercial partner who understands the technology is a guarantee to a successful commercial outcome.

2. The sensing platform will be developed exactly in accordance with the partner's needs to be entirely fit-for-purpose for use in the field.

3. A performance analysis of the technology detailing capabilities, sensitivities, detection limits, interferences, screening times will be carried out with the partner's full co-operation. A performance portfolio will be prepared with the partner and will be handed over to the partner prior to the final transfer of the technology.

4. The Innovation project programme will allow for comprehensive training of the partner by Leeds in the science of the technology enabling a successful transfer of the technology from Leeds to the partner to take place.

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description We screened a series of antimicrobial peptides and showed that our membrane-based toxicity sensing platform provides results which correlate with standard in vitro toxicity tests. In comparison the standard chromatographic hydrophobic screening results from the SME showed no relation to standard in vitro test results.
Exploitation Route Our findings will help to promote our technology to be used as a toxicity screener by public and commercial. organisations.
Sectors Chemicals

Environment

Healthcare

Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology

 
Description We formed a very successful collaboration with a SME Bio-Mimetic Chromatography Ltd where we compared the performance of our technology with the performance of established drug discovery platforms using a series of antimicrobials. The information gained by the SME assisted their business plan. Since 2020 we have been working with four companies in the EU: APPNPS (Barcelona), RESCOLL (Bordeaux), Cnano (Athens) and NTC (Kiev) as part of the Horizon 2020 funded programme SABYDOMA. One of the objectives of this programme is to develop our sensor technology from TRL4 to TRL6 and to couple it to a nanoparticle production platform and a release flow cell device. We are in the process of transferring these respective technologies to the four companies. All the technologies involve the sensor system developed in the above award as the core component. Once established with the companies, the technologies will be progressed to full commercialisation. The chip-based sensor has been transferred to the SME, Applied Nanoparticles Ltd (APPNPS) in Barcelona as part of the SABYDOMA programme.
First Year Of Impact 2020
Sector Chemicals,Environment,Healthcare
Impact Types Economic

Policy & public services

 
Description NanoSafetyCluster education day 27 November 2020
Geographic Reach Europe 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact The NanoSafetyCuster Education day reported on the latest ideas on NanoSafety. We organised an hour's workshop on new ideas in the concept of Safety by Design which reached out not only to workers in nanotechnology but also those in pharmacology and Health Care. The workshop had a large attendance which was free and available to all those interested.
 
Description BIO-SUSHY: Sustainable surface protection by glass-like hybrid and biomaterials coatings
Amount £364,233 (GBP)
Funding ID 10056199 
Organisation Innovate UK 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 01/2023 
End 12/2026
 
Description SAFETY BY DESIGN OF NANOMATERIALS (SABYDOMA) - FROM LAB MANUFACTURE TO GOVERNANCE AND COMMUNICATION: PROGRESSING UP THE TRL LADDER
Amount € 6,000,000 (EUR)
Funding ID 862296 
Organisation European Commission H2020 
Sector Public
Country Belgium
Start 03/2020 
End 09/2023
 
Description Bio-SUSHY consortium 
Organisation Materia Nova
Country Belgium 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution Bio-SUSHY consortium
Collaborator Contribution UoL is screening advanced material coatings for toxicity using an innovative high throughput screening platform
Impact Succeeded in obtaining € 4 815 296,25. for a consortium of 14 partners including UoL. UoL is funded £364000 by InnovateUK to take part in this consortium's program through the Horizon Europe Guarantee fund.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Entered into working collaboration with Bio-Mimetic Chromatography Ltd to validate UoL screening technology against the technology of the company using a set of synthetic antimicrobial peptides as case studies. 
Organisation Bio-mimetic chromatography
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution We screened about 20 novel synthetic antimicrobial peptides. for biomembrane activity against standard partition coefficient tests done by company and toxicity tests carried out by University of Karlsruhe, Germany.. We correlated our biomembrane activity results with the partitioning toxicity data. We hosted a student from the company for three days.
Collaborator Contribution The company supplied the peptides and the student via University College London and University of Karlsruhe. The company carried out an extensive characterisation of the compounds particularly partition coefficient data.
Impact A paper on this very successful collaboration is being prepared and will be submitted this year.
Start Year 2018
 
Description Chair of EU nano safety innovation and safety by design working group 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Chairing the working group involved chairing meetings and giving main talks. Also representing the working group on international telecoms.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019,2020
 
Description Chair of Working Group E of NanoSafetyCluster group affiliated to EU Framework Programmes:Safety and Sustainability by Design and Innovation 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact I chair the working group which involves meetings every two months. We discuss issues associated with the working group subject matter and we plan sessions at appropriate and relevant international conferences.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019,2020,2021,2022,2023
URL https://www.nanosafetycluster.eu/nsc-overview/nsc-structure/working-groups/wge/#:~:text=WGE%20aims%2...
 
Description Chaired Innovation working group of EU Nanosafety Cluster. Initiated working group to plan calls for Safety by Design topic in next Framework of EU (Horizon Europe). 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact Initiated and chaired working group telecom meetings. Gave leading introductory talk at Vienna Industrial Technologies meeting. Chaired Innovation group meeting in Grenoble.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
 
Description Gave a short talk to the general public on the principle of safety by design at the "Be Curious" event in Leeds 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact I gave a short talk which was directed to the public on the philosophy and ethics of safety management of new materials. At the end of the talk, I was asked a few questions on the subject publicly by an interviewer. The event was part of the "Be Curious" programme held online by the University of Leeds. The aim of the event was to showcase how research at Leeds is making a world of difference to people's lives.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.leeds.ac.uk/becurious
 
Description Legal workshop associated with Horizon 2020 project SABYDOMA 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Participated and contributed to a legal workshop associated with my Horizon 2020 project SABYDOMA. Gave a keynote talk and sat on panel answering questions about legal aspects of safety issues associated with nano materials and chemicals.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://www.nanosafetycluster.eu/sabydoma-1st-legal-workshop-on-safe-by-design/
 
Description Member of an OECD technical expert panel on hydrophobicity of nanoparticles 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The purpose of this expert panel is to develop a technical guidance. note for OECD i.e. international standard use. for the characterisation of the hydrophobicity of nano materials. We have had one face to face meeting in October 2019. This has been followed up with a circulation round the group of the particular analytical technology proposed for standard implementation. We are holding a ring trial intercalibration of this standardised technology. later this year probably in June and I shall be leading the University of Leeds component.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2019,2020
 
Description Stakeholder workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact Planned, executed and Chaired a Stakeholder conference where details of the EU HISENTS platform was disseminated and feedback from the stakeholders was obtained.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018
URL https://hisents.org/2018/02/26/hisents-stakeholder-workshop/