NSG link opens up markets for Orla

Jul 9 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

NANOTECHNOLOGY firm Orla has stepped up its presence in Asia by forming a partnership with one of Japan's biggest glass manufacturers.

The Newcastle company has agreed a collaboration with Japan’s NSG Group, to develop bio-surfaces used in biological research in areas such as cell growth and culture.

The biosurfaces will allow biologists to recreate the conditions cells require to grow and respond in a natural way.

According to Orla, the product’s appeal to potential industry clients is its ability to replace expensive alternatives and the elimination of animal derived materials in manufacture.

Orla and NSG will co-promote the new product range when they exhibit at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) annual meeting in Barcelona, Spain, later this month.

Orla chief executive Dale Athey said, “Our collaboration with NSG brings tremendous technological and manufacturing capability.

“This will enable us to deliver a range of exciting new glass-based products to our customers. The cell culture products will be first in a series of innovations from the partnership.”

The ISSCR annual meeting attracts stem cell researchers from all over the world and this year comes to Europe for the first time. Mr Athey said: “We attended the last ISSCR annual meeting in Philadelphia last year and found other delegates very receptive to our product prototypes.

“Now we’re ready to begin selling some of our products and we believe that this event provides us with a great opportunity.

The collaboration with NSG is the latest example of Orla’s growing links with Japan. In April it signed a new agreement with one of Japan’s leading electronics companies, Japan Radio Company (JRC), to develop the next generation of miniature handheld diagnostic biosensors, which are used to diagnose infectious diseases.

The partnership with JRC could spawn technology which would enable mobile phones to be used to detect diseases.

Projects are also ongoing with a number of other Japanese partners around a range of product opportunities which will utilise technology developed at Orla’s Newcastle headquarters.

Earlier this year Orla received £700,000 in government investment to support its work in developing technology to help protect the world from future flu pandemics.