A group of companies including Molecular Vision Ltd., a spin-out from Imperial College London, won a £440,000 grant from the UK government to develop a line of low-cost, portable devices for testing cardiovascular health.
The devices are based on organic light-emitting diode technology, developed in the lab of Imperial's Physics Department director, Prof. Donal Bradley. Bradley made some of the key discoveries in organic polymers in the late 1980s when he was working at the University of Cambridge, and his work helped lead to the creation of Cambridge Display Technologies PLC, a manufacturer of flexible computer screens.The award, under an R&D programme run by Britain's National Health Service, provides 50 per cent funding for the development project to Molecular Vision, Geneva-based technology-commercialisation firm Acrongenomics Inc., UK design firm Pearson Matthews Ltd., and Imperial College London.
In a statement, AcronGenomics said the devices "will
allow for accurate on-the-spot qualitative and quantitative diagnosis of
cardiovascular diseases at first consultation, eliminating the need for patients
to make repeat visits and so bringing forward the initiation of treatment,
thereby freeing up clinical time, and lowering treatment costs."