UK BBSRC funds Manchester diagnostics collaboration

Development grant

The University of Manchester has been awarded £50,000 by the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to work with diagnostics company Tepnel Life Sciences to commercialise a technology that detects and identifies living pathogenic micro-organisms and simultaneously generates a profile of their antibiotic resistance.

The grant was awarded under the Industry Interchange Programme, which supports exchanges that provide strategic advantages to the UK science base and industry. The money will fund research conducted by a scientist from Tepnel, working alongside the team who discovered the technology in the laboratory of Professor David Clarke of the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science, University of Manchester.

According to an announcement from Tepnel, the technology offers much simpler and more rapid targeted antimicrobial treatment than current microbiological methods. It does not give false positive reactions in the presence of non-viable organisms, such as those killed by pasteurisation, which is a vital differentiation in the food processing industry.

The technology as brought to the attention of Tepnel by the university’s IP commercialisation company, UMIP. The company says it has broad market potential including the identification and treatment of bacterial, parasite and fungal infection in both humans and animals.  Organisms that could be profiled and treated include MRSA, Clostridium difficile, pathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella.

Ben Matzilevich, CEO of Tepnel, said: “Tepnel is committed to expanding its product pipeline and entering into new markets. This research project enables us to explore this innovative technology and to assess its potential for animal and human applications.”

Tepnel has secured worldwide exclusive rights to cornerstone patents supporting this technology through an agreement with UMIP.