Southampton spin-out leads foot-and-mouth consortium

Southampton University spin-out Stratophase Ltd is to take the lead in a consortium formed to develop a develop a field test for foot and mouth disease. The UK government-sponsored Technology Strategy Board will co-fund the £1 million development of the system, which will enable inspectors, and ultimately vets or farmers, to identify the infection on the spot, reducing both false alarms and containment time.

The collaborative project will bring together teams from Stratophase, the University of Cambridge, Bristol Industrial and Research Associates Limited and Chelsea Technologies Group.

Stratophase says that new detector system, the Portable Direct Immunoassay Diagnosis Device for Animals and Humans (PDIDDAH), will be significantly more sensitive and accurate than the field deployable antibody based lateral flow tests presently available. Laboratory-based techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are currently the most commonly used but, although they are highly sensitive, processing (sample transport, analysis and results) can take several days or even weeks.

Half of the project’s £1million budget will fund the further development of Stratophase’s  patented SpectroSens sensor chip technology. The sensor system will collect pathogens from the air and put them into a liquid stream. The liquid will then be analysed “in the field” (perhaps literally) using the SpectroSens optical detectors.

Dr Devaki Bhatta, project leader from Stratophase, said, “One of the most important developments that will be realised in this system is the ability to collect and identify airborne pathogens. This will remove the need for swabs and blood samples. This project is to develop a foot and mouth detection unit but using different antibodies the system could be used to identify TB and a range of other serious illnesses that affect livestock.”

Dr Richard Williams, CEO of Stratophase Ltd, said, “The Technology Strategy Board investment will enable us to develop a practical solution much faster than would otherwise have been feasible. This technology could be mass-produced fairly inexpensively; every livestock owner could have one. This funding is another great endorsement of our unique biochemical measurement and detection technique.”

Initially developed for counter-bioterrorism applications, the SpectroSens technology has also proved to be well suited to pharmaceutical manufacturing, food and beverage manufacturing, industrial process control and drug discovery applications.

Stratophase was founded in 2003 as a spin-out from Southampton University, with a portfolio of products and intellectual property. It comprises a combination of the original inventors of the SpectroSens technology (including eight PhDs) and industry experience. Operating from its own facilities in Romsey, Hampshire, Stratophase is funded by venture capital and has raised £2.8 milliion to date.