Device to monitor gum disease

A team from North East England who designed a device which will help monitor gum disease have been awarded more than £1m of UK Government funding.

Biotechnology companies OJ-Bio Ltd and Orla Protein Technologies, together with scientists at Newcastle University, are developing a novel device which has great potential in rapidly detecting the early signs of gum disease and monitoring improvement as the condition is treated. The UK’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) have given the project £1.1m to help develop the prototype into a commercial product.

The project will deliver a device that will enable patients and dentists to monitor gum disease accurately, simply and cost effectively by identifying signs of the disease in saliva.

Gum or periodontal disease is a major health-care problem in the western world and has been linked with an increased risk of diabetes and other medical problems. It also has a large economic impact, with an estimated annual cost to the UK economy of £2.78 billion.

The project brings together a multidisciplinary team of UK excellence in nanoscale science: electronic biosensor company OJ-Bio Ltd, nanobiotechnology company Orla Protein Technologies Ltd and molecular biology and clinical research experts Dr John Taylor and Professor Philip Preshaw, from the Institute of Cellular Medicine (ICM) & Centre for Oral Health Research (COHR) at Newcastle University.

OJ-Bio was created to develop a new generation of hand-held, real-time diagnostic devices that combine biotechnology processes with electronics manufacturing. The company is a joint venture between UK company Orla Protein Technologies and the major electronics company Japan Radio Co. Ltd (JRC).

OJ-Bio had already performed an initial study for the Technology Strategy Board which demonstrated the feasibility of a nanobiosensor device for the detection of proteins called matrix metalloproteinases, which are involved in a variety of diseases. The new project, part of a government-funded programme of business-led nanoscience research and development, will grant the consortium to develop this further into a simple, easy-to-use device for use in real-life situations.

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Submited at Wednesday, June 6th, 2012 at 6:00 pm on Uncategorized by jessica
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