Scotland Appoints Chief Scientist
Professor Andrew Morris of the University of Dundee has been appointed the new Chief Scientist for Scotland. A co-Director of the Medical Research Institute at the University of Dundee and an internationally renowned expert in diabetes and health informatics, Professor Morris succeeds Professor Sir John Savill. Professor Sir Harry Burns, Chief Medical Officer said; “We are delighted to be able to appoint a researcher of Professor Morris's calibre to the post of Chief Scientist, where he will provide strategic leadership to the Life Sciences research community in Scotland. His particular area of expertise of Health Informatics is a growing area of interest both in Scotland and the wider UK and his appointment will further strengthen our position in this, and other clinical areas.” Professor Morris said; “I am delighted and honoured to be joining the Chief Scientist Office at the Scottish Government, and look forward to
working with colleagues to take forward the important agenda of health research. There are great opportunities to translate our outstanding NHS and University research capabilities into improved patient care and economic growth across Scotland.” Professor Morris leads a research team at Dundee that uses informatics to improve the quality of care, and the study of the epidemiology and genetics of diabetes and its complications. He was awarded the RD Lawrence Award by Diabetes UK in 2003, the Saltire Society Scottish Science Award in 2005 and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland’s national academy of science and letters, Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. In 2007 he co-founded Aridhia Informatics, a health care informatics company employing 50 people in Edinburgh and Dundee which is exporting Scottish know how to the United Kingdom, Middle East and Australasia.
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Activiomics Appoints Industry Specialist to Board
Dr Trevor Nicholls
Activiomics Limited, a developer of biomarker technologies has appointed Dr Trevor Nicholls to its Board as Non-Executive Chairman. Dr Nicholls has over 30 years’ experience of building international businesses in the life science industry. Currently he is CEO of CABI, a not-for-profit inter-governmental organisation owned by 46 member countries worldwide and is Non-Executive Chairman of Oxford Nanopore Technologies, which is developing the GridION system, a new generation of electronic molecular analysis system for use in scientific research, personalised medicine, crop science, and security/defence. His previous board roles include Chief Commercial Officer of Affymetrix Inc, based in California and as CEO of Oxagen, a UK biotech
company for which he secured major commercial partnerships and academic collaborations. Welcoming Dr Nicholls to the board, Dr Mark Warne, CEO of Activiomics, said: “I am confident that Trevor’s broad background in leading companies as they develop commercially will be invaluable to Activiomics as we move to the next phase of our development. He brings both a depth of international experience in commercial markets as well as a proven ability in raising finance for early-stage companies.” Activiomics has developed innovative technologies using mass spectrometry to interrogate and interpret the activity of whole cell signalling pathways. This technology is well-positioned to support personalised medicine initiatives, which are influencing increasing numbers of therapeutic programs. The Company has recently met internal milestones resulting in a second tranche of funding from IP Group plc, a developer of intellectual property based businesses. This follows an initial investment by IP Group in 2011.
Dr Nicholls said: “The unique nature of Activiomics’ approach to identifying robust biomarkers has already been validated by a number of partnerships with large pharmas, including with GlaxoSmithKline, UCB and Genentech, and the Company is well placed to take advantage of the rapidly growing personalised medicine market. I am delighted to be joining the Board at a time when it has received a financing injection on the back of this success and look forward to helping the company in its next stage of development.”
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Investment to Benefit Healthcare Sector
Grant funding totalling over £6.5 million has been awarded for seven business-led projects that will focus on developing therapeutic agents and diagnostics where nanoscale technologies are at the heart of the innovation. The funding will be provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Technology Strategy Board and the projects will be led by Critical Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Johnson Matthey plc, Mologic Ltd, Nanomerics Ltd, OJ-Bio Ltd, Renishaw Diagnostics Ltd and Sharp Laboratories of Europe Ltd. The aim of the investment is to help ensure that the UK can become an early competitive adopter of these novel technologies and rapidly meet the urgent and difficult challenges posed within the worldwide healthcare sector, by translating world-class early stage ideas from academia and commercialising them through building supply chains with innovative businesses. This investment is part of a two stage initiative under the Nanoscience through Engineering to Application Grand Challenge for Healthcare. The University partners on two of the funded projects had initially received 3 years of funding from EPSRC and these projects will follow on seamlessly to scale-up the technologies developed in the first stage. EPSRC Chief Executive, David
Delpy, said: “This is the second example of pulling nanoscience research originally funded by the Research Councils through to application by co- funding with the Technology Strategy Board. This approach actively supports economic growth whilst contributing to advances in healthcare technologies." Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board, said: “Nanoscale technologies are at the heart of the innovations that will be developed through these seven interesting and exciting projects. They will address challenges in building the supply chain across enabling nanoscale technologies and the healthcare sector, and take ideas from basic proof- of-concept or process to pilot technology demonstration.” The new research and development projects will help to develop links between the healthcare community and the emerging nanoscale technologies community, in order to rapidly develop and commercialise early- stage nanoscale technologies. Key challenge areas include the earlier and better detection and diagnosis of disease, leading to marked improvements in patient outcomes, and highly effective treatments that are tailored to patients’ needs, and which either modify the underlying disease or offer potential cures.
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Implementing LEAN Work Cells
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As part of the NHS Improvement ‘Bringing Lean to Life'1 an initiative based on a continuous and systematic elimination of waste, Path Links NHS Pathology Service has recently presented on its successful implementation of a LEAN work cell based approach within its Blood Science laboratories. At the 10th Annual Frontiers in Laboratory Medicine (FiLM 2012), Mick Chomyn presented ‘LEAN Work Cells’ – Automation is not always the answer’, demonstrating how efficient work cells improved turnaround times and reduced staff costs without the need for expensive track. Path Links has applied LEAN methodology to optimise processes and layout in its clinical laboratories and has cost effectively delivered an enhanced service to hospitals and Primary Care across Lincolnshire. Horiba Medical automated
haematology analysers is a range that was said to fit with LEAN working. Key attributes ensuring efficient workflows include: automated random access, reflex testing, automatic re-runs and integrated solutions, such as sample management, as well as slide preparation and staining systems. Design features also enable them to be moved readily around should changes to work processes require rapid laboratory reconfiguration. Path Links NHS Pathology Service has also published, in collaboration with Horiba Medical, a LEAN white paper ‘TLA – The LEAN Alternative’ detailing how the Service has achieved a total LEAN solution as an alternative to total laboratory automation.
1NHS Inprovement. ‘Bringing LEAN to Life – Making processes flow in healthcare’. May 2010
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