03.02.2010
Excellent news from our tenant company, Sarum Biosciences, which has recently announced the signing of an exclusive worldwide licence agreement with PBL, the UK technology management company. This will enable Sarum to develop and exploit therapeutic and diagnostic applications of a bacteriophage endolysin protein for the treatment and detection of Clostridium difficile, a serious healthcare concern both within the UK and the rest of the world. The bacteriophage endolysin technology was developed by scientists at the Institute for Food Research in Norwich (IFR), with support from the BBSRC's Follow on Fund, and exploits naturally occurring proteins expressed by bacterial viruses (bacteriophage) that have very specific antibacterial activity. A targeted antibacterial approach to the treatment of C. difficile, such as that promised by the endolysin technology, is ideal for the treatment and prevention of this particular infection as it does no damage to the normal bacterial populations in the gut - the broad nature of existing antibiotics, and the loss of normal bacteria during antibiotic use is very often the cause of C. difficile-associated disease. Treatment with the endolysin has the potential to destroy or suppress the C. difficile infection, while allowing the reestablishment of normal levels of "good" bacteria in patients. Dr. David West, CEO of Sarum commented: "This C. difficile endolysin technology has the potential to become an important weapon in our fight against this important healthcare problem. Sarum is pleased to have secured this exclusive licence which adds another dimension to the company's existing bacteriophage-based product pipeline." Sarum Bioscience's website is at www.sarumbiosciences.co.uk.
04.01.2010
Q3 Analytical Ltd Celebrates a Successful First Year. The company, based on the Tetricus Science Park was founded in November 2008, primarily to offer bioanalytical support to research groups in the pharmaceutical industry. Co-founder, Neil Burton, said 'It has been an exciting and busy time. We look forward to building on our success in future years. We aim to provide the same level of support that research groups would expect from an in-house bioanalytical team. Having worked in pharmaceutical R&D we understand that research studies are often of pivotal importance to a project team operating to tight deadlines and in order to help meet the client's goals we specialize in tailoring our service to their specific needs.' For more information see Q3 Analytical's website at www.q3ms.co.uk
09.12.2009
Changes to contacts at the Tetricus Science Park: Emma, our Business Services Coordinator, has left to take up a full-time position at Dstl. We have been very fortunate to replace her with Fiona Larkin who will take up the role at the beginning of January. Fiona comes from a construction and surveying background, and spent much of 2009 in a temporary role with the HPA Centre for Emergency Preparedness & Response at Porton Down. A keen fundraiser for the Royal British Legion, Fiona ran the Salisbury half marathon in 2009, pedalled to Paris in 2008 and introduced many unsuspecting friends to the delights of Scottish dancing via a fundraising ceilidh. When not exhausting herself on foot or on a bicycle she likes walking the dog Harris and riding her horse Piper. Fiona's contact details are email: fiona@tetricus.co.uk and telephone: 01980 556 514, bearing in mind that her role is part-time, usually from 9:00 - 14:00.
06.11.2009
Phil Carr of Chemical and Technical Developments, one of the founding tenants of the Tetricus Science Park, has announced that they are assisting a major pharmaceutical company with the relocation of a transgenics facility between sites in the UK. The company will provide consultancy services for the liquid nitrogen supplies to cryogenic storage units for sperm and embryos.
This facility is one of the largest of its type in the UK and supplies products to other sites worldwide. CTD's website is at www.chemicalandtechnical.com.
09 .10.2009
During the summer GW Pharmaceuticals, one of the earliest tenants of the Tetricus Science Park, announced that it had received a Commercial Manufacturing Licence for Sativex., having passed a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspection by the UK regulatory authority of its new in-house commercial manufacturing facility. This will enable the facility to act as the primary manufacturing site for the anticipated European commercial launch of Sativex. Previously GW had sub-contracted the final step in the bulk GMP manufacture of Sativex to a contract manufacturing partner. This news means that GW now controls each step in the manufacturing supply chain for Sativex.
The new GW facility is initially able to produce quantities of Sativex sufficient to treat 25,000 patients per year. In addition, GW has put in place arrangements at its manufacturing site to expand this capacity in order to respond to increased demand in the coming years. When finally approved for the treatment of spasticity due to Multiple, Sativex will be marketed in the UK by Bayer HealthCare, and in the rest of the EU by Laboratorios Almirall S.A.
More news about GW Pharmaceuticals at www.GWPharma.com.
07.09.2009
The next Science Park seminar will be on 21st September when Dr Bob Carr, Technical Director of Nanosight Ltd, will give a presentation on the company and its products. Entitled 'Detection, Analysis and Counting of Nanoparticles', Bob will explain the work that Nanosight does and how their products could be used in disciplines ranging through virology, vaccine production, drug delivery, ecotoxicology, inks and pigments: in fact Bob has been surprised by the opportunities that have arisen from the applications of this technology. The talk will be from 12:30 until around 13:15 followed by light refreshments when the instruments will be demonstrated. All scientists from Dstl, the Science Park, HPA, the Salisbury NHS Trust and local bioscience companies are welcome. We will need to confirm numbers for catering so please book attendance by e-mailing info@tetricus.co.uk or calling 01980 556514 by Wednesday 16th September. Find out more about Nanosight at www.nanosight.com.
12.08.2009
Tetricus Science Park tenant, Lyosolutions (www.lyosolutions.co.uk), who carry out bespoke research and development into freeze drying biological materials, especially for pharmaceutical companies, have recently announced that their Managing Director, Dr Peter Riggs, has been appointed Visiting Lecturer at Kings College, London, where he will be attached to the School of Pharmaceutics.
21.07.2009
More excellent news from Tetricus Science Park tenant, Enigma Diagnostics, who today announced a commercial partnership with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to develop point-of-care influenza diagnostics. Enigma will supply diagnostics tests to identify specific influenza strains using its real-time PCR technology platform, the Enigma ML (Mini Laboratory) to deliver fully automated results from swab samples in less than 60 minutes at the point of care and to the same accuracy as reference laboratories. Currently the existing network of government diagnostic laboratories, staffed by specialist operators, can often take several days before the results of tests are known. Operators of the Enigma ML system will not require specialist training. A trial involving working prototypes of the ML system with front line healthcare providers across Europe will commence in Q4 2009 and launch of the Enigma ML system is anticipated in early 2011, subject to successful clinical trials and regulatory approval. Further details on their web site, www.enigmadiagnostics.com
16.06.2009
Tetricus Science Park tenant, Enigma Diagnostics, has announced that their European Patent EP1044283 on real time monitoring of PCR amplification reactions has been upheld at the European Patent Office. This patent covers the use of endonuclease-based reporting in PCR and other nucleic acid amplification technologies. Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD) had filed a claim in opposition to this patent which was rejected by the European Patent Office at a proceeding in Munich on May 28. The patent is part of a substantial portfolio of intellectual property exclusively licensed to Enigma Diagnostics by the Secretary of State for Defence. The technology involves the use of a thermostable endonuclease to cut a probe that recognises a specific sequence in the target amplification product. The system may be applied to a wide variety of molecular diagnostic applications including the rapid detection of viral and bacterial pathogens. Enigma Diagnostics has developed products that completely automate the PCR process including sample extraction, amplification and analysis for application at the point-of-care by non-laboratory operators. Further details on Enigma's web site, www.enigmadiagnostics.com
20.05.2009
The next Science Park seminar entitled "The Futures Bright. The Futures a Range" will be on Thursday June 11th in the Conservation Museum, when Stuart Corbett, Dstl Conservation Officer will give a talk on the wildlife of the Dstl ranges and farmland together with a discussion on the science that must underpin conservation development. This will be from 12:30 until around 13:00 to 13:15 followed by light refreshments. All scientists from Dstl, the Science Park, HPA, the Salisbury NHS Trust and local bioscience companies are welcome. We will need to confirm numbers for catering so please book attendance by e-mailing info@tetricus.co.uk or calling 01980 556514 by Wednesday 3rd June.
20.03.2009
Science Park Seminar. We had a good turn-out to our March Seminar entitled 'The Importance of Congruence and the Potential for Novel BioTelemetry Approaches in Science and Beyond' given by Dr Paul Ashley, MD of Remo Technologies. The next in our programme of Seminars will be in June when Stuart Corbett, Dstl Conservation Officer will give a talk on the wildlife of the Dstl ranges and farmland.Â
19.12.2008
We welcome two new tenant companies to the Tetricus Science Park : Detection Consumables Ltd who produce immunological reagents for detection systems and devices, and
Q3 Analytical Ltd who provide sensitive and specific bespoke quantitative analytical support to research in the pharmaceutical, life science and environmental industries. Q3 is a new start up whereas DCL has relocated from Poole, Dorset. We wish both companies a commercial success in the Tetricus Science Park.
17.11.2008
Enigma Diagnostics, the decentralised and point-of-care molecular diagnostics company based on the Tetricus Science Park, has announced that it has signed a third licence agreement with Applied Biosystems. The licence provides Enigma with access to claims of US Patent No. 5,928,907 that describe methods for monitoring nucleic acid amplification in real-time. This is the first such licence Applied Biosystems has granted to the method claims of the '907 patent. This complements Enigma's existing licence under certain patents owned by Applied Biosystems for real-time PCR thermal cyclers. Financial terms were not disclosed.
13.10.2008
Lyosolutions (www.lyosolutions.co.uk), who carry out bespoke research and development into freeze drying biological materials, especially for pharmaceutical companies, have announced that they have secured a contract to carry out R&D on a 3rd generation vaccine product. Leading this project will by Dr Matthew Brown who has recently joined Lyosolutions from Harvard University where he undertook research on host cell invasion by microbial pathogens. Peter Riggs, Managing Director of Lyosolutions, commented 'I am very pleased to appoint Matthew to lead this project. He is an outstanding scientist with exceptional academic credentials. His in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of microbial pathogenicity, combined with hands-on experience of cell culture and molecular biology, will be invaluable assets to Lyosolutions in the delivery of this very important project.'
18.09.2008
Enigma Diagnostics the decentralised and point-of-care molecular diagnostics company
based on the Tetricus Science Park, has announced that it has been awarded a grant of £1.8M from the
UK Government's Technology Strategy Board under the 'Technologies for Health' programme. The objective
of the programme is to develop a 'gold-standard' portable, rapid, automated DNA analysis (PRADA) molecular
test system for the diagnosis of infectious diseases in decentralised and point-of-care settings such as
GP surgeries. The focus of the programme will be on sexually transmitted diseases including Chlamydia and
healthcare associated infections including MRSA. Further details on the Enigma web site, www.enigmadiagnostics.com
13.08.2008
More good news from Alaska Food Diagnostics who have attracted new investment
funding to accelerate commercial roll-out of revolutionary fastrakâ„¢ pathogen detection technology.
The investment of over £4.5 million will allow Alaska to accelerate the introduction of its
ground-breaking fastrAKâ„¢ technology and expand its operations to maximise market penetration.
Further details on the Alaska web site, Here
09.07.2008
Tetricus Science Park tenant company, Alaska Food Diagnostics have announced
that they have completed an agreement with Intertek, a leading international provider of quality
and safety services, to deploy Alaska's rapid, specific pathogen detection systems for some of the
Middle East's most prestigious names in hospitality. Through the partnership, Intertek's team of
experts will deploy Alaska's range of advanced detection systems on-site for catering teams and
departments. The technology provides results in less than 24 hours, as opposed to the standard
3-6 days that comes with conventional methods. For further details see the Alaska web site, Here
11.06.2008
The Bioapproaches Porton Down and Salisbury Showcase will take place on 16
July in Salisbury. There the diverse and significant expertise and facilities at Porton Down
will be showcased in a unique event aimed at bringing together research organisations and businesses.
The event will be a valuable opportunity to find out more about:
• The work of the Health Protection Agency and its contract manufacturing facilities
• The Tetricus bioincubator
• The HPA cell culture collections
• NHS Innovations SW, who are based in Salisbury, on how they are helping to support innovation in the NHS
• Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) on their innovations and commercial opportunities.
This unique event is an excellent opportunity to find out more about these important organisations and
establish some valuable contacts. It will appeal to biotechnology and medical technology companies and
researchers alike. Further details Here
07.05.2008
There was a good turnout for the recent Science Park seminar on Monday April 28th
when Dr Bryan Bolton, Commercial Manager of the HPA Culture Collections, gave a talk on the HPA Culture
Collections. The next seminar is planned for the end of June when Professor Nick Cross, Director of the
Wessex National Genetics Reference Laboratory, will give a talk on the work of the WNGRL. If you would
like to nominate a speaker to give a seminar to the Science Park (plus Dstl, HPA, NHS and other local
scientists) or wish to give a seminar yourself, please contact us in the Tetricus office.
04.03.2008
Enigma Diagnostics, one of the key life science companies in the Tetricus
Science Park at Porton Down has recently announced that it has signed real-time PCR licences
with Applera Corporation, the US diagnostics company comprising Applied Biosystems and Celera
Genomics. Enigma Diagnostics is developing rapid molecular diagnostics systems and the licenses,
signed 6 February 2008, include a Real-Time Instrument Patent License Agreement and an Application
Kit License Agreement. These agreements provide Enigma with access under patents owned or controlled
by Applera for real-time PCR thermal cyclers and real-time PCR methods and compositions in specific fields.
The Real-Time Instrument Patent License Agreement covers Enigma's current and pipeline instrument
platforms of fully automated, real-time thermal cyclers across the commercial market sectors of
research and applied markets. This agreement also provides Enigma with an option for a license
in clinical diagnostics.
The Application Kit License Agreement covers a portfolio of important patents covering reverse
transcription-based methods, real-time PCR detection process and 5' Nuclease assays and compositions,
for use in fields excluding human diagnostics.
John McKinley, Chairman of Enigma Diagnostics, said: 'These licenses together with Enigma's extensive
portfolio of molecular diagnostic patents and unique instrument platforms confirm Enigma's leading
position within the global molecular diagnostics market and underpin the launch of its instruments in 2008.'
16.01.2008
Science Park Seminars.
We had an excellent turn-out to our December Seminar
entitled 'Prion Decontamination - New Challenges and Solutions' given by Dr Mark Sutton, Head of
the TSE Research Team at HPA CEPR, Porton Down. In fact it was standing room only for late arrivals.
The next in our programme of Seminars will be from 12:30 to 13:30 on Friday 29th February, again in
the Dstl Conservation Museum, when Dr John Lincoln of Harlin Ltd (http://www.harlinltd.co.uk) will
give a business incubation seminar entitled 'Maximising the Value of IP and Finding the Right Market
Partner'.
All are welcome, especially those from the Porton Down Science Park, Dstl, HPA, NHS
and local bioscience companies. If you are interested in attending please let us know several days
beforehand (info @ tetricus.co.uk or 01980 556514) so we can plan refreshments and seating requirements.
13.11.2007
Tetricus tenant, Enigma Diagnostics, To Develop clinical diagnostics platform for UK national chlamydia screening programme.
New DNA-based test produces decisive result within minutes
Enigma Diagnostics, the life sciences company based in the Tetricus bioincubator on the Porton Down Science Park where it is developing rapid molecular diagnostics and detection systems, announces that it has successfully completed a project commissioned by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dtsl). The aim of this was to develop a rapid, point-of-care diagnostic system for screening and diagnosis of Chlamydia infections, the most common treatable sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the UK. The project was designed to meet the needs of the UK National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP), part of the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV.
Enigma has developed a specific DNA test (assay), reagents and instrumentation capable of rapidly detecting Chlamydia trachomatis DNA from multiple urine and, uniquely, swab samples at the point of care (PoC), i.e. in a clinic or outreach centre. Feasibility of the assay has been proven in the laboratory and the product specifications have been validated with sexual health professionals.
The new system will be based on Enigma's fully-automated diagnostics platform, which uses real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology to detect bacterial target DNA in samples and provides definitive results in a matter of minutes, enabling immediate treatment as necessary. The system will also be very simple to use, requiring minimal training and experience, and importantly will provide ‘gold standard' laboratory quality results thereby reducing the need for samples to be sent to a laboratory for analysis. Other point of care diagnostics products for Chlamydia are known to give unreliable results.
07.10.2007
Enigma Diagnostics, the life sciences company developing rapid molecular diagnostics and detection systems, has announced a €3 million award from the European Commission Framework 7 programme to the RANGER consortium. The award will fund the development and validation of a fully automated, low cost system for the rapid diagnosis of influenza infections and subtypes. The RANGER consortium, which is coordinated by Enigma Diagnostics, comprises leading technology companies including Applied Biosystems, Sagentia, Tico Europe, Bruhn Newtech Group, Bioplastics BV and PERA who will contribute to the development of the instrument and assays. The consortium also includes the Health Protection Agency, the UK's national reference laboratory for influenza diagnostics, and the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health who will evaluate and validate the system.
The system will be based on Enigma's proprietary and fully-automated instrumentation
technology, which integrates sample preparation with real-time polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) to detect viral RNA in a full range of clinical samples. The simple-to-use,
portable system will provide rapid results direct to medical staff in a near-patient or outreach
environment in both the developed and developing world.
By providing laboratory standard, high specificity and sensitivity PCR results in a
decentralised setting, the system will advance the diagnosis of early stage viral
infections and the surveillance of disease outbreaks.
Enigma is also separately developing real-time PCR-based diagnostics systems
targeting chlamydia, gonorrhoea and other sexually transmitted infections.
John McKinley, Chairman of Enigma Diagnostics, said: 'The award of this grant and the
strength of our consortium partners is a great endorsement of Enigma's technology. It is
also a strategically important milestone for the company as it demonstrates the utility of
our real time PCR in what is an extremely challenging area of diagnosis. We are
confident we will be able to deliver a system that rapidly and simply delivers laboratory
quality results at the point of care
24.09.2007
Tetricus runs a series of scientific seminars to bring together scientist from Dstl, HPA, NHS Trusts and companies both from the Science Park and the local area.
The most recent, entitled 'Isolation and Identification of Emerging Campylobacteraceae" was presented by Dr Lucy Rieman from Alaska Food Diagnostics on 11th September 2007.
02.07.2007
FASTEST SALMONELLA TEST FOR RAPID PATHOGEN DETECTION
Alaska Food Diagnostics has launched fastrAKâ„¢ Salmonella, a groundbreaking ultra-rapid testing system for food manufacturers that provides results in 18 hours from sample receipt. The availability of results 6 hours earlier than with comparable methods effectively creates a working day advantage that can lead to cost savings on product storage and supply chain logistics.
Based at the UK government's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) at Porton Down, Alaska's team of world class scientists has exploited patented Adenylate Kinase (AK) Phageâ„¢ technology to develop the highly sensitive and specific fastrAKâ„¢ rapid assay system. The system shares the proven core technology of the clinical microbial detection platform just acquired by a high profile blue chip multinational.
fastrAKâ„¢ Salmonella combines novel technology with established culture and immunomagnetic methods, and has been thoroughly tested and validated by leading reference centres. Head of Microbiology R&D Dr Pradip Patel explained: "The time to result for this assay is a real breakthrough, together with its accuracy. We are confident it will make a significant impact in the drive for improved food safety standards'.
Sample pre-enrichment for 16 hours can be initiated throughout the day, ready for testing the next morning. After just two hours, products with known QC results can be shipped in time to meet the rigorous shelf life requirements of the processed, ready-to-eat poultry market. This rapid technique assists food manufacturers with in-process HACCP decisions and allows them to offer greater security and quality assurance to the ‘farm to fork' supply chain.
14.12.2006
DRUG COMPANY HARNESSES PAIN HEALING QUALITIES OF CANNABIS
GW Pharmaceuticals (GW) is developing new medicines derived from cannabis to help relieve the suffering of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other severe medical conditions.
Based at the Tetricus bio-incubation unit at Porton Down, GW is licensed by the UK Home Office to work with a range of controlled drugs for medical research purposes, including cannabis.
GW's lead product Sativex®, a cannabis-based mouth spray medicine, was approved by Health Canada in April 2005 for the relief of neuropathic pain in MS sufferers and was launched in Canada in June 2005. The product is currently undergoing clinical trials in the UK and US.
GW has assembled a team of more than 100 scientists with extensive experience in developing both plant-based prescription pharmaceutical products and medicines containing controlled substances. The group has also developed secure and tamper-proof means of dispensing such drugs which have the potential for abuse or harm by inappropriate administration.
In addition, GW has established a separate division called the Cannabinoid Research Institute or 'CRI'. The CRI aims to link industry and academia in conducting exploratory research which it is hoped will lead to the identification of new applications for cannabis-based medicines.
Jonathan Laughton GW Pharmaceuticals, said: 'Our aim is to develop cannabis-based medicines that satisfy the standards of modern medical and pharmaceutical practice. 'Having access to specialised laboratory facilities in a secure and supportive environment is therefore crucial to achieving this goal, and this is exactly what Tetricus provides us with.'
© HPA 2007