Join Innovate UK KTN at the University of Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre to explore all things microbiome across the One Health Microbiome spectrum including human, animal, plant, and environment.

Bringing these sectors together is an opportunity to learn from each other and make new connections.

The conference will explore common challenges and discuss how the community can work together to make the UK a key destination in Europe for microbiome research and innovation. 

There will also be an opportunity for early-stage microbiome entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas to find new partners.

• Meet with leading microbiome researchers and innovators from academia and industry.
• Learn about advances being made in microbiome research and innovation across different sectors.
• Understand common challenges and solutions across the different sectors involved in microbiome research and innovation.
• Hear from some of the UK’s pioneering microbiome start-ups and experts in IP, regulatory and manufacturing.
• Forge new connections and collaborations that could fast-track your research or project.
• Join the UK’s microbiome innovation community.

This event is for:

• Academics
• Industry scientists
• Entrepreneurs
• Supporting organisations
• Funders

ZAZA & CRUZ to create a unique natural skincare blend using by-products of the whisky distillation process to rejuvenate and moisturize the skin whilst also shielding against cellular damage and anti-aging.

Background

ZAZA & CRUZ is a natural skin care company that aims to provide high-quality natural ingredients at a reasonable price. Its mission is to make its customers feel confident in their skin.

Rebecca Hastings, a makeup artist, and beauty specialist founded the company in 2013. Her children inspired the company’s name. As a make-up artist, she became increasingly concerned about what was in the products applied to the skin of her clients and her children.  Consequently, she researched the most beneficial natural oils and botanicals in 2011 and created her unique natural blend of ingredients that rejuvenated and moisturized the skin while also shielding against cellular damage and anti-aging.

The Challenge

Kirsty of Interface met Rebecca at a HIE event in 2019, where they discussed the innovation potential of her business.  They chatted about the beneficial effects on aging of the skin that the sake yeast fermentation process was proven to have by a Japanese company SK 11 in the 1970’s. The resulting complex that was created is now used throughout the whole Japanese skincare range.  This led on to a conversation about the potential of whisky in skincare.

ZAZA & CRUZ were looking to use natural ingredients and processes to develop an active antioxidant/enzyme extract from whisky which would help with skin rejuvenation and could be used in their luxury skincare range.

Rebecca, founder of ZAZA & CRUZ was seeking to find out if the antioxidants and enzymes produced during the whisky distilling process could prove beneficial for skin rejuvenation in collagen and cell turnover, and if they could be extracted to become a natural ingredient in her skincare products.

The use of the findings will enable ZAZA & CRUZ to infuse a brand of whisky into their luxury skincare line. This in turn will benefit the partner of the whisky brand to tap into a wider cosmetics market.

The Solution

Robert Gordon University came forward to support Rebecca’s ideas, and Kirsty stayed on hand to support Rebecca with discussions. Rebecca felt that the expertise and enthusiasm from the team at RGU were the right fit for her and so moved forward with an Innovation Voucher

The project focussed on extraction, analysis and testing to discover and prove that the active and complex mix of antioxidants, enzymes and plant phenols released from whisky during the distillation and fermentation process could be extracted and provide a natural and safe solution for the skin which could then be used in the whole luxury line of skincare products for the consumer.

Firstly, the project looked at the antioxidant capacity of pot ale and effluent samples from whisky distillation using different assays as well as evaluating their toxicity at a cellular level. This was then applied into the formulation of the skincare products. Finally, an assessment of their antioxidant activity, that is, their protective effects on skin, was investigated.  It was found that placing the nutrients from whisky in skincare can help to boost the skin and help fight free radical damage from the environment.  In addition, polyphenols from whisky have the added benefit of helping to reduce inflammation, puffiness, and calms redness in the skin; making is a great ingredient to use in a moisturiser every day.

The findings from this collaboration will enable ZAZA & CRUZ to infuse a brand of whisky products into their luxury skincare line that can benefit consumers’ skin.

The Benefits

The benefits to ZAZA & CRUZ:

• Being able to work with a highly specialized and qualified team at RGU with great knowledge of the extraction process for antioxidants.
• A better understanding about the process of extraction and how to adopt a more scientific approach towards testing and incorporating ingredients into skincare products.
• Quality results that can be used to push the project forward and be innovative in the skincare industry.

About Opportunity:

It is estimated that companies around the world lose a total of $1.8 trillion annually (UK economy, £30 billion) due to counterfeited products. While counterfeiting imposes a challenge on every industry, the pharmaceutical and alcoholic beverage industry (e.g. Whisky producers) are affected most, since forged products can have life threatening implications. In fact, it is estimated that the deaths of up to one million people each year can be related to toxic or ineffective counterfeited drugs. Current product security features include raised printing, watermarks, micro-lettering, holograms and security inks. While these technologies contribute to the overall counterfeit resilience, the current security features are still often forged. Similarly, official documents such as passports or banknotes are prime candidates for counterfeiting. For example, in 2016, counterfeit Sterling bank notes with a face value £7.5 million were removed from circulation by the Bank of England, highlighting an ever-increasing need for sophisticated and counterfeit resilient security features.

Our distributed feedback membrane laser technology addresses this need and could become a widely applied and versatile security feature on valued documents or similar products. Due to their extreme mechanical flexibility, ultra-low weight and ultra-thin design, these membrane lasers can be applied to banknotes or other documents requiring authentication control to serve as unique security labels. Up to (10e15)n unique labels for (n different gain materials) can be created and read out using a simple contactless optical system. The specialist expertise and technology facilities needed to produce the lasers will make them almost impossible to counterfeit, rendering it a strong and reliable security feature. Furthermore, the high optical transparency of the membrane lasers, combined with their low thresholds and ultrathin design also allows their use as wearable security tags, even on contact lenses where they can complement biometric authentication with iris scans.

Key Benefits:

• Extremely flexible, ultrathin (< 500 nm) and ultralow weight (0.5 g/m2) membrane lasers
• Transferable to any object requiring authentication control (e.g. banknotes, passports, branded goods, pharmaceuticals, etc.)
• 10e15 unique barcode-like labels can be created
• High read-out stability under ambient conditions
• Straightforward contactless read out using a simple optical system
• High counterfeit resilience due to a sophisticated production procedure
• Uses low-cost mass-scale production via inkjet printing techniques and roll-to-roll processes

Applications:

• Banknotes
• Passports
• Branded goods
• Pharmeceuticals

IP Status:

The University filed UK Patent Application No. 1711097.4 on 10th July 2017 and has subsequently prepared EP and US national phase filings.

About Opportunity

Researchers at the University of Glasgow have developed a Wireless Electroencephalogram Neuro-feedback System for rehabilitation and the treatment of chronic pain. Neuro-feedback uses real-time displays of brain activity—most commonly (EEG), to teach self-regulation of brain function. 

Typically, sensors are placed on the scalp to measure activity, with measurements displayed using visual displays or sound.  DrAlexsandra Vuckovic has been developing and validating a Neuro-feedback system for the neuro-rehabilitation of hand function and central neuropathic pain in patients with paralysis of the upper extremities (tetraplegia).

The core university innovation is the brain-computer interface software to analyse and visualise selected features of the EEG brain signals to patients in the form of a graphical user interface on a computer screen. The visual information gives the patient information about their brain activity which they can use to modulate this activity in a desired direction. The main hardware components of the system are commercially available as an expensive EEG  device initially designed for gaming and a tablet computer.

In software developed for rehabilitation of the hand, the system detects when the person is attempting to move their hand based on EEG measurement. This signal is then used to activate a functional electrical stimulator (FES) device to achieve the desired movement. Thus when a paralysed person attempts to use their hand, a ‘though driven’ FES activates hand muscles.

The second application of the system is for ‘brain training’ in spinal cord injured patients for relief of chronic nerve pain. It targets EEG based ‘signatures’ of pain and patients can see a computer screen graphical presentation of their brain activity, learning to regulate that activity at will. 

Key Benefits

• The trials have demonstrated that spinal cord injured patients who used the brain-computer interface software therapy achieved better neurological recovery than patients who received ‘passive’ functional electrical stimulator (FES) therapy.
• A daily 30 minutes of the brain training system results in reduced pain over a period of several hours to several days.
• The technology has been validated through a registered clinical trial on patients in the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Applications

• The Wireless EEG Neuro-feedback System have been developed to address two major problems of spinal cord injured people; rehabilitation of hand function and chronic central neuropathic pain.
• A common feature for these two applications is that they are based on active brain training that promotes neurological recovery.

IP Status

Contact is welcomed from organisations interested in developing, licensing or exploiting this IP with a view to commercialisation.

About Opportunity

Following injury or disease, an organism undergoes a variety of (natural or induced) processes to direct cells, tissues and cellular processes towards healing and eventually regeneration. These processes generally involve growth factors (GFs), substances that control cell function through the activation of specific signalling pathways and that are capable of stimulating cellular growth, proliferation, and cellular differentiation.

rhBMP-2 is a powerful growth factor that is essential in tissue morphogenesis and is utilised to promote bone growth in trauma, spine and maxillofacial clinical applications. Current clinical delivery has however encountered serious complications associated with the high doses used.

The technology is based on synthetic materials that allow the simultaneous and co-localised signalling between growth factor receptors and integrins. These polymeric materials organise fibronectin (FN), an important protein of the extracellular matrix, and sequester rhBMP-2 in synergy with the integrin binding region to direct stem cell differentiation in vitro.

In vitro testing and animal models have demonstrated that this new technology enhances bone regeneration and vascularisation with much lower and safer rhBMP-2 doses (< 5 mg/cm3). Results are comparable to the higher doses used currently in the clinic (~ 1.5 mg/cm3), which makes the technology robust in terms of safety, effectiveness and economically competitive to current commercially available products.

Current commercial uses of rhBMP-2 growth factor can be complicated, adsorbed in collagen sponges or other materials at high doses. The GF Synergy technology has been developed with these challenges in mind for easy integration into medical devices and implants manufacturing. The base materials can be manufactured in the form of biocompatible implantable constructs and orthobiology products. For regeneration applications the materials can be coated on bioabsorbable materials already commonly used in medical devices.

Key Benefits

Safer, minimal dose delivery of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) for bone tissue engineering.
Easy to develop into commercial clinical products, as the technology is acellular and requires only use of autologous or recombinant human proteins and growth factors.
Control of synergistic signalling between cell adhesion and growth factor receptors as in physiological environments
Based on synthetic materials commonly used in other biomedical approved applications

Applications

Clinical bone regeneration – the GF Synergy technology can be used to make bone substitutes for non-union fractures, materials for spinal fusion procedures, and to improve long term stability of implants.
Stem cell/osteoblast research – The technology is useful to academics interested in studying bone differentiation in cell culture research projects
Pharma – the device provides ‘clean’ osteogenesis in 2D and 3D and so will be useful in the study of drugs for e.g. osteoporosis, osteogenesis imperfect etc.

IP Status

Contact is welcomed from organisations interested in developing, licensing or exploiting this IP with a view to commercialisation.

About Opportunity

Mosquitoes are responsible for huge losses in human and animal life through their role as vectors of infectious diseases. Successful control of mosquitoes depends on accurate surveillance of their abundance and pathogen infection rates, of which the malaria parasite represents the most important human pathogen. Currently, the ‘gold standard’ method for estimating the abundance of mosquitoes and number of infectious bites that a person would be exposed is called the “Human Landing Catch” (HLC). This technique requires a volunteer to capture mosquitoes that land upon them and test them for pathogens. This method obviously poses some risk of infection the volunteer, and is thus its use is being increasingly restricted for research and surveillance purposes.

The research team have developed a prototype to address these current shortfalls. The prototype has been developed following laboratory optimization and field testing in rural and urban Tanzania, where it was compared with the HLC procedure both inside houses and outdoors. The latest version of the MET equalled (in 30cm3 size) and exceeded (in 1m3 size) HLC performance in terms of the number of malaria vectors that were collected from human baits. Additionally the large version of the trap performed very successfully in sampling mosquitoes attempting to feed on cows, indicating MET’s utility for surveillance of vector-borne diseases of livestock.

Key Benefits

• MET is lightweight, portable, and easy to assemble and does not require mains electricity
• MET can be placed in close proximity to human or animal bait
• MET acts as a barrier around the host which prevents them being exposed to infection bites
• Electrocuting panels also act as a barrier to trap insects
• MET can be used in both indoor and outdoor environments
• Mosquitoes trapped by MET remain intact and suitable for identification by morphological and molecular methods.

Applications

MET could provide a very valuable and safe tool for monitoring the abundance and transmission potential of mosquito vectors, and for evaluation of control measures used to target them.

IP Status

The University of Glasgow and the Ifakara Health Institute have jointly filed a UK patent application disclosing this technology and is interested to contact organisations interested in developing, licensing or exploiting this IP with a view to commercialisation.

Researchers at the University of Dundee have developed a computational protocol that predicts the likelihood for any given compound to act as a broad-spectrum antibiotic against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

Background

There is an urgent need for new drug candidates to combat antibiotic resistance. The majority of totally or extremely drug-resistant priority pathogens, as defined by the WHO, are Gram-negative. It is widely understood that there is insufficient drug permeation into Gram-negative organisms due to their complex and poorly permeable cell envelope.

The Opportunity 

Dundee researchers have developed an AI technology based on data mining, chemoinformatics and machine learning. The technology has been trained on compounds curated to address the Gram-negative cell wall obstacle. The algorithms are designed to detect and predict broad spectrum antibacterial activity. The technology especially targets novel chemical space by removing known antibiotic compounds and similar structures from the training datasets. In recent tests of the technology, a virtual screening of compound databases has identified about 1,000 new molecules, from around 3M readily synthesisable molecules, which score high on probability for broad spectrum activity. The major molecular features that contribute to the scores are also identified. The method has the potential to be applied to antivirals and other areas of unmet clinical need by varying the training datasets.

Key Benefits

• Gram-negative antibiotic discovery 
• Novel curation process that addresses cell wall permeation 
• Rapid virtual library screening 
• Identification of molecular features that drive permeation 
• Reduce time, cost and failure rates 
• Protocol could extend to antiviral

Commercial Opportunity

This exciting technology is able to pre-screen proprietary and public compound libraries to increase the success rate of anti-infectious drug discovery programmes, thereby reducing time, cost and attrition rates. The University is seeking a development partner for this methodology and contact is welcomed from organisations interested in collaboration for this opportunity.

Researchers at the University of Dundee have developed a novel method for the recombinant production of universal Group A Streptococcus (GAS) glycoconjugate vaccine candidates. This approach allows hijacking of the Protein Glycan Coupling Technology (PCGT) currently used to produce glycoconjugate vaccine candidates for pathogenic bacteria, including Streptococcus pneumoniae. The team has produced the first recombinant GAS ‘dual-hit’ glycoconjugate vaccine candidate system. This method produces high yield and high purity of recombinantly produced GAS rhamnose polysaccharides (RhaPS) conjugated to protein carriers of choice. 

Background

Antimicrobial options for effectively controlling, treating and preventing Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus, GAS) infections are becoming more limited due to emerging antibiotic resistance, pandemic development and the evolution of hyper virulent strains. There is an urgent unmet need for the development of a safe, effective and universal prophylactic vaccine candidate for GAS. GAS kills more than 500,000 people worldwide each year. 

The Opportunity

For a vaccine to be capable of targeting all of >150 different GAS serotypes, a ubiquitous and universally conserved GAS target needs to be identified. The only target that is 100% conserved in all GAS isolates is the Group A Carbohydrate (GAC), a peptidoglycan-anchored rhamnose-polysaccharide (RhaPS) from GAS. The GAC is essential to bacterial survival and contributes to GAS ability to infect the human host. The GAC polyrhamnose (RhaPS) backbone is a validated vaccine candidate protecting in the animal model GAS infections and showed no cross-reactivity with human tissue.
Currently, RhaPS vaccine development has been limited to chemical and enzymatic extraction methods from streptococcal bacteria, as well as chemical conjugation to an acceptor compound. This method is costly for vaccine development as it is both labour intensive and requires many quality control steps. The Dundee research team identified the key priming steps in the biosynthetic pathway of the GAC virulence determinant and have developed a modular production platform compatible with the synthetic production of RhaPS in E. coli. They produce pure RhaPS glycoconjugates via the efficient and low-cost Protein Glycan Coupling Technology (PGCT). The methodology provides a number of novel solutions to producing glycoconjugates of high quality and yield that serve as vaccine candidates to target all GAS serotypes. The platform allows the recombinant conjugation of the polyrhamnose to any acceptor protein of choice and a tightly regulated carbohydrate length to produce high quality and homogenous vaccine candidates. The recombinant approach has thus many advantages to the use of natively produced and extracted RhaPS.
The researchers have recently shown that recombinantly produced RhaPS induce GAS specific antibodies in mice and that RhaPS trigger a carbohydrate specific immune response. This suggests that this method produces vaccines with long-lasting immunity. Preclinical work is now continuing apace with a Wellcome Trust Innovator Award.

Key Benefits

• Synthetic RhaPS 
• Targets across GAS serotypes 
• Uses bulk bacterial fermentation
• High yield & homogeneity 
• Modular production platform
• Expandable platform for human and veterinary pathogens 

IP Status

GB filing 1908528.1Priority date 13 June 2019. PCT publication 17 December 2020.

Commercial Opportunity

The University is seeking investment for a spin out opportunity centred on this technology.