Testing, testing - Isis Innovation

NEWS
The latest from
Isis Innovation Ltd
The University of Oxford’s
Technology Transfer
company
Edition 57 Autumn 2009
Testing, testing
Reviewing the latest innovations, collaborations and technology transfer

Contents
Testing, testing
NEWS
The latest from
Isis Innovation Ltd
The University of Oxford’s
Technology Transfer
company
Edition 57 Autumn 2009
Testing, testing
Cover: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive way to take pictures of
the body. MRI uses powerful magnets and radio waves. The magnetic field produced
by an MRI is about 10,000 times greater than the earth’s.
Reviewing the latest innovations, collaborations and technology transfer
The magnetic field forces hydrogen atoms in the body to line up in a certain way
(similar to how the needle on a compass moves when you hold it near a magnet).
When radio waves are sent toward the lined-up hydrogen atoms, they bounce back,
and a computer records the signal. Different types of tissues send back different
signals. (Source: Medline plus)
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Introduction and news
Latest developments in Oxford and
the world of technology transfer
Testing, testing … Drug trials in academia and industry
Oxford Innovation Society meeting
The Oxford Science Park
Oxford Innovation Society meeting
Diving into technology patent pools
Oxford Innovation Society member
First Chinese investment in an Oxford spin-out
New spin-out company
A new type of in vitro tissue chamber
New licence agreement
New generation peptide nucleic acids
New licence agreement
Health economics software product
Isis project number 2284
The new “CRAC” with allergy
Isis project number 3566
Cysteine treatment for obesity
Isis project number 3593
Novel target for cancer diagnosis and therapy
Isis project number 3101
Prostate cancer treatment
Isis project number 3190
Improved cryopreservation for stem cells
Isis project number 4026/4039/4122
Movie and still image simultaneous capture
Isis project number 3268
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Towards a sustainable utility service industry
Isis project number 3650/3666
Smart wind generators
Isis project number 3185
Maritime tracking technology
Isis project number 3677
Pixel imagining mass spectrometry
Isis project number 2880
New ankle foot questionnaire for children
Isis project number 4185
Not such a rarity: cheap energy from the sun
Isis project number 3656
Quantifying flood risk
Isis project number 4094
Virtual screening protocol
Isis project number 2944
Spin-out portfolio news
Oxford Spin-out Equity Management
The role of the advisory board
Oxford University Consulting
Cooking up the universe
Oxford University Consulting
Improving safety of runway approach lighting
Isis Enterprise Project Number 71110
The ‘ideal’ university seed fund
Isis Enterprise
Future Oxford Innovation Society meetings
2

Introduction
Latest developments in Oxford and the world of technology transfer
Welcome to Isis News 57, describing
the lectures given at the March meeting
of the Oxford Innovation Society by
Professor Geoff Hale of BioAnaLab, and
Charles Young of the Oxford Science
Park who generously sponsored the
dinner at Magdalen College.
This edition reports on recent commercialisation successes,
and features profiles of fifteen new Oxford technologies
available for licensing. We also describe the growing activities
of Oxford University Consulting and Isis Enterprise.
Isis has managed the Oxford University Challenge Seed
Fund since its launch in 1999. The Fund has now made 102
investments, resulting in the formation of 30 new spin-out
companies and a number of licensing transactions. The most
recent spin-out to benefit from UCSF backing is Zyoxel Ltd,
described on page 9.
The recently published Isis Annual Report 2009 describes
Isis’ increased revenues of £5.6 million (up 18 per cent from
the previous year), with £2.9 million returned to the University
and University shares in new spin-outs created valued at
£6 million.
The government is wondering what to do about the current
economic climate. There is no doubt that the University
Challenge Seed Fund scheme is one the most successful
programmes in transferring new technologies out to business.
These funds are now running dry of investable cash; the
chance of cash-generating exits is minimal; fewer new
technologies will be transferred to business; and fewer
new companies will be created as a result. There is a great
opportunity for government to re-energise the existing
UCSFs with an allocation from the government’s Strategic
Investment Fund, announced in the April Budget.
We are delighted to welcome US biotechnology company
Emergent Biosolutions, Hong Kong-based engineering and
technology manufacturer Chungnam Corporation and the
Oxford Biomedical Research Institute as new members of the
Oxford Innovation Society.
Yours
Tom Hockaday, Managing Director
News
Zyoxel spins-out
In July, Isis announced the formation
of Zyoxel Ltd, a new spin-out
company commercialising microbioreactor
technology developed by
Professor Zhanfeng Cui and colleagues
from Oxford’s Institute of Biomedical
Engineering. The company has secured
a £1 million investment from China’s CN
Innovations Holdings, and the Oxford
UCSF invested an additional £100,000.
Dr Tim Hart, Zyoxel’s CEO has worked
with Isis Enterprise on a variety of international
commercialisation projects for
industry clients, whilst at the same time
establishing the new company and
raising funds. See page 9.
Isis in Singapore
Isis activities in Singapore are involved
in supporting Singapore’s booming
biotech sector. Isis Singapore is
currently involved in setting up an early
stage incubator, combining mentoring
and management expertise with access
to funding to accelerate technology
start-ups’ time to market. Singapore
offers an excellent environment for new
ventures with cutting-edge infrastructure
and generous government grants and
support.
Contact Isis’ James Lye in Singapore to
find out more: james.lye@isis.ox.ac.uk or
+65 96519883.
Verivox launches I-Measure software
A web-based tool developed by
researchers at the University of Oxford’s
Environmental Change Institute is to
be used by energy services provider
Verivox to help householders identify
ways to reduce carbon emissions and
save costs. Verivox, one of Europe’s
largest independent consumer portals
for energy and telecommunications
products and services, plans to release
a version of I-Measure to subscribers in
Germany this year. A beta version of the
tool at www.imeasure.org.uk provides
data to energy researchers studying
patterns in UK household energy use.
3

Oxford Innovation Society meeting
Testing, testing…
Professor Geoff Hale of BioAnaLab Limited gave this talk on drug trials in academia and industry at the
March 2009 Oxford Innovation Society meeting.
Tony Johnstone was forced
to give up competitive golf
in 2003, when he was
and destroys the immune cells that initiate the disease. Tony aptly
described it like this: “Basically they shut down your immune
system completely. The thinking is that it comes back without
diagnosed with multiple the faulty memory, like the re-boot of a computer”. Results
sclerosis 1 . “One day, I from the clinical trial were reported last year 2 , and showed a
could hardly walk; it felt like
someone had pulled the
plug. I was sent for an MRI
dramatic improvement compared with the standard therapy
(beta-interferon), with a 74% reduction in the risk of relapse and
an unprecedented improvement in disability scores.
scan and I got the diagnosis.
They said my career was
over.” However, he was one
of the last patients accepted to take part in a clinical trial and
was fortunate to be allocated to the group treated with a new
drug. “Alemtuzumab has been a life-saver. I had two cycles
of treatment a year apart and six months after the second
treatment I started playing again. It took me two years to relearn
the game. But I am out there playing when I couldn’t walk nine
holes of golf before. If I can give hope to other people affected
like me I am overjoyed.”
This achievement took many years of patient work. Development
of alemtuzumab started in Professor Herman Waldmann’s
laboratory at Cambridge University in 1979. The first patient
with multiple sclerosis was treated by Professor Alastair
Compston in 1991. Like the disease, progress was erratic
and there were many setbacks. It was difficult to persuade
pharmaceutical companies to take up the project, and we
suspected that a major factor was the brevity of the treatment
(five days) and consequently the low cost (about £2,000)
compared with chronic administration of beta-interferon (about
£10,000 a year).
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease caused by an
inflammatory response which destroys the myelin sheath that
protects neurons. The disease usually progresses intermittently
with periods of relapse and remission over several years,
but ultimately the damage results in irreversible disability.
Alemtuzumab (Campath ® ) is the first drug to halt, and even
reverse this process. It is a monoclonal antibody which targets
The fact that Tony Johnstone can still win a golf tournament
is due to the faithful persistence of Alastair Compston and
his colleague Alasdair Coles through the last 18 years. At
Oxford University we built a small manufacturing facility (the
Therapeutic Antibody Centre, TAC) which supplied them
with sufficient alemtuzumab to continue their clinical trials.
Axon
Myelin
Nucleus
Axon
Oligodendroglia
Axon and Myelin: Nerve axons are coated with an insulating sheath of myelin. In
multiple sclerosis this is damaged by inflammatory immune cells, with the same
effect as stripping the insulation from a copper wire – leading to short circuiting
of the nerve impulses. Diagram courtesy of Dr Alasdair Coles.
MRI: Loss of myelin can be seen by magnetic resonance imaging as white
“plaques” within the brain or spinal cord. Image courtesy of Dr Alasdair Coles.
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They discovered that early intervention could halt and even
reverse the otherwise inexorable progression of disease.
Slowly the clinical evidence was accumulated to persuade the
pharmaceutical companies to invest in full-scale trials. Just as
this lecture was given, we heard that Genzyme Inc is now to
embark on a larger study, which we hope will lead to approval
of the treatment in some years’ time.
EDSS Score
2.6
2.2
1.8
1.4
beta-interferon
alemtuzumab
+0.38
P

Oxford Innovation Society Meeting
The Oxford Science Park
Charles Young, Senior Bursar of Magdalen College and Joint Managing Partner of The Oxford Science
Park gave this talk, ‘Enabling the growth of Oxford’s knowledge based economy,’ at the March 2009 OIS
meeting.
The knowledge based economy has developed in and around
Oxford, for a myriad of reasons, but three key factors are very
significant.
• Knowledge and research is based in Oxford, rooted in
the universities, hospitals and other institutions closely
associated with them.
• Isis Innovation, together with a multitude of experienced
venture capitalists, patent lawyers, accountants and other
professionals have led the way in forging links between
research and commercialisation.
• The physical infrastructure has been created to facilitate
the transition from the laboratory to the commercial
environment, a key role played by The Oxford Science Park
and others in the county.
The origins of The Oxford Science Park date back exactly 20
years, to 1989 when planning permission was first granted.
Magdalen College owned the land and recognised the
potential benefits of joining forces with a commercial partner
with financial strength, a long term horizon and a depth of
experience in property development. Prudential was identified
as such a partner and a 50:50 joint venture agreement was
formed to develop The Oxford Science Park.
offering flexible space for smaller aspiring companies, was
also opened. Since then over 530,000 sq ft of offices
and laboratories have been completed, occupied by over
60 companies including a number of University spin-out
companies, created by Isis Innovation.
The success of the Science Park has been achieved by the
joint venture operating as property developers, not scientists.
However, they are well informed and experienced property
developers, providing not just buildings but also the services
and environment that clients need. This is a simple and
sustainable business model. The Park offers a professional
and attractive environment for established multi-national
companies and also flexible office and laboratory space for
expanding companies with the ambitions to grow into global
players in the world economy.
Companies on the Park find the ideal environment: green,
spacious, easy to access and with excellent on-site facilities.
High standards of ecological responsibility and respect for
the environment have been in place from the beginning and
the mature landscaping and abundance of wildlife enhance
the location for resident companies, employees and their
visitors.
By 1991 a key tenant was in place (Sharp Laboratories)
and the Park’s Innovation Centre (the Magdalen Centre),
The joint venture partnership continues to share ownership,
management responsibility, risks and rewards on an equal
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An attractive environment for both large and small companies.
basis. All this has been achieved without any financial subsidy
from government or any other external body. Indeed one of
the many beneficial outcomes from the development of the
Science Park is that both joint venture partners make money
from it. In the case of Magdalen College, financial return is
ploughed back into the support of key functions of teaching
and research. In the case of the Prudential, returns go to their
fund investors and policy holders. It is essential that these
funds are invested in sound assets with a secure future and
Prudential’s confidence that The Oxford Science Park meets
this commercial test is an important part of the mix.
Oxford has become an internationally recognised location for
innovation and technology. The role of The Oxford Science
Park has been that of a commercial property developer and
the key points about the Park development are:
• The provision of the physical infrastructure of suitable
laboratories, offices and facilities, is a vital ingredient for a
knowledge based economy.
• Entrepreneurs and scientists need somewhere to work,
and there is every reason to make that place as pleasing
and responsive to their needs as possible.
• At The Oxford Science Park the joint venture partners
believe that they have built a Science Park that is both
financially and environmentally sustainable.
• The development, although of significant size, is not yet
complete. There is room for existing companies to grow
and for new companies to join this increasingly expanding
community.
For further information about The Oxford Science Park contact
Ian Macpherson.
The success of the Science Park has been achieved by the joint
venture operating as property developers, not scientists
CONTACT Ian Macpherson The Oxford Science Park T +44 (01865) 781 303 E Ian.Macpherson@oxfordsp.com W www.oxfordsp.com
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Oxford Innovation Society Member
Diving into technology patent pools
Patent pools have existed for over 150 years but the concept is relatively new in the pharmaceutical sector.
CMS Cameron McKenna reviews the strategy.
Patent pools are well known in the area of electronics and of a treatment or vaccine in response to the SARS epidemic.
telecommunications where the establishment of standards to In July 2008, UNITAID (an international financing organisation
ensure the interoperability of new products is important to their founded in 2006) announced a proposal that it was creating
success. To illustrate, the need for interoperability of mobile a patent pool for AIDS treatment in third world countries to
phone technology is fundamental to modern communication. increase access to more appropriate and affordable medicines.
Imagine if the making of a call depended on the caller and All of these proposals were aimed at lowering the barriers to
receiver being on the same network and/or having the same market entry for generic drug manufacturers while maintaining
handset. However, patent pools in the life sciences sector are royalty payments to patent holders.
a relatively new phenomenon.
Benefits of patents pools
What are patent pools?
Patent pools in the life sciences sector are fundamentally
A patent pool is an agreement between two or more patent different from those in the electronics sector; standards for
owners to pool certain patents in order to licence those interoperability are of low importance and dominant players
patents to each other or to third parties. The key feature of may have little incentive to contribute due to the historically
a patent pool is the ability for the patents to be licensed as a successful blockbuster pharmaceutical business model. They
package (i.e. a one-stop-shop) rather than individually, thus can however, especially in the biotechnology area, encourage
reducing the number of licences required and the necessary greater innovation, parallel research and development, and
and consequential transaction costs. A patent pool is a means help to avoid patent bottlenecks. Other benefits of patent
to enable parties to gain a licence to any ‘blocking’ patents pools include the elimination of ‘stacking’ licences; reduction
(i.e. essential patents for compliance with any standard), any of licensing transaction costs; distribution of innovation risk (for
complementary patents and any substitutable patents on example, where members of the pool receive a set percentage
standard, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. A pool of the pool’s royalties irrespective of the value or contribution
need not be limited to patents but may also include know-how of their patents); and a sharing of information relating to the
and other intellectual property rights. Patent pools are often patented technology amongst members of the pool.
private arrangements and therefore the details of many pools
or their mechanics are not widely publicised.
Pharmaceutical patent pools may herald a new era for research
and the commercialisation of scientific discovery. The challenge
Patent pools in the life sciences sector
will be to ensure that proposals do not become mere rhetoric
but produce concrete results. Whether the improved access
Recent years have seen a flurry of pharmaceutical patent pools.
to the pooled patents will result in greater access to medicines
Earlier this year GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the world’s second
remains to be seen but the key first steps have been taken.
largest pharmaceutical company, announced plans to create a
‘patent pool’ to help tackle neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).
Prior to GSK’s announcement, the World Health Organisation
(WHO) instigated a patent pool in 2003 for the development
Pharmaceutical patent pools may herald a new era for research
and the commercialisation of scientific discovery
CONTACT Sarah Hanson, Partner David Pountney, Technical Assistant W www.cms-cmck.com
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First Chinese investment in an Oxford spin-out
New company to develop three-dimensional bioreactors.
Spin-Out Company
Zyoxel, a new spin-out commercialising microbioreactor
technology developed at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics has secured
a £1 million investment from Hong Kong multinational CN
Innovations Holdings. A delegation from the company flew to
the UK in July to finalise the investment.
Zyoxel also received a £100,000 investment from the Oxford
University Challenge Seed fund.
CN Innovations Holdings is the material science division of
Hong Kong-based Chungnam Corporation, an engineering
and technology manufacture, retailer and distributor employing
over 9,000 people.
Professor Zhanfeng Cui from Oxford’s Institute of Biomedical
Engineering and Dr Jill Urban from the Department of Physiology,
Anatomy and Genetics and their colleagues invented the
bioreactor. It enables cells to grow as three-dimensional tissues
instead of conventional single layers, enabling more accurate
testing of new drugs and improved conditions for stem cell
culture.
“We estimate Zyoxel’s TissueFlex microbioreactors can reduce
the average cost of drug development by at least 10 percent,
improving accuracy and time-to-market,” said Dr Tim Hart,
CEO of Zyoxel.
“Pharmaceutical, chemical and cosmetic companies need
better and more reliable information when testing drugs and
compounds. Using microbioreactors for 3D tissue culture
to test chemicals on a range of lab-cultured human tissues
will enable researchers to assess new drug candidates more
intelligently. The inability to detect toxicity at an early stage
of drug development is estimated to cost the pharmaceutical
industry around $8 billion per year.”
Hart believes the Zyoxel technology also has the potential to
reduce the amount of animal testing worldwide by around 10
per cent per year.
Professor Cui said: “Cells function very differently when grown
as tissues, in conditions closer to those of cells in the body. The
microbioreactors are also individually perfused to mimic how
cells in the body are constantly supplied with fresh nutrients
and waste products removed via the blood.
“Our microbioreactor has an elegant multiwell design, using a
gas-permeable polymer to produce an easy to use consumable
for higher throughput routine testing. The microbioreactor is
transparent, to facilitate imaging and microscopy of complex
cells and tissues during testing. This is particularly useful for
studying cancer and neurological diseases.
“Stem cells have enormous potential, but there is a big gap in
our understanding of how to reliably culture and grow them.
Our bioreactors provide a simple format in which to culture
and test stem cells, increasing the pace of screening and our
understanding of these potentially very powerful therapeutic
cells.”
Zyoxel is developing partnerships with major pharmaceutical
companies and anticipates that the first product sales will take
place within a year.
“We are delighted to be working with Oxford, and with Isis
Innovation. This is a great example of bringing world-class
research to rapidly expanding markets in Asia. China is stepping
up as a leading innovator in the pharmaceutical and stem cell
field, including therapeutic stem cells,” said Mr Winston Chan,
Chief Technical Officer of CN innovations Holdings Limited.
CONTACT Dr Tim Hart CEO Zyoxel T +44 (0)7900 217167 E tim@zyoxel.com
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New Licence Agreement
A new type of in vitro tissue chamber
A licence for a new type of in vitro tissue chamber has been agreed between Isis and Scientific Systems
Design.
former is considered superior for delivering gaseous materials,
usually oxygen, the latter superior for solution-based materials,
often drugs.
During his DPhil studies in neuroscience in the Department of
Pharmacology at Oxford, Michael Hill has developed a new
type of electrophysiology recording chamber, for use in studying
brain function. The new chamber is a type of submerged
chamber, but makes available higher levels of both oxygen and
nutrients when compared with both existing submerged and
interface chambers. In addition the design of the chamber is
such that the slice is held perfectly flat with minimal mechanical
involvement and hence can be imaged in a superior way.
A large and growing market exists for the physiological study
of organ function using thin slices of living tissue. Samples are
placed in specially designed chambers, where the environment
is controlled such that the tissue is kept healthy for as long as
possible and at least as long as the study at hand requires.
Today a small number of companies provide an extensive range
of tissue chambers, designed with specific organ samples and
studies in mind.
Two types of chamber exist; the interface chamber and the
submerged chamber, both attempt to mimic the natural
environment, i.e. the tissue samples receive nutrients and
oxygen and expire waste material. As the two names suggest,
the interface chamber has the tissue slice sited at the interface
of a liquid solution of nutrients and a gaseous mixture of
oxygen and carbon dioxide, the submerged chamber has the
tissue submerged in an oxygenated solution of nutrients. The
The key feature of this design is a transparent membrane upon
which the tissue slice is placed. A solution of oxygenated
nutrients is streamed just along the underneath side of the
membrane and this high-speed flow exerts pressure on the
slice, similar to that experienced by an airplane wing. This
change of pressure, just underneath the membrane leads
to a constant stream of nutrients and oxygen through the
slice, which makes these vital substances much more readily
available. Beyond this, the suction through the slice keeps the
slice in place and stable, so even though there is a significant
flow of liquids all around and through the slice, the mechanical
noise is kept to a minimum. The transparent membrane allows
for ideal conditions of imaging, with an inverted microscope
leaving the whole upper surface of the slice free for placement
of additional experimental devices such as electrodes.
The two parties are working together with a first product launch
planned to coincide with a trade show later this year.
Michael Hill has developed a new type of electrophysiology
recording chamber, for use in studying brain function
CONTACT Dr John Wilson Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280844 E john.wilson@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
10

New generation peptide nucleic acids
Isis Innovation recently signed a development and marketing licence deal with diagnostics company
AdvanDx, for a technology which could cut the time needed to diagnose critical infections such as sepsis
and bloodstream infections from days to hours.
New Licence Agreement
Boston, Massachusetts based AdvanDx have signed a
development agreement to take new generation peptide nucleic
acids from Oxford and Chulalongkorn Universities, and use the
unique properties of these molecules to develop new tests for
the clinical diagnostic and hospital testing market places.
The company has also committed to exploring the novel
peptide nucleic acid technology for use in medical therapeutics
using antisense or RNAi approaches. Their specialist chemical
expertise will greatly facilitate development in this context, and
the deal allows sublicensing in this potentially highly lucrative
area.
AdvanDx is a venture capital backed, private company with
R&D facilities in the United States and Denmark, and sales and
marketing operations covering the United States, Canada and
Europe. The company develops and markets molecular-based,
in vitro diagnostic tests, utilising the properties of modified
nucleic acids to devise novel, more powerful and faster
tests which aid in the diagnosis and prevention of infectious
diseases. Many of their current products are peptide nucleic
acid (PNA) probe based fluorescence in-situ hybridisation
(FISH) assays. The rapid nature of these tests allow healthcare
providers to make more informed therapy decisions early and
improve the quality of both patient care and overall hospital
operations. Clinical studies have shown that implementing the
tests saved patient lives, reduced unnecessary antibiotic use,
reduced patient length of stay and reduced overall hospital
costs. Two additional AdvanDx PNA FISH tests based on
current generation PNAs have recently received FDA 510(k)
regulatory approval in the United States.
The Oxford technology is a modified backbone nucleic acid
analogue, with an amino component, a novel peptide nucleic
acid (PNA) chemistry. The new PNA consists of an alternate
PNA probes are used by AdvanDx to make particularly effective probes
and detection systems for pathogenic microbes. The tests are more rapid
and effective than competitor probes. Here they show the presence of
Staphylococcus aureus in a clinical sample. Image courtesy of AdvanDx.
proline-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acid oligomer. It is further
modified with nucleobases to recognize specific sequence of
DNA or RNA. DNA – newPNA hybrid duplexes are considerably
more stable than the corresponding natural duplex, and have
considerably greater specificity.
The technology allows probe hybridisation, with high specificity
and at low salt concentrations, with the affinity tailored to
the specific application in question, no matter whether DNA
or RNA is the preferred target. Fourteen granted patents
cover this distinct and discrete technology in ten countries,
giving broad and strong protection and making this a truly
international deal.
The rapid nature of these tests allow healthcare providers to
make more informed therapy decisions early and improve the
quality of both patient care and overall hospital operations
CONTACT Dr David Phillips Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280921 E david.phillips@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
11

Isis Project Number 2284
Health economics software product
UKPDS Outcomes Model: Oxford software to assess the lifetime benefits of diabetes-related
interventions.
The Oxford software
The UKPDS Outcomes Model is a computer simulation
program developed jointly by the Diabetes Trials Unit in the
Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism
and the Health Economics Research Centre in the University
of Oxford Department of Public Health. The software is used
for estimating the long-term impact of health interventions for
people with type 2 diabetes. The model is based on patient
data from the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study
and is designed to assess the total burden of disease over an
extrapolated lifetime for populations with type 2 diabetes. The
model uses a wide variety of risk factors such as blood glucose
level, blood pressure, lipid levels and smoking status, including
knowledge of previous events for individuals, and has the ability
to take into account changes in risk factor levels over time.
Applications
The software has been developed primarily to assess the
lifetime benefits of diabetes-related interventions. In particular,
it is intended to facilitate economic evaluations by estimating
changes in life expectancy and quality-adjusted life expectancy
for each member of a given population when risk factors are
changed. It can be applied to any population with type 2
diabetes. Other potential applications include:
• Assisting health service planning for populations with
diabetes
• Estimating life expectancy for life insurance premium
calculations
• Calculating expected event rates when designing clinical
trials.
Ischaemic heart disease
(IHD)
AGE 1.03
FEMALE 0.62
HbA1c 1.13
SBP 1.10
LN (Total:HDL) 4.47
(Eq.1, n = 231)
Blindness (BLIND)
AGE 1.07
HbA1c 1.25
(Eq.6, n = 104)
Renal failure (RENAL)
SBP 1.50
BLIND 8.02
(Eq.7, n = 24)
Amputation (AMP)
PVD 11.42
HbA1c 1.55
SBP 1.25
BLIND 6.12
(Eq.5, n = 40)
Software status
Fatal and non-fatal
myocardial infarction (MI)
AGE 1.06
FEMALE 0.44
AC 0.27
SMOK 1.41
HbA1c 1.13
SBP 1.11
LN (Total:HDL) 3.29
IHD 2.49
CHF 4.75
(Eq. 2, n = 495)
OTHER DEATH
(In force at all times)
AGE x FEMALE 1.08
AGE x (1- FEMALE) 1.11
SMOK 1.36
(Eq.10, 250 deaths)
Heart failure (CHF)
AGE 1.10
HbA1c 1.17
SBP 1.12
BMI 1.07
(Eq. 3, n = 97)
STROKE
AGE 1.09
FEMALE 0.60
SMOK 1.43
ATRFIB 4.17
HbA1c 1.12
SBP 1.32
TOTAL:HDL 1.12
CHF 5.71
(Eq. 4, n = 157)
Diabetes related mortality
EVENT FATALITY (odds ratios) DIABETES MORTALITY
(In year of first event)
Ln (AGE_EVENT) 16.00
HbA1c 1.12
MI_EVEN 14.01
STROK 2.85
RENAL 1.00
AMP 1.00
CHF 1.00
(In subsequent years)
Ln (AGE_EVENT) 113.40
TOTAL:HDL 1.12
MI_EVENT 51.38
MI_POST 3.06
STROKE_EVENT 16.56
STROKE_POST 1.00
CHF 1.00
AMP 2.81
RENAL 4.88
(Eq. 9, n = 100)
The UKPDS Outcomes Model software is being used in a range
of research, clinical and commercial applications worldwide.
The software is available for commercial and academic use in
the form of a standalone application for Microsoft, Macintosh
and Linux platforms. An Excel worksheet version is available
on Microsoft Windows. For further information, and to review
academic use licence terms, please visit www.dtu.ox.ac.uk.
The software is used for estimating the long-term impact of
health interventions for people with type 2 diabetes
CONTACT Dr Mike Gilbert Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280919 E michael.gilbert@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
12

The new “CRAC” with allergy
A positive feedback cycle exists where leukotriene activation in turn activates CRAC channels to stimulate
leukotriene production. Therefore, a more effective treatment for allergic rhinitis and nasal polyposis would
combine CRAC channel blockers with leukotriene receptor blockers.
Isis Project Number 3566
Background
IgE is a class of antibody that mediates the allergic response.
These antibodies, upon interacting with allergens, activate
inflammatory cells of the immune system. One such inflammatory
cell is the mast cell. Indeed aberrant mast cell activation is linked
to a variety of allergic diseases including asthma, eczema,
rhinitis and nasal polyposis. Together these conditions affect up
to 20% of the population in industrialised countries.
It is likely that one in three
people will suffer from allergies
at some point during their lives
The Oxford invention
The positive feedback cascade between the CRAC channel
and the leukotriene receptor is a mechanism for sustaining
mast cell activation. Cysteinyl leukotrienes secreted by a single
activated mast cell evoke calcium signals through CRAC
channels and leukotriene synthesis in nearby resting mast
cells. Therefore, the most effective treatment would target
these two distinct, but interdependent proteins, the CRAC
channel and leukotriene receptor pathway. A combination
treatment using a CRAC channel blocker and a cysteinyl
leukotriene receptor antagonist will have a synergistic effect.
The approach will enable effective treatment of allergic rhinitis
and nasal polyposis at lower drug dosage accompanied by
reduced side effects.
Marketing opportunity
Changes in calcium can drive a wide range of cellular
responses. Animal cells are stimulated by a rise in the
concentration of intracellular calcium. One way to increase
intracellular calcium is the opening of store-operated calcium
channels, or CRAC channels, located in the plasma membrane.
These channels open in response to an emptying of the
intracellular calcium store. Mast cell activation causes calcium
to enter the cell through these CRAC channels and the
cytoplasmic calcium levels to rise. This results in the release
of different proinflammatory molecules that target the bronchi
and vasculature and recruit other immune cells to the site. One
dominant type of proinflammatory mediator is the cysteinyl
leukotriene family. Cysteinyl leukotrienes exert their action
by binding type I receptors on adjacent mast cells thereby
initiating the release of calcium from internal stores and the
perpetuation of the cascade.
Allergy is characterised by an inflammatory response to
seemingly harmless substances, and it is likely that one in three
people will suffer from the condition at some point during their
lives. The total cost of allergy to the UK National Health Service
is £900 million per year according to a report published by the
Royal Institute of Physicians in 2003. Prevalence of serious
allergic disease has increased dramatically over the past ten
years; with the suggestion that 12 million people in the UK
(one-fifth of the population) are likely to be receiving treatment
for allergy in any one year.
Patent status
This work is the subject of a patent application, and Isis
would like to talk to companies interested in developing the
commercial opportunity.
Ca 2+ CRAC channel
Ca 2+
Ca 2+
+
+
+
Ca 2+
Ca 2+
Ca 2+
[Ca 2+ ] [Ca 2+ ] [Ca 2+ ]
CONTACT Dr Sarah Deakin Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280970 E sarah.deakin@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
13

Isis Project Number 3593
Cysteine treatment for obesity
Plasma cysteine is a strong predictor of BMI and obesity and is independent of energy and fat intakes,
plasma lipids and physical activity. This represents a novel target for the treatment of obesity using
cysteine-controlling therapies.
Background
How high is your plasma cholesterol cysteine?
Obesity is the consequence of undesirable weight gain mainly
attributed to unhealthy diets and physical inactivity because
an individual consumes more than he or she expends. It
is associated with an increased risk of developing serious
medical conditions such as coronary heart disease and Type 2
diabetes. A good measure of obesity is the body mass index
(BMI), which is calculated by dividing body weight in kilograms
by the square of a person’s height in metres. A BMI over
30 kg/m 2 is considered obese.
Marketing opportunity
Globally, the World Health Organisation has forecast that
numbers will rise to 700 million obese adults and 2.3 billion
overweight adults by 2015. This puts obesity at the forefront
of healthcare. According to an article by Decision Resources
the obesity market is expected to grow five-fold by 2016. This
translates to a market in the region of 4.6 billion US dollars by
2017. A number of new emerging therapies and the prevalence
of obesity will fuel this market growth.
The Oxford invention
The majority of therapies in late stage development are unlikely
to reach blockbuster potential due to concerns about safety
and efficacy. The consequence of this is an underdeveloped
obesity market and the search is on for a safe and effective
anti-obesity drug.
Oxford researchers have identified a strong positive correlation
between plasma levels of the non-essential amino acid cysteine
and fat mass in two large population studies.
The link has proven to be causal with plasma cysteine
influencing fat mass and not visa versa. Importantly, there
was no association between plasma cysteine and lean mass.
Since lean mass is a reflection of muscle mass, a reduction in
plasma cysteine would selectively decrease fat mass, but not
at the expense of muscle loss. This is a distinct benefit over
conventional weight-loss approaches which do not preserve
muscle mass.
Plasma cysteine 245 μM 270 μM 285 μM 300 μM 335 μM
Average fat mass 22 kg 24 kg 24 kg 27 kg 30 kg
Based on data from 2982 women.
Confirmed in >5000 men and women from 10 countries.
Although speculative, it is likely that the Oxford invention
would permit modification of the way the body deals with
excess food intake after it is inside the system by dissipating
it as heat energy rather than storing it as fat. This should
minimise the adverse side effects that are characteristic
of other treatments for obesity. For example, treatments
that act on food absorption lead to steatorrhoea and/or an
inability to absorb vital nutrients, while appetite suppressants
cause psychological side effects and lose their efficacy with
prolonged use.
Using drugs or functional foods that lower plasma cysteine
levels potentially offers a novel and safer approach for the
treatment of obesity.
Patent status
This work is the subject of a patent application, and Isis
would like to talk to companies interested in developing the
commercial opportunity.
CONTACT Dr Sarah Deakin Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280970 E sarah.deakin@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
14

Novel target for cancer diagnosis and therapy
GTP cyclohydrolase (GTPCH) and its protein product – Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) were identified as rational
targets for inhibiting tumour angiogenesis.
Isis project number 3101
The Oxford invention
Researchers at the University of Oxford have discovered that
GTP cyclohydrolase (GTPCH) plays a direct role in tumour
formation and progression. GTPCH is the rate-limiting enzyme
for neopterin and tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) biosynthesis; BH4,
in particular, is an essential co-factor for endothelial nitric oxide
synthase (eNOS) activation.
It is proven that the increased nitric oxide (NO) synthesis
facilitates endothelial cell proliferation and tube formation,
hence stimulates tumour angiogenesis. While at the same time,
BH4 has been shown to be involved in promoting tumour cell
proliferation.
Our researchers detected the abundant GTPCH expression in
patients with breast, lung, head and neck cancers or lymphomas,
and demonstrated high GTPCH expression strongly correlates
with poor clinical outcome in 298 breast cancer patients with
20 years follow-up. This suggests GTPCH expression and its
enzymatic activity is pro-angiogenic and tumorigenic.
After dissecting the mechanism of GTPCH in tumour
angiogenesis and neoplastic transformation, Oxford academics
further identified GTPCH inhibitors that can arrest tumour
cell migration and inhibit tumour angiogenesis in xenograft
transplants, and are currently validating these inhibitors further.
Marketing opportunity
Cancer therapies make up one of the fastest-growing
therapeutic areas in the global pharmaceutical market, with
a value of close to $50 billion in 2009. With more than 200
types of cancer and a high mortality rate, there is vast demand
for novel cancer diagnostic markers and therapies. Further
research and clinical development targeting GTPCH and BH4
may result in cancer treatments broadly applicable to various
types of tumours.
Patent status
This work is the subject of a patent application. Isis is seeking
partners to further validate GTPCH as a cancer diagnostic
marker as well as develop novel anti-cancer therapies targeting
GTPCH. Interested parties are welcome to contact the Isis
project manager for discussion.
Cancer therapies make up
one of the fastest-growing
therapeutic areas in the global
pharmaceutical market
Guanosine triphosphate (GTP)
GTPCH
(-) DAHP
Dihydroneopterin triphosphate
PTPS
Neopterin
6-Pyruvoyl-tetrahydropterin
Tumour progression
in patients
SR
Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4)
Cofactor function
Nitric oxide
synthases
Tumour cell proliferation
Tumour cell proliferation
GTPCH activity for BH4 synthesis and neopterin formation in association with tumour angiogenesis and cell proliferation.
CONTACT Dr Dina Y Chen Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280846 E dina.chen@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
15

Isis Project Number 3190
Prostate cancer treatment
Treatment that specifically targets prostate cancer cells with fewer side effects.
The Oxford invention
Researchers at Oxford have found that prostate cancer cells
have unusually elevated levels of homologous recombination
(HR) and more crucially a high dependence on this DNA repair
pathway. The high dependence on HR is unique to these cells
and makes this pathway a highly specific target for future
therapies, which could mean fewer side effects.
Inhibition
Cancer cells
Inhibition
Normal cells
A BX
A B
The present invention is built on the concept of synthetic lethality
(see illustration), an area of research that Professor Thomas
Helleday’s research team pioneered, developing a treatment
to selectively kill BRCA2 defective ovarian and breast cancers
using PARP inhibitors (Bryant et al 2005 Nature 434, 913-7).
Clinical phase II trials for PARP inhibitors on this indication are
either ongoing or have been completed and recently reported
at ASCO (The American Society of Clinical Oncology).
Given that the PARP inhibitors work very well for treating
BRCA1 or BRCA2 defective breast or ovarian cancers, it is
highly likely that the same synthetic lethal interaction will also
be efficient in selectively killing prostate cancers.
“Our data suggest a defect in DNA single strand break
(SSB) repair in prostate cancer cell lines, which also have
an increased number of spontaneous SSBs,” said Professor
Helleday. “As previously shown in BRCA1/2 deficient breast
cancers, SSB repair is synthetic lethal to repair by HR. PARP
inhibitors have been shown to be efficient in selectively killing
these types of breast cancer by shutting down SSB repair
in cells already deficient in HR repair, whilst leaving healthy
cells unaffected. It is, therefore, very probable that the same
concept will work the other way round i.e. that inhibition of HR
proteins in prostate cancer cells already deficient in SSB repair
will selectively kill them.”
Research is ongoing to validate protein targets and to identify
compounds that selectively target these proteins in this DNA
repair pathway.
Marketing opportunity
Prostate cancer is the most commonly occurring cancer
in men in the UK and second most common cancer in
men in the world. According to a Frost & Sullivan report, in
Synthetic lethality: Genetic phenomenon where the combination of two
otherwise non-lethal mutations results in a non-viable cell. For prostate cancer
cells – pathway A is homologous recombination; pathway B is single strand
break repair, which is mutated in prostate cancer.
2005 approximately 660,000 new patients were diagnosed
worldwide with over 181,500 patients dying from the disease
annually. The incidence is projected to grow at an annual
growth rate of about 4% over the next 4 years.
Following diagnosis some of the most commonly used
treatments for treating prostate cancer include:
• Active surveillance
• External beam radiography
• Surgical removal of the prostate
• Brachytherapy
• High dose rate brachytherapy
• Hormone therapy
Most of the currently available therapies have significant
side effects associated with them so quality of life is a major
consideration when making treatment decisions. There is a real
need to find more targeted treatment approaches with fewer
side effects.
Patent status
Cell Death
Survival
The Oxford invention is the subject of a published international
patent application number WO2008/129239. Isis would like to
talk to companies interested in collaborating with the researchers
and/or developing this commercial opportunity. Please contact
the Isis Project Manager to discuss this further.
CONTACT Dr Weng Sie Wong Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280842 E weng.wong @isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
16

Improved cryopreservation for stem cells
New cryopreservation methods and media have been developed that contain well-defined, serum free
agents and improve cell viability.
The Oxford invention
For clinical applications of cell therapy, including stem cell
therapy, cryopreservation is critical for both storage and
off-the-shelf product offerings. Well-defined, serum free
cryoprotecting agents (CPAs) are necessary for obtaining
regulatory approval. Low DMSO concentrations are also
desirable because DMSO is known to be associated with
neurotoxicity in the developing brain.
Among stem cells, human embryonic stem (hES) cells are
believed to be the most interesting and commercially valuable.
hES cells have an unlimited capacity for self-renewal and unique
developmental potential to differentiate themselves into over 200
cell types of the human body. However, an essential prerequisite
for successful applications of hES cells is to develop efficient
cryopreservation methods to improve the current poor cell
survival and recovery rates following cryopreservation.
Colony number at first day
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Conventional
media
D10
Cyropreservation of hES cells after freezing
D10
Oxford magic formula A
No inhibitor Cultured with ROCK Cultured with ROCK and X
No inhibitor
Cultured with
ROCK
Cultured with
ROCK and X
Isis Project NumberS 4026/4039/4122
For hES and iPS cells: The Oxford invention provides a novel
cryopreservation protocol for cryopreserving and recovering hES
cells and subsequent culture, enabling higher cell viability and
maintaining an undifferentiated status following cryopreservation.
Such an improved method can be equally applied to induced
pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.
For adult stem cells, animal stem cells, human and animal
primary cells: The Oxford invention provides an efficient
cryopreservation media containing well-defined CPAs, which
could avoid infection risks and could be acceptable to
cryopreserve cells being introduced to a human body. It also
contains low levels of DMSO, but maintains high cell viability
and reduces cell doubling time. In some cases it improves
cell viability. Such an improved media can be used for
cryopreservation of mesenchymal stem (MS) cells for instance.
Oxford
formula
Colony formation of hES cells following cryopreservation.
The Oxford invention provides novel cryopreservation methods
and media for stem cells and hES cells. The invention
could improve the current poor cell viability and growth
rates following cryopreservation, and enable stem cell
researchers, pharmaceutical companies and clinicians to
exploit the enormous potential of hES and meet the regulatory
requirements.
Patent status
The Oxford invention is the subject of a patent application. Isis
would like to talk to companies interested in developing the
commercial opportunity. Please contact the Isis Project Manager.
Marketing opportunity
hES cells have become potential sources for many clinical
applications, ranging from drug discovery and regenerative
medicine to tissue replacement after injury or disease. The
market potential of tissue engineering alone is estimated
to exceed $10 billion by 2013 1 . The market size of stem
cell research products is estimated to be $800 million and
expanding through double-digit growth each year 2 .
1 “Tissue engineering & stem cell technology report”, Bharat Book Bureau, 2007.
2 “Stem cell research products”, Bharat Book Bureau, 2008.
CONTACT Dr Dina Y Chen Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280846 E dina.chen@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
17

Isis Project Number 3268
Movie and still image simultaneous capture
A novel imaging method that allows the capture of high speed movies and high resolution still images
at the same time, on the same detector, can be manufactured from readily available components and is
applicable to consumer products, scientific imaging and security.
Calcium fluorescence of activation waves in heart muscle. High resolution still + High resolution speed movie.
The Oxford invention
Current imaging technology requires users to choose between
still and movie capture. Further, high-speed movie capture
requires switching to lower spatial resolutions to minimize
noise and bandwidth issues. As a result, images and movies
captured with current technologies miss a significant part of a
scene’s temporal or spatial range.
These issues are solved using the new Oxford development of
Fast Pixel Shutter Imaging:
• Captures simultaneously high-resolution images and
high-speed image sequences in the same image
• Does not require increased memory
• Does not require image intensification
• Slow scan = low read noise
• Works with any detector technology
• Very flexible (not locked to one resolution)
• Extremely high speeds are possible
Not only can the invention be incorporated in a completely
new system, but it can also be manufactured as a modular
component to be retrofitted to an existing system.
Marketing opportunity
Major applications are in scientific imaging, security and
consumer products. Scientific imaging markets are strong, and
high speed imaging devices (kHz+) for science are very costly
(£50,000) when compared to high resolution devices.
The digital still camera market is the major application, and the
ability to capture both a high resolution still and high speed movie
at the same time will offer considerable advantage. Additionally
as the mobile phone gains ever increasing functionality then it
also will benefit from this technology. The global image sensing
market was estimated at about US $3 billion in 2007, and as
the replacement market levels off, new imaging methods will not
only increase value, but offer significant product differentiation.
Patent status
The Oxford invention is the subject of patent applications, and
Isis would like to talk to companies interested in developing
this opportunity. Please contact the Isis Project Manager for
further details.
CONTACT Dr David Eastham Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280855 E david.eastham@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
18

Towards a sustainable utility service industry
Smart resonant tags and sensors that offer enhanced visibility of buried assets such as utilities, label them
with unique ID, and are efficient, cheap, robust and low maintenance.
Isis Project NumberS 3650/3666
Transmitter
Receiver
Frequency
Time
Time domain response
Gas pipe
Telecom. cable
Power cable
Water pipe
Depth of assets
Frequency domain response
Type of assets
Oxford devices can be used to colour code the buried assets assigning them a unique ID.
The Oxford invention
The HSE (Health Safety and Executive) Enforcement Policy for
Replacement of Iron Gas mains 2006 has developed legally
binding requirements on the UK gas distribution network
operators for the replacement of ageing cast iron gas mains
with plastic ones. However, the Traffic Management Act and
Records Code of Practice for buried assets largely suffer
from inaccurate records and current methods used to trace
plastic based pipes are either inefficient or very expensive.
This hampers their replacement, and unnecessary delays and
excavations often result in accidental damage to third party
assets, casualties and traffic congestion.
The Oxford approach integrates a low cost resonant tag into
the buried assets to enhance their visibility when surveyed
using a ground probing radar. These passive devices provide
a unique ID code, which can be used to identify the type of
buried utility including water, gas, power, telecommunications
and other services. Furthermore the time domain response
gives a measure of the depth of the assets.
The invention offers the following advantages:
• Cheap, robust, efficient and requires low maintenance
• Can be attached to the existing network of pipes
• Compatible with conventional GPR equipment
• Can be integrated into pipes at the manufacturing stage
• Can assist in providing added information such as detailed
service records
Variants of these tags have applications in environmental
sensing and civil engineering, enabling detection of leaks and
chemicals, and the monitoring of the health of buried assets.
Marketing opportunity
The HSE has identified about 100,000 km of cast iron gas main
in the UK that are regarded as being at risk of failure. These iron
gas pipes will be replaced at a rate of about 3000 km per year
until the entire network has been replaced in approximately
2030. It is envisaged that the total addressable market for our
tags in the UK alone is £20 million per year. The global market,
especially in the Asia/Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America,
and the Africa/Mideast is growing rapidly, and the annual
worldwide market is estimated to be in excess of £500 million.
Patent status
This work is the subject of two UK patent applications, and
Isis would like to talk to companies or investors interested
in commercialising this opportunity. Please contact the Isis
Project Manager to discuss this further.
CONTACT Dr Rakesh Roshan Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280853 E rakesh.roshan@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
19

Isis Project Number 3185
Smart wind generators
A new class of wind turbine that is efficient, effective under storm conditions, virtually silent and offers faster
return on investment.
The Oxford invention
Conventional direct drive wind turbines are inefficient as they
are optimised for a single wind speed condition. Variable
speed wind turbines (

Maritime tracking technology
University of Oxford researchers have developed a robust method for tracking subjects in digital image
sequences in real time for use in maritime vessel tracking and for surveillance in CCTV.
The Oxford invention
Isis Project Number 3677
Researchers at the Robotics Research Group have devised
a novel technique for robust, real-time, visual tracking of
previously unseen objects from a moving camera. Registration
compensates for the linear motion of solid objects while
segmentation allows for shape changes and perspective
changes that occur when the object turns relative to the
camera.
On-line learning provides continual refinement of the shape of
the object itself and the nature of the background.
A seaboat undergoing a 180º out-of-plane rotation illustrating shape adaption.
A prototype system has been tested in real time on live video
footage and provides feedback to maintain the object within
the frame of a pan-tilt-zoom digital video camera. The same
processing software can operate on recorded sequences that
demonstrate rapid and agile object motion with significant
image blur, varying lighting, violent camera motion, and
cluttered and changing background.
Marketing opportunity
Visual tracking of objects has numerous applications in
surveillance (either terrestrial or maritime), military purposes
and identification of organs in medical imaging applications.
The technique can be used to control pan-tilt-zoom devices to
stabilize a target image or for visual control of a device such as
a robot to follow a target or for docking.
Patent status
The Oxford invention is the subject of a patent application. Isis
would like to talk to companies interested in developing the
commercial opportunity. Please contact the Isis Project Manager.
Demonstrating the system tracking people walking down a corridor.
Visual tracking of objects has numerous applications in
surveillance, military purposes and identification of organs in
medical imaging applications
CONTACT Dr Mike Gilbert Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280919 E michael.gilbert@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
21

Isis Project Number 2880
Pixel imaging mass spectrometry
New developments combining time-of-flight mass spectrometry with high-speed detection enables
increased throughput or enhanced structural data to be obtained.
Photo fragment velocity-map images from a range of small molecules.
The Oxford invention
Oxford researchers have developed a new variation on time-offlight
(ToF) mass spectrometry, which uses a modified ion lens
assembly and detector to obtain mass-selective images of the
spatial or velocity distribution of ions at their point of formation.
Spatial-map imaging has potential applications in surface
imaging, while velocity-map imaging provides a wealth of
information on molecular fragmentation processes, particularly
when used in combination with common techniques such
as ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) or electron capture
dissociation (ECD). The key technological advance that has
made such measurements possible is the development of
ultra-fast imaging sensors, based on CCD or CMOS technology,
which allow large numbers of images to be recorded and
stored on-chip on the nanosecond to microsecond timescale
before readout to a PC at slower data rates.
Marketing opportunity
This technology presents opportunities in both quantitative
and qualitative analysis. Pixel imaging mass spectrometry
(PImMS) yields both a standard time-of-flight mass spectrum
and images for each fragment ion, and is compatible with the
incorporation of a reflectron for improved mass resolution.
Spatial imaging may be developed for surface imaging or
high throughput multi-sample mass spectroscopy, potentially
providing an order of magnitude enhancement to speed,
while the velocity imaging mode yields information on the
energetics and dynamics of the parent molecule fragmentation
process. Velocity-map images may be analysed to obtain
structural information on the parent, or employed as an
enhanced molecular fingerprinting strategy; as shown in the
figure, photodissociation studies of small molecules show
that the fragment distributions are highly characteristic of the
parent molecule from which they originated. The technology
is currently being developed for the study of larger molecules
such as peptides and oligonucleotides.
Patent status
The Oxford invention is the subject of an international patent
application. Isis would like to talk to companies interested in
developing the commercial opportunity. Please contact the Isis
Project Manager.
CONTACT Dr Jamie Ferguson Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280851 E jamie.ferguson@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
22

New ankle foot questionnaire for children
A health outcomes questionnaire has been developed by the University of Oxford’s Department of Public
Health for assessing the extent that children’s lives are affected by foot and ankle problems.
The patient-reported Oxford Ankle Foot Questionnaire uniquely conditions, and to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in
takes the perceptions of both the child and their parent or order to support evidence based clinical decision-making, and
carer into account, unlike usual clinical assessment methods to assess the performance of health services.”
which do not systematically capture the patient perspective
and may not accurately reflect how children function in their Development of the Oxford Ankle Foot Questionnaire was
typical environments. Patient Reported Outcome Measures funded by the MRC through a Research Training Fellowship in
(PROMs) have been shown to be useful for studies of the Health Services Research awarded to Dr Morris, and involved
wellbeing of patients. Joint specific (foot and ankle) PROMs collaboration between the University of Oxford Departments
have been developed to tackle this requirement for adults but of Public Health and Orthopaedic Surgery, and the clinical
these instruments have not been shown to be valid when used services at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and Oxford Trauma
to assess children.
Unit, John Radcliffe Hospital.
Isis Project Number 4185
The scores from the 15-item questionnaire can be used
to measure the effect of foot and ankle problems on three
domains of children’s lives: physical, school and play, and
emotional well being. The Physical domain assesses general
activity limitations such as standing and walking; the School
& Play domain assesses participation restrictions in specific
environmental contexts; the Emotional domain assesses to
what extent a child is bothered about their foot or ankle
problem because of appearance or the way people treat them.
A single item assesses whether children can wear the type
of shoes they prefer. The items were based on issues that
children with foot or ankle problems identified as important in
focus groups.
The domain scales have been shown to be responsive to
change and can be used to evaluate interventions and indicate
recovery in clinical trials, benchmarking studies and clinical audit.
The questionnaire can be used with child patients affected by
foot and ankle problems originating from common conditions
such as flat feet, congenital deformities such as clubfoot,
clinical syndromes, trauma or neuromuscular conditions. The
questionnaire provides complementary information to clinical
assessments.
The author of the questionnaire, Dr Christopher Morris of
Oxford’s Department of Public Health said: “Foot and ankle
problems are extremely common among children, and there
is frequently little evidence to support the widespread use
of orthotic, physiotherapy, surgery and pharmaceutical
interventions. The Oxford Ankle Foot Questionnaire will help
us to understand how children’s lives are affected by these
The questionnaire will help us
to understand how children’s
lives are affected by these
conditions
The Oxford Health Services Research Unit also includes authors
of the industry-standard Parkinson’s disease health outcomes
questionnaire, PDQ-39, the mostly widely used outcomes
measure for that condition. The group has developed a number
of condition-specific questionnaires for motor neurone disease
and endometriosis as well as joint-specific scores for adult
elbow, shoulder, and foot and ankle conditions.
The utility of PROMs is gaining increasing importance worldwide.
In the UK, the Department of Health is implementing the
routine collection of PROMs data for specific interventions and
chronic conditions. The Oxford Hip and Knees scores have
been selected as the mandatory questionnaires for assessing
the efficacy of hip and knee replacements. Initially aimed at
120,000 patients a year that receive hip and knee replacement,
the results will be used to assess the improvement in the quality
of life for hip and knee patients receiving treatment throughout
the NHS.
The Oxford Health Outcomes questionnaires are available from
Isis Innovation. For more information please contact the Isis
Project Manager.
CONTACT Dr David Churchman T +44 (0)1865 280857 E healthoutcomes@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com/licensing/healthoutcomes
23

Isis Project Number 3656
Not such a rarity: cheap energy from the sun
A novel inorganic thin film photovoltaic system has been developed which offers stable low cost solar
generation without using rare-metal elements.
The solar cell market is growing rapidly – image of a field of solar panels in the Californian desert.
The Oxford invention
Researchers in Oxford have developed a second generation
thin film inorganic solar cell system that performs in the visible
spectrum of light, and is not composed of finite rare earth
materials, or as toxic components as the current inorganic
systems.
The advantages of this system include:
ITO
Cross section SEM of photoactive film.
Aluminium
Metal Oxide
Substrate
• Low cost per watt compared to existing solar energy
technologies.
• Good photochemical stability relative to other low cost
organic systems.
• Compatibility with existing industrial coating methods.
• Aesthetic advantages such as transparency and colouring.
The renewable energy market
Cheap solar technologies which are easily mass produced are
highly desirable and a key part of rising to the current energy
challenge; the solar cell market is growing rapidly, both in
traditional silicon technologies, and also with newer inorganic
and organic photovoltaic materials.
The high cost associated with silicon limits their penetration into
current energy markets. Second generation inorganic thin film
and third generation organic photovoltaics offer the prospect
of cheaper solar cells, which can be easily mass produced. A
number of thin film inorganic systems have been commercially
deployed, most notable are CIGS (copper indium gallium
diselenide) and Cadmium Tellurium (CdTe) devices, both of
which rely on rare elements and contain highly toxic materials.
Patent status
This work is the subject of patent application, and Isis would like
to talk to companies interested in the commercial scale up and
processing development of this technology.
Cheap solar technologies which are easily mass produced are
highly desirable and a key part of rising to the current energy
challenge
CONTACT Dr Stuart Wilkinson Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280907 E stuart.wilkinson@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
24

Quantifying flood risk
A comprehensive British rainfall digital archive in combination with statistical forecasting tools achieves
efficient flood management and reduces flood risk to people, property and the environment.
Isis Project Number 4094
Surface water flooding in Oxfordshire due to heavy rainfall © Hydro GIS Ltd
The Oxford invention
The extreme rainfall pattern, which resulted in an estimated
£2.0 billion of damage due to surface water flooding on 20th
July 2007, was very similar to British Rainfall for 7th June
1910 and 10th July 1968. Hence flood risk assessments tools
need to consider the likelihood of extreme rainfall and refer to
historical rainfall data.
Oxford researchers have both developed statistical forecasting
techniques and compiled the British Rainfall Digital Archive
(BRDA) – a large repository of 102 years of historical rainfall
data that supports the decision-making whilst dealing with the
management of flood risk. The predictive tools developed by
Oxford hugely benefit from BRDA as it comprises data covering
a much longer record than any other UK digital rainfall series.
Together they have been successfully used to:
Marketing opportunity
The rich content of BRDA and the sophisticated statistical
modelling tools will be of significant interest to the hydrological,
environmental management, civil engineering, and insurance
services industries. The BRDA will appeal to environmental
consultants, in particular where they are required to submit a
flood risk assessment including evidence of historical flooding
as part of a planning application.
Patent status
Isis would like to talk to companies interested in commercially
exploiting the database and the forecasting tools. Please
contact the Isis Project Manager to discuss this further.
• Identify areas at risk of surface water flooding
• Provide an alternative to the current approved prediction
methods.
The British Rainfall Digital Archive (BRDA) is a large repository
of 102 years of historical rainfall data that supports the decisionmaking
whilst dealing with the management of flood risk
CONTACT Dr Rakesh Roshan Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280853 E rakesh.roshan@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
25

Isis Project Number 2944
Virtual screening protocol
A new strategy for drug discovery and a novel antagonist to NAADP.
Marketing opportunity
The search for effective ways to discover drugs in a safe and
efficient manner is never ending. With the advent of genomics
and proteomics, data are rapidly accumulating on the role of
proteins and their implications in disease. We are now in a
better position than ever to exploit this information to the benefit
of drug discovery. However the accumulation of knowledge on
new targets is unfortunately not repeated at the level of the
drugs. If we look at the rate at which drugs for new targets
are generated, we notice a rate that has been fairly constant
for over two decades. In contrast the cost of drug-discovery
has increased. It is said that we are in a “target-rich, lead-poor”
state, a statement that suggests that we have not been able
to develop novel drugs despite knowing exactly where they
should be targeted. Pharmaceutical companies have taken
various steps to address this, with a recent success being the
development of High Throughput Screening (HTS). Although
HTS has led to the discovery of new drugs, the results are
far from encouraging and it is clear that there is still a need
to invent more efficient and cost effective ways of discovering
drugs.
It is possible to screen all
commercially available
compounds within the span of
a few days
3D shapes of NAADP and Ned-19.
electrostatic similarity. In the Oxford screen the computer
compares a known drug or an endogenous ligand to a library
consisting of 2.6 million drug-like molecules. It is possible to
screen all commercially available compounds within the span
of a few days. This provides some quick hits which can be
progressed to leads in the usual drug development process.
The Oxford invention
Researchers lead by Dr Grant Churchill (Department of
Pharmacology in Oxford), in collaboration with OpenEye
Scientific Software (Santa Fe), are having resounding successes
coupling in-silico methods with insightful pharmacology. This
combination has been consistently producing important
leads across a number of intracellular or second messenger
processes. The first success has been the discovery of Ned-19,
an extremely potent cell-permeant antagonist for the NAADP
mediated calcium signaling process.
The new paradigm
Virtual screening is a novel computer based technique that
is rapidly becoming an important tool in the process of drug
discovery. Virtual screening involves searching a large database
of small-molecules in a targeted manner using computers to find
leads that could later be developed into drugs. This technique
has a significant advantage in that it is fast, cost effective and is
applicable when the target structure is unknown.
Researchers at Oxford have proven the effectiveness of a
ligand-based virtual screening protocol based on shape and
Ned-19 and its analogs are the subject of an Isis Innovation
patent application. Further development of Ned-19 could lead
to novel therapies in:
• Lysosomal storage diseases
• Glucose sensing and insulin release in pancreatic beta cells
• Smooth muscle relaxation and blood pressure control
• Smooth muscle relaxation and asthma
Beyond calcium signaling, the researchers have plans to apply
their new virtual screening methodology to other important
second messenger processes.
CONTACT Dr Sarah Deakin Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280970 E sarah.deakin@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
26

Spin-out portfolio news
Oxford spin-outs announce important commercial collaborations.
Oxford Catalysts signs MOU with Potter Drilling, Inc.
Oxford Catalysts Group PLC [AIM: OCG.L], the leading
innovator for clean fuels, recently announced that it has entered
into an agreement with Potter Drilling, Inc., a google.org funded
company. The agreement will explore the incorporation of
Oxford Catalysts’ Instant Steam technology into Potter Drilling’s
hydrothermal spallation drilling technology, in order to use
superheated fluid for drilling through hard rocks.
Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies are
evaluating an application to generate the necessary heat for
use in Potter Drilling’s drilling tool for geothermal wells.
The technology being tested will require Oxford Catalysts’
Instant Steam catalyst to be contained within the drill head to
help produce the superheated fluid that is necessary. Oxford
Catalysts’ technology involves passing a liquid fuel over a
proprietary catalyst. This triggers a spontaneous and highly
exothermic reaction whilst releasing high temperature steam.
Potter Drilling intends to undertake field trials next year.
The market for geothermal energy (thermal energy harnessed
from the Earth’s crust) is currently very small and supplies less
than 1% of the world’s energy. With continued advances in
technology, geothermal energy could potentially be used to
produce enough electricity, sustainably, to meet a large portion
of the world’s energy demands.
Roy Lipski, CEO of Oxford Catalysts said “Potter Drilling’s
technology is an exciting new application for Instant Steam. We
look forward to working with them to explore the greater use
of geothermal heat for clean, environmentally friendly electricity
generation.”
Oxford Catalysts Group PLC also announced that its US
subsidiary, Velocys, Inc., has been awarded a $5 million
commercialisation grant, applicable over a period of two and a
half years. The successful Velocys grant proposal was ranked
highest out of 32 finalists by an independent review committee
from the US National Academy of Sciences.
www.oxfordcatalysts.com
Oxford Gene Technology acquires Sense Proteomic Ltd
Oxford Gene Technology (OGT) recently announced the
acquisition of Sense Proteomic Ltd., a UK-based company
engaged in the discovery of disease-specific biomarkers based
on its innovative functional protein array technology. Sense
Proteomic was a spin-out from the University of Oxford formed
in 1998, and was acquired by Procognia in 2003.
Using its proprietary protein array platform, Sense Proteomic
has identified autoantibody signatures with the potential to:
• Improve disease diagnosis and prognosis
• Identify stage of a disease by monitoring the changes in
autoantibody production during disease progression
• Monitor the response to therapeutic interventions
• Improve clinical outcomes by the stratification of patients
for clinical trials and treatment.
Sense Proteomic has identified biomarker panels for several
diseases including prostate cancer and systemic lupus
erythematosus, and has other biomarker discovery programmes
in progress.
Mike Evans, CEO of OGT, said: “Sense Proteomic’s highly
skilled scientific team has already demonstrated significant
progress in developing biomarker panels based on its novel
functional protein array platform. This deal, combined with our
recent development of an ultra high throughput DNA microarray
facility, gives OGT a unique blend of genomic and proteomic
technologies and will lead to the development of biomarkers
with profound clinical significance.”
Rachel Fallon, Sense Proteomic’s joint CEO, said: “This
transaction represents a rare opportunity to discover important
biomarkers for disease using more than one approach. The
biomarkers can be detected using a simple blood test for
early diagnosis and prognosis of disease. We look forward
to integrating with OGT’s current capabilities and microarray
expertise.”
www.ogt.co.uk
Oxford Spin-out Equity Management
CONTACT James Mallinson Portfolio Manager T +44 (0)1865 280903 E james.mallinson@osem.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
27

Oxford University Consulting
The role of the advisory board
External assessment in drug discovery and development.
Basic research
(academia)
Exploratory research
(industry)
Discovery
Lead
Compound
Selection
Pre-clinical
Phase I
Development
Phase II
Phase III
Market approval
Phase IV
Scientific Advisory Boards
Clinical Advisory Boards
Advisory board advice and expertise at each stage
Understanding of
disease
Identify a class of
molecules to target
the disease
Identify the best molecule
to target disease - lead
compound
Lead compound:
Validation
Likely metabolic profile
Early safety tests using in
vitro models
Chemical structure analysis
Optimization
Safety profile of
candidate drugs using
in vivo models
‘ADMET’
Pk/Pd
Formulation
Stability tests
Scale-up
Phase I clinical trial
design
Safety of the drug in
healthy volunteers
Confirmation of ADME
and Pk/Pd
Safety dosage
Side effects
Success factors for
Phase II
Phase II clinical trial
design
Initial therapeutic
indications
Dose ranging studies
Side effects
Biomarkers
Success factors for
Phase III
Phase III clinical trial
design
Statistical analysis of
safety, efficacy and
the drug benefit-risk
Side effects
P’cogenomics
Regulatory advice
Analysis of large
population data
Emerging adverse
events
New drug dosing
and efficacy
Biomarkers
Long-term safety
Drug discovery and development – major phases
Pharmaceutical companies aim to achieve commercial success
by bringing to market safe, effective and novel medicines for
the treatment of patients. The drug discovery and development
process (as outlined in the figure), starts in the laboratory
where the nature of the disease is explored and a class of
molecules is identified to target the disease. From there, the
goal is to identify a promising drug or ‘lead compound’ that if
successful can become a new medicine. However, to achieve
this the new compound must successfully navigate a number
of development stages: pre-clinical in vivo tests; initial tests in
healthy volunteers (phase I); tests in individuals with the disease
(phase II); finally testing in larger patient populations (phase III).
At the end of phase III, the drug obtains regulatory approval
for market launch (phase IV). Typically the process takes ten
to fifteen years and requires huge capital investments, which
includes the cost of many failures as often less than 1 in 5,000
potential drugs starting the process reach the market. With
such high stakes the advice and guidance of the very best
scientific and clinical minds can help to mitigate the risks.
The different stages of the process constitute landmarks, where
decisions have to be made or problems resolved in order to
progress to the next phase. Advisory boards are very popular
mechanisms in the pharmaceutical industry for focussing the
input and opinions of leading external experts to either endorse,
or challenge, the decisions made at each major stage. Boards can
be either scientific or clinical in their focus, and usually comprise:
university professors, distinguished scientists and research
physicians independent of the pharmaceutical company.
Advisory boards provide a structured way of collating opinions
and obtaining critical assessments and objective insights to
corroborate or change research and development plans. In
this way, boards assist companies in assessing whether their
development plans are capable of realising their commercial
aims. Given the scale of investment involved in developing
a new drug, the direction and opinions provided by a board
to modify, or even terminate, a particular developmental path
sooner rather than later can be invaluable. On the other hand,
if a project withstands such scrutiny it becomes more likely to
attract further investment and the interest of researchers and
other partners. Given the nature of their role, advisory boards
and their members need to be demonstrably independent of
the companies they advise if they are to genuinely protect the
interests of all concerned, and board governance arrangements
should reflect this requirement.
Oxford University Consulting (OUC) facilitates the recruitment
of Oxford academics to advisory boards, and has arranged
consultancy agreements for academic consultants to participate
in scientific and clinical advisory board meetings on a range of
subjects from rare genetic conditions to infectious diseases.
For example, Professor Frances Platt of the Department of
Pharmacology has participated in UK and international advisory
board meetings to advise on the use of a drug for treating
type 1 Gaucher disease and Niemann-Pick disease type C.
Professor Paul Klenerman from the Nuffield Department of
Medicine provides guidance through a Scientific Advisory
Board on viral infection and immunity.
CONTACT Dr Fatima Kranc Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280901 E fatima.kranc@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
28

Cooking up the universe
Isis in the community: science in the kitchen at Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History.
Oxford University Consulting
As a part of the Science & Engineering Week, The Wellcome
Trust Centre for Human Genetics organized “Science in the
Kitchen” on 6 March 2009 at The Museum of Natural History in
Oxford. Groups of eleven-year-old children from local schools
were shown how items found in any household kitchen could
be used to explain all manner of scientific concepts.
I realised at the outset of this project that one of the most
daunting tasks in holding the kids’ attention would be in
putting into perspective the extremely large and small numbers
that were commonplace in this subject; unimaginably high
temperatures, energies and densities and incredibly small
timescales, masses and distances.
Isis encourages its staff to participate in supporting the
community in areas broadly associated with knowledge transfer.
So as an Isis project manager I decided to volunteer myself
for the above event with a view to passing on my personal
fascination with cosmology to local school children. Keeping in
mind the day’s culinary theme, I decided to use the process of
baking a fruitcake to show how to cook up the entire universe.
I chose to use the fruitcake analogy to take the children on a
13.7 billion year journey from the Big Bang to the present day.
Along the way we explored how elementary particles used in
cooking up the primordial universe were analogous to the basic
ingredients used in cooking a fruitcake. However, we also delved
deeper into the nature of these elementary particles by showing
how, why and when they formed. This involved going back in
time to about a billionth of a billionth of a billionth of a billionth of
a billionth (infinitesimal interval) of a second after the Big Bang.
The next concept to get across to them was that just as baking
a cake requires an oven, so to does cooking up a universe. In
our story, however, the universe was the oven.
With the basics in place, we discovered how the first particles
formed and why this was so important to the future evolution of
the universe. From there we moved rapidly to the evolution of
the first elements and then, with a little help from gravity, how
the first stars came into existence. Explaining to them that the
stars were essentially ovens that cooked the lighter elements of
the universe into heavier elements in their death throes raised
some interesting questions from some of the audience about
our own star, the sun. The scene was set to take them to the
final stage of our journey and to discuss the formation and
lifetime of our own star and its ultimate fate.
By the end day I found, much to my amazement and delight,
that the kids and I had discussed the expanding universe,
mass-energy equivalence, quantum mechanics, fundamental
forces of nature, black holes, dark matter, dark energy and
stellar evolution. It was fascinating and enjoyable to have
engaged with such enquiring and imaginative minds, and
hopefully to spark a further interest in the subject.
CONTACT Gurinder Punn Project Manager T +44 (0)1865 280826 E gurinder.punn@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
29

Isis Enterprise Isis Project Number 71110
Improving safety of runway approach lighting
Researchers at City University have invented a method to improve the safety of runway approach lighting.
By understanding how pilots perceive different colours, they can reduce the likelihood of accidents as
aircraft attempt to land.
Marketing Opportunity
There are a very large number of airports around the world,
and most large airports use Precision Approach Path Indicator
(PAPI) lights to help guide pilots onto the correct glide scope
for final approach to each runway. These PAPI lights assist the
pilot by appearing to be a different colour (white or red) and in
different combinations, depending upon whether an aircraft is
above, below, or on the correct glide scope for landing.
The market for this technology is as a performance-enhancing
filter that is added as a modification to every existing PAPI light,
and for inclusion into all new products.
The invention
For PAPI lights to be effective, the correct identification of different
colours is essential. Unfortunately the perception of colour is
difficult to quantify, and there are a variety of tests that attempt
to measure a pilot’s ability to perceive different colours. Different
countries set different tests, and the results are often inconsistent.
This is an important issue, as colour blindness affects 8% of men
and up to 1% of women to varying degrees.
Researchers at City University have combined an appreciation
of the requirements of aviation safety with an understanding of
how humans perceive colour, to develop a series of filters that
can be fitted to PAPI lights to allow pilots to better discriminate
between red and white, the colours used in PAPI lights to guide
an aircraft onto the correct glide slope.
This modification, achieved using custom designed filters,
promises to deliver real safety benefits.
Patent Status
Civil Aviation Authority International (CAAI) has patented this
technology developed at City University under a sponsored
research agreement. CAAI is working with Isis Innovation to
identify commercial partners/licensees to quickly bring this
technology to market.
Technology Source: Civil Aviation Authority International
CONTACT Dr David Baghurst Head of Isis Enterprise T +44 (0)1865 280858 E david.baghurst@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
30

The ‘ideal’ university seed fund
University seed funds can bridge the gap between academic research and commercial products.
Isis Enterprise
Last year Isis Enterprise delivered consultancy assignments for
clients from more than 30 countries, many of them governments
looking to encourage the exploitation of knowledge emanating
from the local university research base.
One common theme that has emerged is interest in the
application of university focused seed funds to bridge the gap
between academic research and commercial products. The
average university based invention is sufficiently developed
to allow the researchers to generate results for academic
publications – and occasionally a patent application. In other
words a university generated engineered prototype works
long enough to generate data for interpretation. However, in
comparison to product prototypes generated in industrial
laboratories the university based versions sometimes suffer
from lack of development – software applications are commonly
written in prototyping languages; aspects of the interface with
users have not been considered; prototypes are unreliable and
little or no consideration has been given to broad applications
of the technology to specific market needs. From time to
time licensees can be identified with the imagination to see
beyond the university prototype – more often than not this is
a struggle.
One solution to the dilemma is the creation of university based
seed funds to provide the necessary funds to support further
work. Sums as small as a few thousand pounds can have a
dramatic effect on the marketability of early stage inventions.
Such investments can support further exemplification of the
technology back in the researchers own laboratory, work by
product designers leading to production of a reliable prototype
or research work by consultants with expertise in specific
markets.
A conclusion from the above is that a university seed fund is
a necessary component in the toolkit of those tasked with
supporting the commercialisation of university inventions. From
our experience this is true – but care needs to be taken to
ensure that the toolkit contains all of the necessary tools.
Here we offer our list of the five most important complementary
tools:
• People – the individuals tasked with selling university
research must have knowledge of both technology and
commerce. If the overall objective is to transfer technology
then the technology transfer people need technical sales
experience.
• Patent Budget – developing university inventions further will
take time. A budget needs to be available for protection of
the invention beyond the modest costs associated with the
initial patent application.
• Policies – rules on ownership, exploitation rights and
revenue share need to be clearly established.
• Networks – links between academia and industry need to
be grown to facilitate the flow of discoveries into business.
• Entrepreneurial Researchers – last but by no means least –
without the support and commitment of the innovator then
technology transfer is impossible.
Isis Enterprise is currently involved in projects to design university
seed funds in Spain and Russia based on the experience of Isis
in both technology transfer and the management of the Oxford
University Challenge Seed Fund (UCSF).
A university seed fund is a necessary component in the toolkit of
those tasked with supporting the commercialisation of university
inventions
CONTACT Dr David Baghurst Head of Isis Enterprise T +44 (0)1865 280858 E david.baghurst@isis.ox.ac.uk W www.isis-innovation.com
31

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Providers of innovative banking, legal, accountancy
and business advisory solutions for technology
based businesses in Oxford and beyond.
For further information on how our services can help you, contact:
Andrew Davies
Corporate Technology Manager
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T: 07775 548803
E: andrew.j.davies@barclayscorporate.com
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E: sstaunton@jamescowper.co.uk
Oxford Innovation Society
Forthcoming meetings of the Oxford Innovation Society will be held on the following dates:
• Thursday 24 September 2009 • Thursday 10 December 2009 • Thursday 25 March 2010
Meetings are held in Oxford for OIS Members and invited guests, and are followed by a formal reception
and dinner in an Oxford college hall. For information about the OIS contact Renate Krelle,
Business Relationship Manager on: T +44 (0)1865 280850 E renate.krelle@isis.ox.ac.uk
Published by Isis Innovation Ltd
The Technology Transfer Company of the University of Oxford
Isis Innovation Limited, Ewert House, Ewert Place, Summertown, Oxford OX2 7SG
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