Our work can save lives by the million
May 21 2009 by Stewart Watkins, The Journal
AS I look at some of the revolutionary work being undertaken at NETPark every day, it’s easy to forget its significance to the public.
While many of these technologies have the potential to transform and save lives, we may not immediately understand them and so dismiss them as irrelevant to our lives.
But it is important to recognise the applications to which these highly specialised technologies can be put, as well as the commercial potential of work being done by these companies.
Microdiagnostics is one such field that is being explored at NETPark. Essentially the technology enables diagnosis processes to take place on a minute scale and in real time.
Lab-on-a-chip is the principal form of microdiagnostics, allowing tests to be done at microscopic level on a microchip the size of a pin head. A similar form of technology enables tests to be done internally on a pill.
This technology precludes the need for fully equipped labs to do these tests, meaning there are huge ramifications, particularly for developing countries which often do not have access to full laboratories.
If our North East companies can commercialise the capabilities they have developed, they will open up these markets, potentially saving millions of lives.
The implications for the North East and its economy are also huge. The commercial potential of this technology could soon mean that County Durham attracts investment and new companies to the region, generating both jobs and income.
NETPark will host its next debate on the topic of microdiagnostics, which will explore the potential of this technology to current applications and look at how to commercialise this potential further.
Professor Jon Cooper, Wolfson Chair in Bioengineering in the Department of Electronics at the University of Glasgow, and Professor Peter Fielden, Professor of Analytical Science at Manchester University, will take part in the debate. They will join Professor Zulf Ali, Director of the Technology Futures Institute at Teesside University, who will be chairing the debate, and Dale Athey, CEO of Orla Protein Technologies, who can give us an insight into the commercial opportunities of microdiagnostics.
The event, organised by CDDC and takes place on June 1, will take the form of an expert panel debate with question and answer session, and it is hoped that by the end, a mini roadmap will have been drawn up to maximise the commercial potential of these technologies in the North East.
Stewart Watkins is managing director of County Durham Development Company
