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Bursting with ideasUniversity transforms innovation into winning businesses

Helping handExperts support business success

Global reachImpact of research is far and wide

Infinite THE UNIVERSITYof EDINBURGH

Derek WaddellChief Executive Officer...is looking forward to developingand enhancing ERI’s excellentachievements in the year ahead.derek.waddell@ed.ac.uki

Hamish MacandrewHead of Research Support & Development...believes Edinburgh’s multi-disciplinary research makes usthe ideal collaborative partner.hamish.macandrew@ed.ac.uki

Wendy NicholsonHead of Business Development ...is impressed with howinnovative Edinburgh’sresearchers are in meeting thechallenges facing our society.wendy.nicholson@ed.ac.uki

Ian MurphyHead of CommercialDevelopment...has enjoyed seeing a record number of commercialdeals in the past year.ian.murphy@ed.ac.uki

Grant WheelerHead of Company Formation & Incubation...believes Edinburgh’senterprising spirit will ensure thatnew ventures continue to emerge. grant.wheeler@ed.ac.uki

Nora KellockHead of Legal Division...sees the law as an aid to Edinburgh’scommercialisation success.nora.kellock@ed.ac.uki

Ian Lamb Head of Operations/Company Secretary...has confidence Edinburgh canremain one of the world’s mostinnovative universities.ian.lamb@ed.ac.uki

If you want to get in touch with Edinburgh Research and Innovation to discuss possible collaborationopportunities with the University of Edinburgh, please feel free to contact our people below.

Contacts

¿ COMMENT AND UPDATES

04 Perspective

05 News

! ENTERPRISING SPIRITLaunching new businesses...

08 Born to fly high

10 Ideas accelerated

11 Pitch perfect

i CONSULTING THE EXPERTSHelping businesses thrive...

12 Top of the inbox

13 Food for thought

14 Lay of the land

$ A GREENER FUTUREVentures for a better planet...

15 Revolution for power

16 Deep clean

Í ENRICHING LIVESImproving quality of life...

17 Sound of success

k MOTORSPORTSShaping world-class drivers...

18 Racing ahead

È GLOBAL IMPACTThe University’s global reach...

22 World in focus

Ù APPLIANCE OF SCIENCEPioneering stem cell research...

24 Cell of the century

e SERIAL INVENTORTrailblazing researcher...

28 Smart thinking

7 ENGINEERING INNOVATIONMaking our world work better...

31 Light beyond illumination

32 Make your position very clear

34 A solid grip

I IMPROVING HEALTHWork on wellbeing...

36 One medicine

38 Brain gain

39 Goldmine of resources

Á IMAGINGLooking deeper for answers...

40 The big picture

41 Scanning far and wide

42 In the frame

43 Stars in their eyes

& BACK PAGEUniversity performance...

44 Success in securing funding

and bringing ideas to life

Turn to page 8 for more information

2 Contents

This issue of Infinite has been designed and

produced by Connect Communications for

Edinburgh Research and Innovation at the

University of Edinburgh. For more information

on Connect Communications, visit

www.connectcommunications.co.uk

Editor

Alex Proudfoot.

Photography

Unless specified, photography is

© Peter Tuffy, The University of Edinburgh.

All rights reserved.

Printing

Thomson Colour Printers. This issue of Infiniteis printed on Claro Silk paper stock. It is made

using elemental chlorine-free pulp, is

manufactured according to ISO 9001 and ISO

14001 standards, and is produced at a mill

certified by the EU Eco-Management and

Audit Scheme.The wood fibres used are FSC

certified and the stock is fully recyclable.

Alternative formats If you require this document in an alternative format,

e.g. large print, please contact:

Alex Proudfoot, Edinburgh Research and Innovation Limited,

The University of Edinburgh, 1 Roxburgh Street, Edinburgh

EH8 9TA, Scotland UK. Or email: research.innovation@ed.ac.uk

Forty companies emergedduring 2009/10.With thatvolume and qualities ofpropositions, the University is at the top table in Europe

infinite_pg02-03 6/10/10 12:12 Page 2

‘The range of innovation atthe University is impressive’

Edinburgh Research and Innovation The University of Edinburgh, 1 Roxburgh Street, Edinburgh EH8 9TA Scotland, UK

t: 00 44 (0)131 650 9090 f: 00 44 (0)131 650 9031 e: research.innovation@ed.ac.uk www.research-innovation.ed.ac.uk

Professor Donald MacRae, Chief Economist at the Lloyds Banking Group Scotland

There was a time when the economies ofcountries competed on the abundance oftheir natural resources such as deposits ofcoal, oil, gas, deep water facilities, naturalharbours and rivers forming communicationlinks. No longer. Increasingly, we live in aglobalised world competing on knowledgeand how to use it. Scotland is no exception.

Turning lead into gold was aninsurmountable challenge for alchemists ofold. Twentieth century scientists did achieveit, but with the input of enormous amountsof energy. The challenge of transmutingknowledge into wealth is the modern-daychallenge facing Scotland. It still requiresenergy, but of a different kind.

Innovation is a broad term coveringscientific discovery to daily incrementalimprovement of business processes.Scotland’s discovery record is second to none with James Clark Maxwell as one of the greatest.

Present day applications of hisdiscovery – that light behaves as an electro-magnetic wave – are all around us – intelevisions, mobile telephony and WiFi.Maxwell’s discoveries paved the way forbehaviour-changing technology we acceptas commonplace today.

Turning knowledge into wealth doesrequire a great deal of energy, but it hashuge rewards for the individuals at the heart

of the discovery or innovation, and ifcaptured locally in the Scottish economy, to all the people of Scotland. Knowledgecreation by itself is only part of the processof taking discoveries, distilling the newlearning and turning it into a new product or service.

Edinburgh Research and Innovation(ERI) has a focus on the commercialisingpart of turning knowledge into wealth. Fromcollaborative research to consultancyprojects, from licensing to spin-out andstart-up companies, ERI is the door to theknowledge at the University of Edinburgh.

The breadth and range of research andinnovation at the University of Edinburgh istruly impressive – from food technology toenergy and climate change, carbonstorage, carbon capture and intelligentlight bulbs to clinical imaging.

But what is really impressiveabout Edinburgh is the exploitationof knowledge. Nobody shouldhave any qualms aboutexploitation – what is the point of knowledge generation if it isnot used for the benefit ofhumankind?

Read on and see howEdinburgh Research andInnovation is turningknowledge into wealth.

Four ways of changing the world, thanks to University research...

The physics of creating emulsionproducts is giving one ingredientsmanufacturer food for thought

13 Consultancy

The University is working with a

Scottish biotechnology company

to tackle Parkinson’s disease

38 Collaborative research

How an algorithm originally developed

for astronomy research is finding

new uses in medical imaging

43 Company formation

The University takes on a STAR role in helping clean up contaminated soiland groundwater at industrial sites

16 Licensing

First word 3

infinite_pg02-03 6/10/10 12:12 Page 3

4 Perspective

With the current difficulties facing worldeconomies, the tasks of generating newresearch income and commercialising

new discoveries from the University’sworld-class research base have

presented even greater challenges –yet our commercialisation resultsfor the past 12 months have againgrown substantially.

Company formation is one ofour key contributions to both theUniversity’s strategic goals and

the country’s economicdevelopment. We have had a very

successful year and have seen arecord 40 new companies beingformed at the University (an increaseof 54 per cent on the previous recordtotal of 26 created last year). OurLicensing Office concluded a record75 new licence deals in the year, an

increase of 98 per cent on theprevious 12-month period.

Student enterprise istaken very seriously at

the University, and iswell supportedthrough theexcellent workundertaken by our team that leads the

LAUNCH.edinitiative,

providing high-quality supportto help

students start their new companies.University of Edinburgh students havewon the national student business plancompetition run by the Scottish Institutefor Enterprise three years in a row,highlighting not just the quantity but the quality of the businesses started at the University.

Our Consultancy Office has onceagain generated significant growth forthe University in the past year fromconsultancy and service work, with a 5 per cent increase in consultancyincome to £4.9 million.

Our Research Support andDevelopment team has processed morethan 2,300 research applications andalmost 1,000 research awards worthalmost £209 million, at the same time as working closely with the Vice PrincipalInternational and the International Deansto develop new sources of researchfunding from across the globe.

ERI staff across all of our sixdivisions (Business Development,Commercial Development, CompanyFormation and Incubation, ResearchSupport and Development, Legal andFinance) have continued to workextremely hard in increasingly difficulteconomic times to help increase theUniversity’s research andcommercialisation activities. Ourexcellent results are a credit to theircollective ability to help generateresearch income and to then helptranslate the excellent researchundertaken by our University colleaguesinto commercial outcomes.

Over the next 12 months, ERI willcontinue to maximise our efforts in these challenging financial times toensure that Edinburgh maintains itsposition as one of the world’s mostinnovative universities.

Derek Waddell, Chief Executive Officer, Edinburgh Research and Innovation Limited

‘We aim to maintain ourposition as one of the world’smost innovative universities’

infinite_pg04-07 6/10/10 12:14 Page 4

News 5

Company formation

Investors showconfidence in drugtechnology

Actual Analytics Ltd, a recent spin-out fromthe University of Edinburgh, has secured aninvestment of more than £900,000 to enablethe company to develop and take its firstproduct to market.

Actual Analytics uses cutting-edge videoanalysis technology to automatically analysesequencing behaviour in drug trials, which isa crucial step in the development of newdrugs treating disorders of the nervoussystem such as Alzheimer’s andParkinson’s. With the cost to take a newdrug to market estimated at more thanUS$800 million, Actual Analytics’ ‘ibehave’

product will help the pharmaceutical industry cut costs and remove a significantbottleneck in the drug discovery pipeline.

The technology has been validated withsome of the world’s leading pharmaceuticalcompanies and academic laboratoriesacross North America, Asia and Europe.

It is expected that these organisationswill become early customers for the new product.

The spin-out of Actual Analytics is theculmination of more than five years ofresearch within the University’s School ofInformatics, with support through the ScottishEnterprise Proof of Concept programme. Theconsortium of investors is led by DiscoveryInvestment Fund and includes HighlandVenture Capital, TriCap and the ScottishEnterprise Co-Investment Fund.

James Heward, Actual Analytics’ ChiefExecutive Officer, said: “This is an excitingmilestone for the company – it allows us to commercialise this groundbreakingresearch, creating a product that will make a significant difference to organisationsaround the world working hard to developrevolutionary drugs.”

Partnership

Universitystart-upsigns majorChinese dealBurdica Biomed Ltd, astart-up company throughthe University’s EdinburghPre-Incubator Scheme, has reached a partnershipagreement with Sinopharm,China’s largestpharmaceutical andmedical device distributor,to sell its products in China.

Under the terms of the ten-year deal, Sinopharmwill seek regulatoryapproval in China forBurdica’s products, withrevenues from sales in this region expected to be more than £50 million.

+

The Actual Analyticsteam has secured asizable investment toimprove drug trials

infinite_pg04-07 6/10/10 12:14 Page 5

6 News

In November 2009, EdinburghResearch and Innovation and the University marked40 years of research andcommercialisation successsince the launch of its firstindustrial liaison office in 1969with a celebratory event at theUniversity’s Playfair Library.

The University Chancellor,HRH the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, opened anexhibition highlighting the

University’s range ofachievements through the 40 year timeline, as well as current initiatives to helpaspiring entrepreneurs get theirbusiness ideas off the ground.

Derek Waddell, ChiefExecutive of EdinburghResearch and Innovation, said: “Our commercialisationsuccesses are not only in thepast; we are also looking very much to the future.”

Commercialisation

Event celebrates four decadesof commercial innovation

Famous US film critic Roger Ebert has been given his voice back, thanks to text-to-speech technologydeveloped at the University of Edinburgh.

Mr Ebert lost the ability to speak four years agoafter undergoing life-saving cancer surgery. However,University start-up company Cereproc Ltd used itsspeech technology software to reconstruct Mr Ebert’soriginal voice from previous TV/DVD recordings.

He can now communicate, using a laptop, to converttyped sentences into the sound of his own voice.

Technology

University technology givesUS film critic his voice back

Petrobras S.A., Brazil’s national energycompany, and BG Group plc have signed a major £1.8 millon agreement over threeyears with the University of Edinburgh andHeriot-Watt University to apply their world-class expertise to the challenges ofextracting oil from carbonate reservoirs in offshore fields.

More than 60 per cent of the world’s oilreserves (equivalent to three trillion barrels)are contained in carbonate reservoirs. Withthe recovery rate for oil found withincarbonate rocks as low as 20 per cent, this provides distinct challenges for the oilindustry in reservoir characterisation andreservoir simulation. Naturally, therefore, the demand for expertise in understandingcarbonate systems is very high.

The International Centre for CarbonateReservoirs is a unique initiative, combininggeoscience expertise at Edinburgh withpetroleum engineering expertise from Heriot-

Watt, to address the significant operationalchallenges facing the oil industry inmaximising the potential of carbonatereservoirs. The Centre – the first of its kind inthe UK – will develop advanced techniquesand modelling capabilities to improve therecovery of hydrocarbons from complex andchallenging carbonate environments.

Dr Rachel Wood, from the University’sSchool of GeoSciences, said: “We aredelighted that Petrobras and BG Group arecollaborating as industrial partners. Theinput we received from ScottishDevelopmentInternational andUK Trade &Investment also playeda key part in establishingthis centre by giving usopportunities to visit key personnel and tostrengthen relationships.”

Partnership

Big business in Brazil

Picture:© photobank.kiev.ua

infinite_pg04-07 6/10/10 12:14 Page 6

7

KEEP INFORMED

For all the latest updates on the work of Edinburgh Research and Innovation, such as on technological breakthroughs, new

start-ups or spin outs, partnerships, licensing and consultancy, log on to www.research-innovation.ed.ac.uk/news

Student entrepreneurs

Studentsdominate newventure awardsFor the third year in a row, a University ofEdinburgh student has won the ScottishInstitute for Enterprise (SIE) New Venturescompetition – a clear sign of howEdinburgh is leading the way in supportingstudent enterprise.

Informatics graduate Flaminia Cavallowon the overall competition in March 2010for TheoryMine Ltd, an e-commerce site

that allows you to ‘discover’ a mathematicaltheorem and have it registered in yourname. This is also the first student spin-outcompany created at the University, and willlicense technology based on 20 years of research in the School of Informatics.

University of Edinburgh studentsdominated this year’s new ventures

competition, claiming wins in three of thecategories. In addition to Flaminia’s win in the E-commerce/Retail Businesscategory, Edinburgh students won in two other categories.

In the Social Enterprise category,Jonathan Millin won with ZoomateloEnterprises Ltd. The company offerstransport solutions to large corporatesthrough a carpooling website that hasalready launched at Standard Bank’s HQ in South Africa. It plans to expandacross Africa within a year.

In the Science, Engineering, orTechnology Business category, last year’srunner up, Richard Burton, won with Nudge,a software idea that spun off from his alreadysuccessful start up Hoodeasy Ltd.

The UK Biochar ResearchCentre (UKBRC), based in the University’s School ofGeoSciences, is building its own facilities for biochardevelopment and production,the first installation of its kindin the world.

The pilot-scale biocharproduction research unit isbeing developed thanks tofinancial support from theSchool and a private benefactor.

When installed in October2010, the facility will strengthenthe UKBRC’s position as aworld-leading centre in biocharresearch and development.

Biochar is a stablecharcoal-like material that issuitable for long-term storageof carbon, with several potentialbenefits to soils and cropgrowth. Biochar researchworldwide is in its infancy and amajor problem for the rapidlyexpanding research community

is the difficulty in sourcingresearch grade biochar.

The UKBRC’s Dr OndrejMasek said: “The significanceof the unit extends well beyondthe immediate Edinburgh-based team, as we envisageinterest from colleagues fromdifferent universities and

research organisationsundertaking research in thisarea and interested in usingresearch-grade biochar. Weare open to any potentialcollaboration which makes useof the new facilities, itsproducts and by-products, aswell as data generated.”

Beside the use of biochar,collaborations could include,among others, work on cost-effective utilisation ofsyngas and pyrolysis liquids,for example, as a fuel forcombustion engines, and on sustainable use of wastestreams.

Breakthrough

Biochar facility first in the world

+ Dr Ondrej Masek is leading the University's research on biochar production technologies

infinite_pg04-07 7/10/10 16:54 Page 7

8 Enterprising spirit

that progress fastest and furthest.So it is pleasing, to say the least,

that 2009/10 has seen a record level ofcompany formation from the University of Edinburgh. Forty companies emergedduring those record 12 months, farsurpassing the previous high of 26companies achieved in each of theprevious two years. With that volume ofcompany formation, and the qualities ofpropositions, the University is unique inScotland and at the top table in Europe.

The Edinburgh Pre-Incubator Scheme(EPIS), which the University runs inpartnership with Scottish Enterprise,

continues to produce impressivecompanies, but is now entering its finalphase with the final cohort ofentrepreneurs graduating in autumn 2010.However, the impact of EPIS will live on. It has changed the way universities inScotland approach company formation.

There has also been a shift in thenature of the University’s deal flow, withmore and more high-growth potentialcompanies being formed. The launch of the Accelerator Pipeline for researchstudents reflects this shift, which to someextent followed developments in theScottish investment scene. Fewer

investments are being made; only the very best propositions are backed, andmultiple funding rounds are in the past.

The University’s high-growth potentialdeal flow is evolving in two ways. On theone hand, many propositions are lookingto rapidly achieve revenue sustainabilityoff the back of modest investment(perhaps, from founders, friends andfamily). Scottish Enterprise’s Seed Fund,SMART and the Investor Readinessprogramme are critical to suchpropositions. These companies are leanand market-focused. Their ambition, tosee out the current downturn, may appear

Recession and economic turmoil are universally unsettling, but this inevitable phase of the economic cycle alsoproduces business opportunities. The desire to cut costs breaks up established supply chains, and creates marketgaps where innovative companies can gain a foothold.

And the unfortunate demise of established companies forces customers to seek out new solutions, often involvingnovel and previously untried technologies. Innovative technology companies formed during this otherwise troublingtime are often the ones

Born toflyhighDespite global economic conditions, a record level of

companies have been formed out of the Universityin 2009/10 thanks to support initiatives

infinite_pg08-09 6/10/10 10:31 Page 8

9

modest, but they are ideally placed togrow rapidly on the back of the economicupturn when it comes.

A second subset, however, is aiminghigh. Pursuing substantial investmentsabove the so-called ‘equity gap’. Sevenfigure investment round targets are thenorm for this group of companies. It is ahigh-risk strategy that involves substantialeffort in business planning, corporatefinance, market modelling and buildingmanagement teams. Investors of thisscale are often outwith Scotland, andsometimes outwith Europe, but the upsideto success is substantial.

So, there are high hopes forthe companies in the ‘Class of2009/10’. The recession hasnot put off the University’sentrepreneurs and will providetheir companies with manyopportunities. And their success issure to spur more of theUniversity’s students and staff tolaunch their own companies.

Forty companiesemerged during2009/10.With thatvolume of companyformation, and thequalities of propositions,the University is uniquein Scotland and at thetop table in Europe

> 2d-code Ltd

> 376 Promotions Ltd

> Actual Analytics Ltd

> Angelfish Microfinance Ltd

> Blackford Analysis Ltd

> Bright Side FX

> Carbon Masters Ltd

> College Connections

> Contemplate Ltd

> Euan Lind Design Ltd

> Eyes on Edinburgh

Photography Ltd

> Go Car Share Ltd

> Gymetrix Ltd

> Heads Up Development Ltd

> Inprisys Ltd

> Interface3 Ltd

> Kitt Up Ltd

> Low Price Lessons Ltd

> M Power World Ltd

> Mobius Digital Ltd

> Musemantik Ltd

> NGenTec Ltd

Through cheap and reliable

wind turbine technology, it

could transform the market

(See page 15)

> NMS-IR Ltd

> Peekabu Studios Ltd

> ProInnovate Ltd

> Pursuit Trade Ltd

> Read4Sure Ltd

> Recommo Ltd

> Restored Hearing Ltd

> RossWrite Ltd

> SATSIS Ltd

It is set to bring vastly

more accurate location

technology to mobile devices

(See page 32)

> Shyrdak Rugs

> Sindre Thorsen

> Skoogmusic Ltd

It is marketing an innovative

music device for severely

disabled children

(See page 17)

> Spatialle Ltd

> Start Up Café Ltd

> Synthetic Nanomachines Ltd

> UnderageGigs.com

> Wingfield Digby Interiors

and Gifts

> Zoomatelo Enterprises Ltd

Edinburgh’s entrepreneurial class of 2009/10

+

Kate Ho startedInterface3, with support

from the Edinburgh Pre-Incubator Scheme

and the School ofInformatics at the

University, to design and develop innovativemultitouch applications

for a variety of platforms

infinite_pg08-09 6/10/10 10:31 Page 9

Student enterprise is taken very seriously at the University. Over the lastfour years, the University’s LAUNCH.edinitiative has supported the formation of more than 50 new businesses thatemploy over 100 people, the majority of which are graduates.

Whether you are a researcher, scientistor student entrepreneur, it’s not alwayseasy getting investors and other businessbackers interested in your ideas. In 2010,LAUNCH.ed stepped up a gear, launchingthe Accelerator Pipeline programme,which offers a higher level of support forstudents with high-growth potentialbusiness ideas at the University.

The Accelerator Pipeline programmeoffers a series of workshops andmentoring for students to conduct anopportunity assessment of the idea ortechnologies that they would be interestedin taking to market. Students are alsooffered one year of mentoring from anexperienced business professional. This is supplemented with support from a business advisor to help complete grantaward applications such as theSMART:SCOTLAND award.

The programme also offers pre-seedawards of up to £5,000 to help fund initialpatenting, legal or accountancy fees orother start-up costs that students cannotafford to finance themselves or accessthrough formal investment routes.

One student on the programme isEngineering graduate Brendan Corkery,who is developing a new draft beermonitoring system to help bars and pubs keep more accurate records of their stock and reduce waste. Brendan

was awarded a £20,000 Innovation Fundloan from the Prince’s Scottish YouthBusiness Trust (PSYBT) to conduct fieldtesting of the hardware and to develop the software package.

The programme also runs an annualInnovation Cup competition with a topprize of £5,000. In the 2010 InnovationCup competition, two awards were made.The first was to Informatics postgraduate

Michael Berger and researcher GregorHofer for the “Business most likely to havea quick and lucrative exit opportunity”.They are seeking innovation grant fundingfor their speech to graphics technologytargeting the gaming industry.

The second was to Alex Cole, an MScgraduate in Arts, Culture and Environment,for the “Most disruptive technology”. He isseeking innovation grant funding and

10 Enterprising spirit

IdeasacceleratedStudents are grabbing the opportunities of a supportscheme to turn great ideas into a commercial reality

infinite_pg10-11 6/10/10 10:21 Page 10

private investment to back his company,Peekabu Studios Ltd, developing low-costgestural interfaces for home computing.

Also, University of Edinburgh studentshave won the national student businessplan competition run by the ScottishInstitute for Enterprise three years in a row, highlighting not just the quantity butthe quality of the businesses started at the University.

11

The third annual Informatics Ventures’Engage, Invest, Exploit event (EIE‘10)took place in May 2010, offeringinvestors the opportunity to meet 50high-potential business start-ups fromacross Scotland in one place – theUniversity’s Informatics Forum, one ofEurope’s most dynamic and award-winning physical environments.

EIE’10 attracted a record 48investors from across Europe,including TTP Ventures, SiliconValley Bank, Partech International,Balderton Capital and AmadeusCapital. Corporate venturing guestsincluded Scottish Water, IBM,Google, EADS, Cisco and BSkyB.

The day featured a paneldiscussion on “CommercialisingScotland’s Science: From the CoolComfort of the Laboratory to theCruel Crucible of the Marketplace”,moderated by Professor DonaldMacRae, Chief Economist at theLloyds Banking Group Scotland.The panel members were: AnneGlover, Co-founder and ChiefExecutive of Amadeus Capital;Professor Anne Glover, ChiefScientific Advisor for Scotland; AnnBudge, former Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Sopra Group; and Anne

Johnson, an early stage investmentadvisor based in Silicon Valley.

Six companies were given theopportunity to pitch to the audienceof two hundred guests. Thesecompanies were Factonomy Ltd;Inquisitive Systems Ltd; MobileAcuity Ltd; SATSIS Ltd; SpinsightLtd; and M Power World Ltd.

Over lunch, a $1 millioninvestment was signed betweenEdinburgh start-up vibio.com (whopitched at EIE’09) and ArchangelInformal Investment. Meanwhile,Actual Analytics Ltd, a School ofInformatics spin-out company thatalso pitched at EIE’09, celebratedits formal launch and a £900,000investment led by the DiscoveryInvestment Fund.

Anil Hansjee, European Head of Mergers and Acquisitions forGoogle, Inc, and a University ofEdinburgh Informatics alumnus,commented on the event: “When I was a student here we didn’t haveanything like this. It’s a greatshowcase for young entrepreneursto really show their wares to thepeople who matter, to try and getout there and get validation from theecosystem, let alone funding.”

+

Alex Cole is seekinginvestment to develop

low-cost gesturalinterfaces for home

computing through hisstart-up company

Peekabu Studios Ltd

+ The event attracted a record 48 investors from across Europe to hear six pitches

Pitch perfectInvestors were given the chance to see andsupport exciting new Scottish start-ups in thisyear’s Engage, Invest, Exploit event

Picture:©

Douglas R

obertson Photography

infinite_pg10-11 6/10/10 10:21 Page 11

12 Consulting the experts

was able to match its requirements with expertisewithin the Institute for Communicating andCollaborative Systems. The team also assisted thecompany in applying for funding from the ScottishFunding Council’s Innovation Voucher Scheme.

As a result, Logicalware engaged the expertise of Dr Victor Lavrenko, a specialist in statistical textprocessing, who offered a new approach to theirdevelopmental challenges. Dr Lavrenko hasdeveloped a solution based on statistical patternrecognition, which improved the system and made thecategorisation of incoming mail much more effective.

Dr Lavrenko’s experience in applying the latest

statistical text processing techniques to a range of‘real-world’ applications allowed him to deliver asolution to Logicalware. These were ready forintegration into its turnkey service and easilyextensible by its own newly trained developers as itsclient base grows. It has resulted in improvements totheir service, which will give itan edge in the marketplace.

“This project has provideda fresh perspective of a newcommercial applicationdomain and the opportunity to apply my expertise to thebenefit of a local company,” Dr Lavrenko explained.

Donald Cameron,Logicalware’s Chief ExecutiveOfficer, said: “Victor’s expertisehas enabled Logicalware toproduce a flexible solution for its clients. The systemcontinuously learns by observing the actions ofcustomer service agents.

“The clients also control the tolerated level of errors, allowing them to balance customersatisfaction against operating costs.”

The success of this collaboration has led to identification of other opportunities, and asubsequent funding application to extend thecollaboration has already been submitted.

An innovative Edinburgh-based company, which has developed a software service to help customer contact centresmanage high-volume email enquiries, is working with the University’s School of Informatics to tackle research anddevelopment challenges.

Logicalware Ltd faces a market that has many large providers offering standard platforms for clients. It is importantfor the company, as a niche player, to maintain a competitive edge through their technology. Their system used akeyword search and selection system, which, while functional, was not the most effective solution. After an approach bythe company, the School of Informatics commercialisation team

The solution hasresulted inimprovements toLogicalware’sservice, whichwill give it an edgein the marketplace

+

Victor Lavrenko’swork has been so

successful thatLogicalware has

applied forfunding to extendthe collaboration

Expert consultancy services from the University are

helping businesses deliver better commercial success...

Game planTop of the inbox: with the help of the School ofInformatics, one Edinburgh company is seeing betterresults with its email management software solution

infinite_pg12-15 6/10/10 12:05 Page 12

13

research interests in this field. Withfunding support from the ScottishFunding Council’s Innovation VoucherScheme, Macphie and the Soft Mattergroup in Edinburgh are now workingtogether to explore whether the latestacademic research on the physics of‘emulsions’ could indeed make adifference to a key industrial technicalR&D focus area.

The prospective benefits forMacphie through this collaboration areto strengthen its understanding ofemulsion physical chemistry and turnthis understanding into new, practicalproduct propositions. Within theScottish economy, the food sector

is a key area.Ashley Baker,

Head of Researchand Development at Macphie, said:“The researchcollaborationbetween Macphieand EdinburghUniversity has been a very positiveexperience.Innovation is the

engine for our business growth, andaccessing cutting-edge academicresearch and expertise, as this projectis allowing us to do, will strengthen ournew product development portfolio.”

Professor Poon commented: “Thecollaboration with Macphie has giventhe group valuable insights into howour knowledge of fundamentalemulsion and colloid physics may beapplied to foods. The project also gaveone of the postdoctoral fellows in the

group, Dr Tiffany Wood, a welcometaste of industrial research.”

Through the success of this initialproject, future joint research anddevelopment collaborations into foodtechnology are envisaged betweenMacphie and the University.

Macphie of Glenbervie Ltd is the UK’s largest independent food ingredients manufacturer. A key part of Macphie’s product portfolio is aseptic food emulsion products, such as dairycream alternatives, sweet and savoury sauces and desserts.

A key ongoing technical challenge for Macphie to create new and improved products is to better understand and control emulsion physical properties. The group of Professor WilsonPoon and Dr Paul Clegg in the University’s School of Physics have expertise and active

Food for thought: expertise from theUniversity has given Macphie of Glenbervievaluable insight into emulsion products

“The researchcollaboration

between Macphieand Edinburgh

University has beena very positive

experience”

Picture:©

Macphie of G

lenbervie Ltd

+ Science is helping food manufacturers findnew solutions to production challenges

GET IN TOUCH WITH...

Moira BoydConsultancy Manager

moira.boyd@ed.ac.uk

infinite_pg12-15 6/10/10 12:05 Page 13

14 Consulting the experts

As the leading supplier of geographic data forGreat Britain, Ordnance Survey creates andmaintains the geographic framework of the entirecountry, underpinning about £100 billion ofbusiness. Keeping this data current and flexibleis a task of great complexity.

In 2007, as the Ordnance Survey started aprogramme of new product development toproduce more flexible, scalable information

products, they turned to the University ofEdinburgh’s School ofGeoSciences to findthe world-classexpertise they needed.

Professor WilliamMackaness, whospecialises in digitalmapping and datamodelling, saw theopportunity to apply his research in the field through thiscollaboration with the Ordnance Survey.The KnowledgeTransfer Partnership(KTP) programmeoffered the idealframework to shareexpertise for the

benefit of both partners. Theproject built upon previouscollaborations betweenProfessor Mackaness and the Ordnance Survey.

The goal of theUniversity’s KTP with theOrdnance Survey was todevelop an enhanced datamodel and automatic tools tocreate multi-representationsof features for output inproducts at different scales. By producing a‘toolbox’ of algorithms that could be flexiblyconfigured, the KTP project has allowedOrdnance Survey to reduce the developmenttime for its products and develop moreautomated production systems so that a widerrange of information products could be created.

Developing a wider range of products would not previously have been financially viable for the Ordnance Survey without the input of the University’s expertise through theKTP programme.

Professor Mackaness said: “The project fellnaturally from a desire to translate theory intomeaningful products and services. With a highlymotivated, bright KTP Associate, OmairChaudhry, and the right resource commitmentfrom the Ordnance Survey, this desire totranslate knowledge became a reality.”

The KTP projecthas allowedOrdnance Surveyto reduce thedevelopment timefor its products

Picture:© Ordnance Survey

Lay of the land:a KnowledgeTransferPartnership withthe Universitymade new productdevelopment viable forOrdnance Survey

KNOWLEDGE TRANSFERPARTNERSHIPS

The Knowledge TransferPartnership (KTP) programme is a UK-wide initiative to encouragebusiness/knowledge basecollaborations. KTP projects of up to three years can helpbusinesses and organisationsimprove their competitivenessand/or productivity through theuse of the knowledge, technologyand skills that reside within theUniversity. A KTP Associate isembedded within the company towork on the project, with academicsupervision from the partnerUniversity and access to widerUniversity resources. Typically, an SME is expected to contributeabout a third of the costs involvedin the project, with the balancefunded by a Government grant.

xcNEED MORE INFO? LOG ON TO...www.ktponline.org.uk

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A greener future 15

In November 2009, a newcompany, NGenTec Ltd,was spun out from theUniversity’s School of Engineering tocommercialise a green

technology that is set to make wind powercheaper and more reliable.

The revolutionary C-GEN technologyreplaces the complex gearboxes in existingwind turbines with a lightweight, direct drivesystem that is easier to manufacture andcheaper to maintain. Dr Markus Mueller,who jointly developed the new technologywith Dr Alasdair McDonald in theUniversity’s Institute of Energy Systemsand with support from the ScottishEnterprise Proof of Concept programme,believes it will be as much as 50 per centlighter than current direct drive generatorsystems, leading to significant savings inmanufacturing and operating costs.

Dr Mueller said: “Generating renewableenergy is increasingly important ascountries seek to reduce their greenhouse

gas emissions. The wind energy marketworldwide has grown by 28 per cent peryear over the past decade, and continuedrapid expansion is expected as morecountries seek to harness the benefits of environmentally friendly wind power.

“We now have two C-GEN generatorsbuilt – a 20kW (kilowatt) prototype workingin the laboratory at the University and a15kW prototype running on a wind turbinein the TUV NEL test site in the west of Scotland.”

Derek Shepherd, Chairman and actingChief Executive of NGenTec Ltd, said: “Our technology has the potential torevolutionise the renewable energy industryby making wind power cheaper and morereliable, greatly increasing the efficiency ofwind turbines for electricity companies.”

The spin out of NGenTec Ltd wasmanaged by Edinburgh Research andInnovation, the University’s successfulresearch and commercialisation office.Under the exclusive licensing deal for theC-GEN technology rights, the University

has a minority stake in the company.In July 2010, NGenTec was awarded

£800,000 from the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) to take forwardthe development of their C-GENtechnology. Speaking on behalf of thecompany, director Derek Douglas said:“This is great news for NGenTec and helps us with the funding required tocommercialise our world-leading Britishgenerator technology developed atEdinburgh University. With the support of DECC, this will help us create a large UK-based business taking advantage ofthe huge growth in the offshore windmarket initially in the UK.”

The company is at an advanced stage of fundraising and is seeking to raise £4 million in investment funding to develop the C-GEN technology forcommercial markets.

New cheaper and more reliable technology developed by spin-out

NGenTec for wind turbines could transform the green energy market

Revolution for power

+

The technologydeveloped by Dr

Alasdair McDonald(left) and Dr Markus

Mueller can make windturbines more efficient

xcNEED MORE INFO? LOG ON TO...www.ngentec.com

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16 Greener future

The University has successfully completed a worldwide exclusive licenceagreement with US-based engineering firm, Geosyntec Consultants, Inc, to bringan innovative tool for the remediation of soil and groundwater at industrial sites tothe commercial marketplace.

Self-sustaining Treatment for Active Remediation (STAR) is a revolutionaryadaptation of smoldering combustion, wherebycommon sources of contamination to soil andgroundwater, such as coal tars, solvents, oils,and petrochemicals, are subjected to acontrolled, slow-burning process.

The STAR technology was developed by Professor Jose Torero and Dr Jason Gerhard from the School of Engineering, withsupport from the Scottish Enterprise Proof ofConcept programme.

Results of laboratory and field demonstrationsindicate that the STAR process overcomesbarriers that hinder many current clean-upoperations to destroy these sources ofcontamination.

Professor Jose Torero commented: “STAR isvery efficient and safe because it takes advantageof the fact that burning these fuels within soiltraps and reuses the generated heat and does sowithout flames. The process self-terminates whenthe contaminant has been used up.”

Jose’s co-inventor and colleague Dr JasonGerhard added: “STAR promises to betechnically effective, since it is able to overcomebarriers to remediation success that hinder manycurrent approaches and promises to beparticularly cost effective by avoiding ongoing

energy provision and treatment of producedwater or contaminants.”

Geosyntec provides consulting engineeringand science services internationally and isknown for its technology leadership and practiceinnovation in the areas of geotechnical andenvironmental engineering.

“We are excited about the opportunity to bringSTAR technology to sites with challengingremediation issues,” said Dr David Major,Geosyntec principal. “We see STAR technology asa significant advancement – a real ‘game-changer’ for certain types of sites that will providesimilar benefits to hazardous waste site ownersand responsible parties. Using a number ofhazardous waste sites in North America for fielddemonstrations, we have replicated the technicalperformance successes our University ofEdinburgh colleagues have seen in earlierlaboratory and field work tests. Also there havebeen significant cost savings to site owners – asmuch as 50 per cent when compared with currentcommonly used remediation strategies.”

David added: “We are committed to makingthis technology available worldwide, andespecially in establishing a Scottish operation toserve the European marketplace.”

A revolutionary tool has been developed todestroy contaminants in soils and groundwatermore effectively than current methodsDeep

clean“We see STARtechnology as

a significantadvancement –

a real ‘game-changer’ forcertain types

of sites”Dr David Major,

Geosyntec

Picture:©

Danny Chapm

an

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A new musical instrument has beendeveloped as part of an interdisciplinaryproject at the University of Edinburgh thatwill enable severely disabled children whocannot use traditional instruments to playmusic in an expressive way.

The Skoog is sensitive to the slightesttouch, yet robust enough to resist stronghandling. It is a colourful, squeezy cubethat uses technology within a soft, tactilesurface, linked to a computer, to generatethe sound of different instruments, such asflute, trumpet or marimba. Children areable to play a variety of sounds on theSkoog, altering pitch, timbre and volumewith a very small range of movement.

The Skoog was developed byresearchers within the School of Music,the Perception Movement Action ResearchCentre and the School of Physics &Astronomy. The work to develop thedevice is part of a project led by ProfessorNigel Osborne, renowned composer andReid Professor of Music, that aimed tomake music more accessible and helpseverely disabled children improve theircommunication and concentration skills.

Dr Benjaman Schögler, a psychologistand musician, and Dr David Skulina, aphysicist and musician, received fundingsupport from the National Endowment forScience, Technology and the Arts (NESTA),to help with the development of a

prototype Skoog.

Dr Schögler said: “Making musiccan be a huge help in a child’sdevelopment through boostinglearning and creativity, but manychildren are unable to useconventional instruments. The Skoogcan be used by anyone, of any age orability, to make music.”

A new company, calledSkoogmusic Ltd, was spun out of the University to commercialise theinstrument. The spin-out has beensupported throughout this process by Edinburgh Research andInnovation, the University’s researchand commercialisation office.

Ian Murphy, Head of CommercialDevelopment at Edinburgh Research

and Innovation, said: “The Skoog is anexcellent example of how innovativethinking can be turned into a useful andexciting product that could improvepeoples’ lives.”

Skoogmusic Ltd has successfullycompleted its first round of funding,attracting investment from Barwell Plc,Daedalus Capital and the Scottish Co-investment Fund. The investmentwas facilitated by LINC Scotland, thenational association for business angels, allowing the company to begin manufacturing and supplying the instrument.

The Skoog has been commerciallyavailable since March 2010 and hasreceived widespread interest from theeducation community.

Enriching lives 17

An innovative musical instrument is giving severely

disabled children the chance to express themselves

“The Skoog is an excellentexample of howinnovative thinking can beturned into a useful andexciting product that couldimprove peoples’ lives”

Ian Murphy, Edinburgh Research

and Innovation

xcNEED MORE INFO? LOG ON TO...www.skoogmusic.com

SoundsuccessOF

Pictures:©

Sandy Young Photography

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18 Motorsports

Picture:© Federation Internationale de l'Automobile,FIA

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19

The success of a unique University programme that helps young rally drivers

step up a gear to become world class could be extended to other motorsports

how to enhance their performance and fulfil their potential tobecome world-class rally drivers of the future.

When Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli won the contract tosupply all tyres for the WRC from 2008 to 2010, part of theagreement required them to fund a development programme forpotential star rally drivers of the future. Having worked with EliteSports Performance on a similar programme for UK rally drivers forthe previous five years, Dr Tony Turner and Hugh Richards, from

the University’s Institute of Sport, Physical Education and HealthSciences, were invited to co-ordinate the sport science educationfor the participants of the Pirelli Star Driver programme.

Ten young talented drivers and co-drivers, whose ultimate aimis to become world-class drivers for one of the manufacturerteams, were selected following a rigorous process in each ofthe five FIA regions. The PSD programme gives them the

In international-level sports competitions, small factors can determine success. That is why sport science staff from theUniversity are working with local Scottish business Elite Sports Performance Ltd to provide a programme for the FederationInternationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The aim is to help young competitors in the World Rally Championship (WRC) learn

Racingahead

A

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20 Motorsports

perfect opportunity to compete andget experience in the WRC,

combined with a comprehensive trainingand development programme – a uniqueexperience at an early stage of their career.

Phil Short, FIA Supervisor for the Pirelli Star Driver programme, said: “It’simportant for our project that we have theUniversity of Edinburgh involved, becausethe sports science department has theexperience, knowledge and facilities toteach, train and develop our young drivers.After the guys completed their three-daytraining session back in March, they cameaway surprised at what they learned, buthappy that they now had a direction forthem to progress within the sport, perhapsbetter than their peers who did not have thebenefit of such training. It was the samewith our 2009 group of young drivers also.”

Dr Turner added: “Edinburgh’s workalso piqued the interest of the FIA MedicalCommission and resulted in a meeting withrepresentatives of the organisation,including WRC Medical Delegate for theFIA, Dr Jean Duby, to discuss our findingsand ideas for the future. The FIA is nowrecognising the importance of driverdevelopment and safety. These are bothareas that Edinburgh is establishing astrong profile in, through high-visibility workat the top level of rally motorsport.”

Tony and Hugh are working withcolleagues on the Pirelli Star Driver initiative to establish another FIA-fundeddriver development scheme acrossdifferent motorsports under the auspices of the FIA Institute for Motorsport Safetyand Sustainability.

The EdinburghExperience

The Pirelli Star Driver programme startedwith a residential workshop in Edinburgh todevelop a wide range of knowledge andskills to become a top rally driver, fromhandling media relations to sport science.

The workshop reflected the schedule ofa WRC event, which starts with three daysof preparation followed by the rally itself.For example, in the 2010 Rally de Portugal,drivers raced in the heat on 18 stages,covering a total of 1,223km over four days.This presents considerable physical andmental challenges. The drivers will nothave competed at this level before, so they need to be prepared for maintainingconcentration and endurance for thatlength of time.

Robert Reid, Director of Elite SportsPerformance Ltd and a former WRC worldchampion co-driver, explained: “At the toplevel of rally driving everything matters,from what you eat and drink to how quicklyyou can adjust to avoid an obstacle thathas appeared in the road.”

Dr Tony Turner and Hugh Richards arelecturers in Sport Physiology and SportPsychology, respectively, and are interestedin how the two subjects come together inelite performance. Hugh Richards said: “We drew a lot of analogies with the cars

themselves. The mechanics make sure thatall bits are in place and it is filled up – so doyou make sure drivers are the same? Take,for example, fatigue. This is not just aphysical manifestation, but a composite of a number of different signals coming to thebrain that say ‘I don’t want to carry on anylonger’, some of which are to do withnutrition and hydration, but some which can be overridden by mental strategies.”

Hydration is also crucial, partlybecause rally competitions are such longevents, but also because several of theWRC competitions are in hot climates. With participants coming from various FIA regions around the world, there areindividuals with different familiarity ofperforming in the heat. The heat chamberexercise in Edinburgh was aimed at losing2 per cent of body weight through sweatingto demonstrate the effects of dehydrationon cognitive performance.

At the WRC Rally de Portugal, Hugh andTony also monitored the changes in corebody temperature, heart rate, hydrationstatus and attention occurring through a day of competing and compared this with an earlier day of making pace notes. The ten

A

“At the top levelof rally drivingeverything matters,from what you eat anddrink to how quicklyyou can adjust to avoidan obstacle that hasappeared in the road”

+ Hugh Richards (right) and Dr TonyTurner are now looking at othermotorsports for the Pirelli StarDriver programme after theirsuccess with rally driving

infinite_pg18-21 6/10/10 10:49 Page 20

21

drivers and co-drivers swallowed atransmitter pill, wore a chest strap withreceiving device, provided urine samplesand completed various visual, auditory andsustained attention tests. They also reportedon food and fluid consumption.

Dr Turner explained: “The temperaturein Portugal was about 33°C in-car, but corebody temperature, inside fireproof clothingand helmet, got as high as 39°C. In theseenvironments, and more so in much hotterevents, keeping hydrated is vital, but theamount somebody has to drink can vary.The results from in-competition testingallowed us to be definitive and let aperformer know whether what they drankwas good enough or not.”

The project gave personalisedfeedback and recommendations tochange behaviour to all ten of theprogramme members during these events and for future competitions.

Jon Williams was one of the 2009 PirelliStar Drivers. He said: “The programmewas great. It really made a big differenceand opened my eyes to the fact that it’sabout the whole package as a driver. I willnever forget all that I have learned.”

WHAT DRIVES YOU TO SUCCEEDAS A RALLY DRIVER?

“It is a sport that I am very passionate aboutand enjoy every minute of it. But I want tobe a world champion as I believe that I canbe the best.”

WHAT QUALITIES DO YOUTHINK ARE IMPORTANT IN ASUCCESSFUL RALLY DRIVER?

“I think you have to be focused, driven andpatient. To get to the top of rallying takesmany years, many sacrifices and many upsand downs. You have to learn from it all tocome out the other end better. It is a never-ending line of learning and I amconsistently developing my driving and analysing how to make it better. There is no room for standing still.”

WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOUFACED THIS YEAR IN THE WORLDRALLY CHAMPIONSHIPS ANDHOW HAVE YOU OVERCOME THEM?

“To date, we have done two rounds of theWorld Rally Championship and have retiredon the first day of each event, rejoining forthe remaining two days. This is hard, as theamount penalised puts you out of therunning for a good result. When you arecompeting for nothing it is hard to get yourmind on the job, compared with if you werein the heat of the competition. In this case, itis a matter of reminding yourself that youare still learning. Every event we do thisyear is new to us, and with a new event weface new roads, new terrain and newchallenges. The more homework we do,the better prepared we are mentally.”

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU PASSON TO FUTURE DRIVERS ABOUTTHE PROGRAMME?“To really grasp the opportunity with bothhands and not think you already knoweverything. At this level it is a whole newball game, and as stated within the

programme you have gone from being abig fish in a small pond to a small fish in abig pond. So be open-minded and get asmuch experience out of it as you can.”

HOW DO YOU THINK THEPROGRAMME IS HELPING YOU TOIMPROVE AS A RALLY DRIVER?

“First and foremost it is the experience ofdriving in the World Rally Championship. It is also having access to a lot ofexperienced and specialist people to helpmake us better drivers and better preparedfor world championship rallying.”

HOW DID YOU ENJOY THE STINTSIN EDINBURGH?

“It was very beneficial and a real eyeopener to the elements outside of the carthat can affect our performance. Just likewe would in the preparation of the car, ourpreparation is just as crucial to ensure thatwe are on top of our game every time weget in the car. The training of our body andmind is pivotal towards that.”

A star in themaking

Interview with HaydenPaddon, WRC Rally Driveron the 2010 Pirelli StarDrivers programme

+ When it comes to learning to become abetter driver, Hayden Paddon doesn’t stand still

Picture:©

Federation Internationale de l'Autom

obile,FIA

Picture:©

Federation Internationale de l'Autom

obile,FIAPicture:©

Tony Turner,University of Edinburgh

infinite_pg18-21 6/10/10 10:49 Page 21

22 Global impact

World in focusFrom collaborative research programmes to licensed

technology, the University of Edinburgh is having a major

impact on business and industry around the globe...

! SOUTH AMERICA (BRAZIL)I

The University’s School of GeoScienceshas secured a major researchpartnership with Petrobras S.A. (Brazil’s national energy company) in a £2 million agreement. They will launchthe International Centre for CarbonateReservoirs with Heriot-Watt Universitythat will address specific industrychallenges in extracting oil fromcarbonate reservoirs in offshore oilfields.

! NORTH AMERICA (USA)I

The University’s Centre for InfectiousDiseases provided internationallyrecognised microbiological facilities for multinational clinical trials with US biopharmaceutical company,Transave Inc. The trials were for theformulation of ARIKACE™ (liposomalamikacin for inhalation) for treatment oflung infections in Cystic Fibrosis patients.

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23

! EUROPE (FRANCE)I

The University’s School of Engineeringis working with French tyre manufacturerMichelin on a long-term researchcollaboration to develop better rubbercompound and tread pattern solutionsand make their tyres grip better on snowand ice covered roads.

! AFRICA (UGANDA)I

The University’s Centre for InfectiousDiseases has played a major role in thesuccessful design and implementation ofa research and education programme, incollaboration with CEVA Santé Animale,aimed at eliminating the spread ofSleeping Sickness in Uganda.

! ASIA (SOUTH KOREA)I

The University’s Institute ofMolecular Plant Sciences andSouth Korean biotechnologycompany, Unhwa BiotechCorporation, are collaborating on a research programme toidentify new ways of enhancingthe production of a potent anti-cancer therapeutic drug,Paclitaxel.

infinite_pg22-23 6/10/10 11:56 Page 23

24 Appliance of science

The University’s Medical Research CouncilCentre for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) ishome to one of the largest groupings ofstem cell researchers in Europe. World-leading researchers based at the Centreare focused on developing and applyingthe latest advances in stem cell research to improve human and animal health.

In 2011, a new £59 million researchbuilding for the Centre for RegenerativeMedicine will be completed, containingstate-of-the-art laboratory facilities and a clinical translation unit – enabling theproduction of cells at GMP (GoodManufacturing Practice) grade, suitable forfuture therapeutic applications. The newCentre will be part of the Edinburgh

BioQuarter development at Little France.This location, with a large advancedteaching hospital, the University’s world-renowned medical school and bespokebiomedical research and developmentfacilities all on one site, will provide aunique operating environment withsubstantial collaborative opportunities.

The research of the centre is currentlyorganised into five themes:• Pluripotency and induced pluripotentstem cells: understanding the molecularmechanisms which give stem cells theability to self-renew indefinitely and todifferentiate into mature specialised cells.• Lineage and cell specification:research to understand and characterise

the growth cues and signals that controlthe specialisation of stem cells intoparticular cell types.• Neural differentiation and tissue repair:the specific mechanisms that control thegrowth and development of neurones andhow this can be applied to understandand treat diseases like motor neurondisease or multiple sclerosis.• Haematopoietic stem cell biology and regeneration: understanding how the blood system develops and how these mechanisms can be manipulatedfor clinical purposes.• Liver stem cell biology: mechanismsthat underpin the growth anddifferentiation of mature liver cells and how this can be applied to drugdiscovery, toxicology testing andultimately liver regeneration.

The centre is committed to seeing theoutputs of its research translated into newtechnologies and stem cell therapies. A number of patents have been filed ontechnologies for manipulating, handlingand culturing stem cells and on protocolsthat permit the production and expansionof defined human cell populations. Theseare available for licensing with commercialpartners interested in developing newproducts and therapies.

Stem cell research by the University’s

Centre for Regenerative Medicine has the potential

to revolutionise healthcare in many ways

Cell of thecentury

+ The work of Marc Turner could transform blood transfusion services (see overleaf)

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25

NOVEL POLYMERSFOR CULTURINGLIVER CELLS

Production of large quantities of high qualityhuman liver cells (HLCs) for research andtherapy is a key goal for stem cell researchers.Scalable and reproducible generation of HLCshave applications in drug discovery andtoxicology testing, functional regeneration ofdamaged livers in transplantation and for‘fuelling’ bio-artificial liver devices which supportcritically ill patients.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can beused to generate a population of HLCs.Unfortunately, current cell culture methods forgrowing HLCs result in poor quality cells that losetheir liver-like characteristics when grown forextended periods of time.

In collaboration with Professor Mark Bradleyfrom the School of Chemistry, Dr David Hay hasidentified a novel polymer which provides asolution to these culture problems. hESC-derivedliver cells grown on this polymer show much moreconsistent liver cell-like features over prolongedperiods – they are the correct shape, express thecorrect cell markers, and have the functionalenzymes present in adult HLCs.

The team is interested in a collaborativeresearch programme with cell therapy companies.However, a number of companies have alreadyshown interest in evaluating the polymers.

In 2011, a new £59mresearch building for the Centre forRegenerative Medicinewill be completed,containing state-of-the-art laboratoryfacilities

GLIOMA-DERIVEDNEURONAL STEM CELLLINES FOR SCREENING

Stem cells offer significant advantages indrug discovery as they offer more realisticand representative models that moreaccurately reflect the disease under study.An example of this is a set of uniqueneuronal stem cell lines which CRM

researchers, led by Dr Steve Pollard, haveisolated from diverse adult and childhoodbrain tumours.

This new method to produce theseglioma neural stem cell lines from tumoursis simple, efficient and reproducible. Thederived cell lines retain the characteristicsof the original tumour providing a powerfulmodel for further study. These cells canbe used to develop screening assays to

identify potential therapeutics, to identifygenetic markers for diagnosis and toimprove selection of appropriatetherapeutic regimes for patients with brain tumours.

Discussions are under way with a number of pharmaceutical andbiotechnology companies to license these cell lines for internal research and drug discovery purposes.

A

+ Artist’s impression of the new state-of-the-art CRM building

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26 Appliance of science

CELL CULTURE METHODSTO PRODUCE ADE CELLS

Anterior definitive endoderm (ADE) is the most anterior derivative of themesendoderm and gives rise to a numberof gut-associated organs, including theliver, thymus, thyroid and pancreas.

Previously, mesendodermal and mixedheterogeneous cell populations havebeen used for the production of thesespecialised anterior endoderm derivatives.

This approach is inefficient and hassignificant limitations, including

formation of non-ADE cells(mesoderm and posteriorendoderm) and teratomas.

Research by Dr JoshBrickman’s laboratory has solved thisproblem by producing an efficient and

effective culture method for purifyingintermediate in vitro-derived ADE cellsfrom embryonic stem cells.

This new method recapitulates the stepwise process of naturalembryogenesis and focuses onpurification of an intermediate in vitro-derived ADE cell from embryonic stemcells. The method is serum and feedercell-free and works with cell monolayers.Once isolated, these ADE cells can serveas a source of foregut-derived cell lines,such as liver or pancreas, which can beused for research, toxicology andcompound screening.

The methodology is currently availablefor licence to companies interested indeveloping and selling a defined media orin creating and developing cell lines fortoxicology and compound screening.

IMPROVING OPTIONSFOR BONE MARROWTRANSPLANTS

Bone marrow is composed ofhaematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), whichgive rise to all types of blood cells,including erythrocytes, lymphocytes andplatelets. These are the crucial cell typesrequired by patients whose own bonemarrow system has been ablated bydisease or cancer treatment.

However, sufficient numbers of HSCsof suitable quality and regenerativecapacity is lacking. Therefore, the numberof bone marrow transplant procedureswhich can be carried out is limited.

Research within the laboratories ofProfessor Alexander Medvinsky couldprovide a solution. His team is developinga novel method of culture anddifferentiation of embryonic stem cells thatwill enable the derivation and expansion ofHSCs in vitro. Data acquired to datedemonstrate that this method enablesregeneration of a complete and functionalhaematopoietic system in a mouse.

If applicable to the human system, it could have a significant impact oncurrent clinical transplantation protocols.

Having a plentiful supply of theseHSCs could improve the efficiency andsuccess of bone marrow transplants in cancer/leukaemia patients after high dose chemotherapy or radiotherapyand improve treatment options forpatients who have anaemia orimmunodeficiency diseases.

+

Professor Marc Turner’sresearch project is

stimulating embryonicstem cells to generate

oxygen carrying redblood cells

A

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27

USING EMBRYONIC STEMCELLS TO GENERATERED BLOOD CELLS FORCLINICAL TRANSFUSION

There is currently a shortage of blooddonors and the recipients of bloodtransfusions are at risk of transmission of infectious diseases and incompatibilitywith the donor’s blood.

These problems could now be solvedthanks to a collaborative research project,led by Professor Marc Turner’s laboratory,to stimulate human embryonic stem EScells to generate a limitless source ofmature, oxygen-carrying red blood cells.

The researchers are developing humanembryonic stem cells to GoodManufacturing Practice (GMP) standards,preferably of the ‘O-negative’ blood group,which is the universal donor group whoseblood can be transfused into anyonewithout fear of tissue rejection. This work

raises the prospect of generating unlimitedquantities of blood from embryonic stemcells because of their ability to multiplyindefinitely in the laboratory.

A £2.9 million Wellcome Trust StrategicTranslation Award is being used to optimisethe production of red blood cells fromhuman ES cells, to test whether theyfunction properly and to scale up productionso that they can be used in clinical trials.

Professor Turner said: “Some two millionunits of blood are transfused each year inthe UK and we are reliant on donors tomeet the demand. With stem cells we havethe potential to create unlimited supplies ofinfection-free blood, which would addressthe issue of a shortage of donors both inthe developed and developing world.”

The collaboration involves the ScottishNational Blood Transfusion Service and theUniversity of Glasgow, working withNHS Blood and Transplant, the IrishBlood Transfusion Service andRoslin Cells Ltd.

SAFELY CREATINGINDUCED PLURIPOTENTSTEM CELLS

Scientists are trying to identifyefficient methods that enable thedevelopmental clock of adult cells to be turned back – effectively‘reprogramming’ them to induce thepluripotent characteristics, which givethem the potential to make any celltype in the body. If this can beachieved, it creates the possibility of having a population of patient-specific cells that can be directed to grow into any cell type or tissuethe patient requires.

Dr Keisuke Kaji, in collaborationwith Professor Andras Nagy of MountSinai Hospital in Canada, hasdeveloped a way to create inducedPluripotent Stem Cells (iPS) byintroducing the appropriate genesusing a non-viral plasmid-basedmethod, which can be removed oncethe pluripotent cells are generated.

This technology is attractinginterest from life science researchreagents companies developing kitsand reagents to market and sell toresearch scientists.

Human and murine stem cell linesgenerated using this technique arealso available to companies interestedin accessing more representative cellline models for drug discovery. Theselines can be used to generate desiredcell types, such as heart orliver, for drug developmentand toxicity testing. Theability to use human iPS cells inthis way should help to speed updiscovery of safer and moreeffective drugs.

+

Dr Keisuke Kaji hasdeveloped a way to createinduced Pluripotent StemCells using a non-viralplasmid-based method

The workshould helpto speed upthe discoveryof safer andmore effectivedrugs

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28 Serial inventor

Smartthinking

For the past 20 years, Professor Mark Bradley

has been addressing biomedical issues with

commercially focused solutions

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29

address and solve biomedical questionsand problems.

Mark received his doctorate from theUniversity of Oxford in 1989, followed bypost-doctoral studies at Harvard MedicalSchool. He returned to the UK as a RoyalSociety University Research Fellow at theUniversity of Southampton in 1992. In1997, Mark was appointed to the Chair inCombinatorial Chemistry at the Universityof Southampton and established theCombinatorial Centre of Excellence.

As its director, Mark built extensivecollaborations with all majorpharmaceutical companies in thecombinatorial arena. Mark alsoestablished a major collaboration withAsahi Kasei and was involved inintegrating combinatorial and HTtechniques into their materials discovery programmes.

These activities were all associatedwith the development, patenting andcommercialisation of a range of newtechnologies and products. The HTapproaches developed by Mark, including polymer array screening, haveresulted in patents and products forleukocyte depletion and cornealbandages, which helped lead to theestablishment of Ilika Technologies Ltd in2004. Ilika employs more than 25 peopleand was launched on the AlternativeInvestment Market in May 2010.

Mark moved to the University ofEdinburgh in 2005 to become Professor of High-Throughput Chemical Biology inthe School of Chemistry, where theinterdisciplinary nature of biomedicalresearch in Edinburgh offers the perfectenvironment for promoting Chemical-Biology. Since arriving here, Mark hascontinued his entrepreneurial activities,with numerous patent applications filed by the University on diverse technologies,from polymers for hepatocyte/drugtoxicology screening to innovative

Professor Mark Bradley has beenpioneering research at the chemical-biomedical interface for almost 20 years,using a multitude of high-throughput (HT)approaches driven by the underpinningdesire to apply the tools of chemistry to

+

Professor MarkBradley has built extensivecollaborations with all majorpharmaceuticalcompanies in thecombinatorial arena

continued overleaf A

Mark is, clearly, notjust an academicwith an outstandingresearch pedigree;he is truly a serialinventor

Proving the concept

The Scottish Enterprise Proof of Conceptprogramme has provided invaluablesupport to Mark’s research and will see his academic endeavours result in theformation of new companies, providing jobopportunities for future entrepreneurs.

BIODEGRADABLETRANSFECTION REAGENTS

Novel biodegradable transfection reagents,useful for in vitro studies and in vivo for genetherapy, will be commercialised through anew University spin-out company calledDeliverics Ltd. The company will specialisein transfection technologies and cellulardelivery products, both in the reagent(SAFEctinTM) and therapeutic markets.

ENZYME-FREE SNP ANALYSISAND DNA SEQUENCING

Mark and his team have developed novelchemical reagents and, using a processknown as ‘dynamic chemistry’, in a worldfirst, have performed human genotyping(SNP analysis), replacing the traditionalenzymes used with chemical reagents,leading to a more flexible and fasterdetection. The commercialisation is beingundertaken by a University spin-outcompany called DestiNA Genomics Ltd,which will enter traditional markets andexpand into the rapidly growing‘personalised medicine’ diagnostic market.

BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS FORTISSUE ENGINEERING

The team have just initiated a new projectunder the Scottish Enterprise Proof ofConcept programme that will furtherdevelop a raft of safe bio-compatible andbiodegradable materials for use in tissueengineering, including bone repair.

infinite_pg28-31 6/10/10 11:05 Page 29

30 Serial inventor

reagents for DNA sequence analysis.Mark’s commercially focused researchhas received funding in excess of £4 million from a plethora of industrialand translational awards.

The major focus of Mark’s currentresearch activities are in areas such asmicroarrays for HT protease and kinaseanalysis and polymer arrays for stemcell enrichment and cell capture andrelease. This has led to patentscovering surfaces to grow humanhepatocytes essential in drugdevelopment, polymers for bone repair

and thermally sensitive cell-specificpolymers (ideal for use in general cell culture).

There are a range of projectsfocused on cellular delivery (transfectionfor gene therapy, small-moleculemediated protein and nucleic aciddelivery) and cellular labelling (live timein vivo bedside imaging, personal cell-based therapies, fluorophore synthesis),many of which will be the subject offuture patent filings. The group also hasmajor interests in DNA sequencing.

Mark is, clearly, not just anacademic with an outstanding researchpedigree; he is truly a serial inventor.

Spotlight: Professor Mark Bradley

WHAT DRIVES YOU?“The boundless energy and enthusiasm of avibrant young research group, tied-in with the fun of driving world leading science, in association with translational outcomes that offer the promise of improved quality of life and a real buzz of seeing our chemistryapplied in potentially life-saving products.”

WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU THINKARE IMPORTANT IN A SERIALINVENTOR SUCH AS YOURSELF?

“To think outside the box, collaborate broadlyand in a cross-disciplinary manner. Inventionsoften come about through collaborations;typically in association with the world ofmedicine, which require the inventiveapplication of chemistry to provide and enablesolutions outside the direct world of chemistryper se. In this regard, Edinburgh is superb,with a world-class medical school, with activeresearch-based clinicians, seeing a directclinical need with the chemist being able toprovide a solution.”

HOW DO YOU TURN YOURIDEAS/RESEARCH INTO ACOMMERCIALLY VIABLE OFFERING?

“This is always a major collaborativeundertaking, involving committed researchworkers who share the vision, EdinburghResearch and Innovation (ERI) to provide thesupport in patenting and commercialisation,funders who are convinced of the businesscase and the belief that it will make money.Most importantly, it is the team who work together to make the vision happen.”

WHAT SUPPORT HAVE YOURECEIVED TO HELP YOUACHIEVE THIS?

“Support from the University and ERI hasbeen amazing and played a pivotal role in thesuccess story. As an experiment, ERIassigned Dr Keith Finlayson directly to anumber of research groups in Chemistry andBiological Sciences. This has created a closeworking relationship between the Bradleygroup and Dr Finlayson, enabling rapididentification of translational opportunities andassociated funding solutions, with co-writtentranslational grants of more than £4 millionover the past three years.”

WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOUFACED IN ALL THIS AND HOWHAVE YOU OVERCOME THEM?

“There have been, and always will be, anumber of major challenges and balancingacts that must be tempered. For example,there is the often-held belief by manyacademics that translational research has noplace in academia. There is a need for abalanced portfolio of research activities withinthe group to ensure future translational ideasare grown and developed; as well as therealisation that patents are worthless unlessthey can be applied, developed or licensed.”

+ Professor Mark Bradley is driven by chemistry applied in potentially life-saving products

A from previous page

infinite_pg28-31 6/10/10 11:05 Page 30

Engineering innovation 31

The lighting industry is deep in the middle of a major revolution with the incandescent lightbulb being phased out andbanned across the globe within the next ten years. LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting is currently leading the list ofalternative energy-efficient technologies looking to replace incandescent lightbulbs as the lighting industry standard.

A, so far, untapped advantage of LEDs is that they can be used for high-speed data transmission, wherebycommunication is piggy-backed on top of illumination. Visible LightCommunication (VLC) is a highly energy-efficient wireless transmissiontechnology, sending data through subtle,imperceptible variations in the luminousintensity of the LED. Since the visible partof the electromagnetic spectrum is usedfor communication, there is no radiofrequency (RF) or microwave radiation. This enables wireless communication inareas that are sensitive or exposed toelectromagnetic interference or whereconventional RF communicationfails, such as underwater.

Professor Harald Haas and the D-LIGHT (Data-Light) team within the University’s Institute for DigitalCommunications have developed a visiblelight communications module which canbe integrated into, for example, LED-basedlightbulbs, traffic lights, street lights, as wellas head lights in aeroplanes, trains andcars. The advantage of the Edinburghtechnology is in the utilisation of noveldigital and spatial modulation techniquesfor higher data rates and lower energyconsumption. Computer simulations showthat digital data transmission at speeds inexcess of 100 Mbps (twice as fast as astandard wireless broadband router athome) are feasible with off-the-shelf LEDsand in real-world deployment scenarios.

Potential applications range fromwireless data distribution in hospitals and aircraft cabins to intrinsically safeenvironments and wireless broadbandrouter replacements at home. Moreover,the potential application of the technologyin the defence and homeland securitysector is currently being discussed withan industrial partner.

Professor Haas said: “With aminiaturised VLC communication modulethat can be incorporated into new LEDlightbulbs or as an attachment to existingfixtures, VLC technology will join the solidstate lighting revolution and usher in a

new era of pervasive networking andcommunication.”

Professor Haas has received fundingsupport from the Scottish Enterprise Proofof Concept programme to build andfurther develop a prototype forcommercialisation through the formationof a new University spin-out companyduring the last quarter of 2011.

GET IN TOUCH WITH...

Dr John JeffreyBusiness Development Executive,School of Engineering

john.jeffrey@ed.ac.uk

New technology developed at the university that exploits existing

LED lights could revolutionise communication networks

Visible Light Communication is a highly energy-efficientwireless transmission technology, transmitting datathrough variations in the luminous intensity of the LED

Light beyond illumination

+

HaraldHaas

infinite_pg28-31 6/10/10 11:05 Page 31

32 Engineering innovation

With the mobile communications industry facing huge challenges, the growth of ‘mobile apps’ is presenting new opportunities for equipmentmanufacturers, operators and software authors. A particularly exciting sector of this market is location-aware applications, which createnew ways to use a mobile phone, taking it beyond its role as acommunications device and casual gaming platform.

Location-based services on mobile phones presently sufferfrom a major drawback. Most systems rely on the phone’s GPS

receiver – a great location tool whenoutside with a clear view of satellites,but ineffective indoors or in heavily built-up areas. In these locations, GPStypically provides coverage between 30-70 per cent of the time and your GPS position will degrade to ‘Cell ID’(within 300 metres proximity).

A radical new positioning system,developed at the University with theassistance of proof of concept fundingfrom Scottish Enterprise, is now beingcommercialised through spin-outcompany SATSIS Ltd. The product,known as Loc8R, uses a combination of GPS and signals from a variety ofradio sources such as cell towers, WiFiand Bluetooth to quickly and accuratelydetermine a location, even when theuser is indoors. Loc8R does not replaceGPS, rather its unique positioningalgorithms assist existing GPS to make it work better indoors and provide pinpoint city centre and in-building positioning.

Loc8R enables network operatorsand device manufacturers to supplymobile devices withaccurate indoorpositioningcapabilities, sogreatly improving a user’s navigationand locationexperience on that device.

Loc8R alsoprovides anaccurate indoorpositioning platformfor developers todesign nextgeneration applications on top of,for example, augmented realityand location-based games.

Professor Tughrul Arslansaid: “We’ve developedinnovative crowd-sourcing

Highly accurate location technology for mobile phones

could deliver major benefits to network operators,

device manufacturers and application developers

“Soon yourphone willknow yourexact location,to within onemetre accuracy”Professor Tughrul Arslan

Make yourpositionvery clear

infinite_pg32-33 7/10/10 16:57 Page 32

33

xcNEED MORE INFO? LOG ON TO...www.satsis.com

WHAT MAKES SATSIS’TECHNOLOGY DIFFERENTAND SO SIGNIFICANT IN THEMARKETPLACE?

Loc8R is innovative and cost effectivesoftware using a new hybrid approach to achieve fast and highly accuratepositioning data in urban and indoor areas where GPS is less accurate. It isbased on ‘patent applied for’ University of Edinburgh technology. The SATSISproduct has been demonstrated in trials to provide a fast ‘time-to-first-fix’ of less thanone second and to achieve correlationsbetween measured and actual position of under five metres, in up to 99 per cent of locations. All of this is delivered with a fraction of thecomputational power required forcompeting techniques, leading to powersavings, which make Loc8R ideal forportable and handheld devices.

FOR MOBILE NETWORKOPERATORS

• Enables operators to deliver mobiledevices with cost-effective accurate indoorpositioning capability.• Improves user experience fromperformance and application diversityperspectives.• Improves the operator’s developercommunity offering.• Provides an indoor positioning platformfor next generation applications.

FOR DEVICEMANUFACTURERS

• Provides a growing list of applicationsacross the different customer markets that require location data and the majority of these would benefit fromincreased accuracy.• Is an opportunity to enhance the appealof smartphone product ranges.

FOR APPLICATIONDEVELOPERS

• Is an enabling technology that willenhance online applications and socialnetworking sites looking to expand into the mobile market.• Could enable the next big differentiatorfor social networking services, allowingconsenting members to meet up safely by using high-accuracy location to supportany mobile-to-mobile communications.• Expands ‘augmented reality’applications by allowing the overlaying of digital data onto the real world withconsistent and accurate indoor locationfixing, such as in coffee shops, libraries and car parks.

technology that records data as theconsumer uses our applications. Soon your phone will know your exact location, to within one metre accuracy.

“From providing augmented realityfor tourists to social networkingapplications, we’re going to think less ofthe mobile phone as a communicationdevice and more as a tool to help makeour lives better – and more fun.”

The Intel Corporation has recentlycompleted a trial with Loc8R at itsSwindon facility and is now promotingthe technology to internal business units,

quoting Loc8R as ‘best in class’. Intel will be carrying out further tests on thelatest version of Loc8R during the year.

Loc8R is currently available onSymbian and Microsoft Mobile, withother operating systems coming shortly.SATSIS has also published its own app‘PinPointer’ on Nokia store Ovi.

SATSIS is looking to license Loc8Rto mobile phone manufacturers, mobilenetwork operators and applicationdevelopers. Loc8R enables SATSISpartners to offer next generationlocation-based services that requirehyper-local positioning.

infinite_pg32-33 6/10/10 11:13 Page 33

34 Engineering innovation

French tyre manufacturer Michelin has been working with theUniversity on a research collaboration since 2006 to gain abetter scientific understanding of the underlying mechanismsof friction of rubber on ice and snow. The aim is to make theirtyres grip better on snow and ice covered roads.

For more than ten years, Dr Jane Blackford in the Schoolof Engineering has been undertaking research on ice friction,including a successful collaboration with the Great Britainwomen’s curling team that won the gold medal at the 2002Winter Olympic Games. Research in Dr Blackford’s group is based on ice ‘as a material’

and draws on approaches from materials science and metallurgyto understand large-scale behaviour from knowledge of the

fine-scale structure.From a technological perspective, tyres need to

perform a variety of functions, such as grip, wearresistance, low noise and reduced fuel

consumption. While the UK uses tyres designedto operate in all weather conditions, virtually

all other countries in Northern Europe, aswell as North America and Japan, use

tyres designed specifically for winter

A solid grip

+ For over a decade Dr JaneBlackford has been researching

ice friction, drawing onapproaches such as

materials science

Research by a Universityresearch group ishelping develop tyreswith a better hold on ice-covered roadsin partnership withmanufacturer Michelin

infinite_pg34-35 6/10/10 11:14 Page 34

35

+ Jane Blackford and her team are working on developing a tyre that works better in ice and snow

conditions. This means there is a hugemarket for winter tyres. Working withMichelin, Dr Blackford’s research grouptest the friction of rubber on snow and ice,looking at factors that influenceperformance such as temperature,velocity, load, ice or snow characteristics,rubber compound properties and tread patterns.

The results identify which rubbercompounds and tread patterns have thehighest friction under specific conditions.This data in itself is useful for Michelin.However, with deeper analysis, the groupaims to understand why the frictionvaries, which will enable Michelin todevelop better tread pattern solutions and tyres in the future.

This winter, the group tested modelrubber blocks with simple treads on itslinear friction tester, based within a multi-chamber cold room, which typicallymaintains temperatures down to -15 °C. Michelin then tested tyres madefrom the samerubber withthe sametread patternon a regularcar with ABSbrakes at theirtest centre inFinland. Theagreementbetween thetwo testmethods wasexcellent.

“The experimental expertise about iceand snow of our partners at the Universityhelped us significantly in the developmentof efficient testing methods,” explainedJoël Foucard, Manager of Michelin’s TyrePerformance Analysis Department. “Thefacilities of the University also give usgreat opportunities to understand thecomplex interactions occurring in thecontact patch with various rubbers andtread designs. This joint research effort iscontributing to the acceleration of ourR&D on ice and snow grip.”

Dr Blackford said: “It is great to workwith a company that has such excellentstrategic vision and a solid belief in theimportance of doing things properly:making difficult careful measurementsand analysing the results deeply.

“The work we’re doing is intended to be seen in tyres in about five to tenyears time.”

“The experimental expertiseabout ice and snow of ourpartners at the Universityhelped us significantly in thedevelopment of efficienttesting methods”

Pictures:©

Jane Blackford,U

niversity of Edinburgh/M

ichelin

infinite_pg34-35 6/10/10 11:14 Page 35

36 Improving health

OnemedicineResearch is currently aiming to unlock the key to new therapies for both humans

and animals that could treat conditions ranging from cancer to heart disease

Human health and animal health are inextricably linked. We suffer from many of the same diseases as ourlivestock and pets, including osteoporosis, cancer and heart disease, and we are susceptible to similarpathogens, such as influenza, which can be transmitted between species.

As more species and individual genomes are sequenced, the high similarity and conservation of sequencebetween humans and domesticated animals is becoming apparent. In addition, companion animals, such asdogs and cats, are alsoexposed to many of the

same environmental stimuli as man and suffer from the same lifestyle andage-related diseases.

The University’s Roslin Institute andthe Royal (Dick) School of VeterinaryStudies are working to accelerate thedevelopment of novel therapies and toenhance our understanding of

mechanisms of disease for the benefitof both people and animals.

Professor Brendan Corcoran and Dr Anne French are studying heart valvedisease in dogs. The predisposition tomitral valve disease in dogs is stronglydependent on the breed, indicating agenetic cause. Fifty per cent of Cavalier

Spaniels suffer from heart problems,making them a powerful natural model foridentifying genes of therapeutic interestfor both dogs and man. Such studiesenable the identification of biomarkersand could support the development ofnovel therapeutics for treatment of heartdisease in both species.

Cancer is another disease where pets could pave the way towards newtherapeutic approaches and acceleratedrug development.

Nearly one in three dogs and catsdevelop cancer spontaneously as mandoes and the tumours share similarpathology and biological behaviour;examples of such spontaneous tumours include lung, breast, skin and bone cancers.

Professor David Argyle is studyingthese natural model systems to answerspecific questions regarding genetic andenvironmental risk factors, the value ofnew therapeutics, and to improve ourunderstanding of cancer biology, whichcould benefit both people and animalswith the disease.

Livestock can provide a valuableinsight into human disease. Forexample, the sheep lung is similar in both size and shape to the humanlung. Dr David Collie and Dr GerryMcLachlan have been using a sheepmodel to develop new gene therapytreatments for cystic fibrosis.

The key issue with gene therapy hasbeen drug delivery, a problem whichcan be studied and addressed usingthe sheep model. Dr Collie also seesthe sheep lung as a useful model forstudying treatment for other respiratorydisease such as asthma.

Companion animals,such as dogs andcats, are exposed tomany of the sameenvironmentalstimuli as manand suffer from thesame lifestyle andage-related diseases

Image:©

Meirion M

atthias

infinite_pg36-37 6/10/10 11:18 Page 36

37

The University’s Roslin Institute held their first human health-focused industryevent, “One Medicine – From Farm toPharmaceuticals”, in June 2010, to promotethe application of a comparative medicineconcept across academia and industry.

The event provided an opportunity to

meet the researchers and hear about novelanimal models and comparative medicineand how they can help inform and benefithuman medicine. Delegates attending thisevent included representatives from largepharmaceutical companies and SMEs.

Professor David Hume, Director of the

Roslin Institute, said: “The event provided anexcellent forum for discussion with potentialnew partners and several new opportunitiespresented themselves. With the comparativemedicine concept launched, we’ll beworking hard to help it reach the manydifferent targets it is aiming at.”

From farm to pharmaceuticals

+

Dr Anne French and Professor Brendan Corcoran are studying heartproblems in Cavalier Spaniels to benefit both dogs and humans

infinite_pg36-37 6/10/10 11:18 Page 37

38 Improving health

Aberdeen-based biotechnology company Antoxis Ltd, which specialises in the design and synthesis of novel antioxidant molecules for therapeutic and stem cell applications, is set to collaborate with Dr Tilo Kunath from the University’s Centre for Regenerative Medicine. The research project will look at the potential for the company’s proprietary compounds to be used in treatment approaches forParkinson’s disease.

The project is funded through BioSKAPE, a joint Scottish Funding Council and BBSRC initiative, to drive collaboration between business and the life sciencesresearch base in Scotland. The scheme will support a PhDstudent to work with Antoxis on a programme of collaborativeresearch with Dr Kunath.

Although the cause of Parkinson’s diseaseis unknown in most cases, there is evidencethat some form of oxidative stress initiates the gradual and substantial loss of neuronsthat produce dopamine, a key chemicalin the brain which is important for movement,control and mood.

The goal of this project is to develop novelantioxidant compounds that protect humandopamine-producing neurons from this stress,providing a potential treatment to slow downor prevent their loss in Parkinson’s disease.

Donald McPhail, Chief Scientific Officer at Antoxis, said: “We are delighted to havereceived funding from the BioSKAPEprogramme.

“This provides an excellent opportunity forthe company to accelerate development of itsneuroprotective compounds by working incollaboration with Dr Kunath and the novelstem cell approaches to Parkinson’s that he is developing in the Centre forRegenerative Medicine.”

Slowing down or preventing the loss of neurons that

control movement and mood in people with Parkinson’s

disease is the aim of current university research

Brain gainFACT>IParkinson’s diseaseis a degenerativeneurologicaldisorder that affectsmore than 120,000people in the UK

+

Dr Tilo Kunathwill examine theloss of neuronsthat produce avital chemical in the brain

The research projectwill look at the

potential for thecompany’s

proprietarycompounds to beused in treatment

approaches forParkinson’s disease

infinite_pg38-39 7/10/10 16:58 Page 38

Improving health 39

mechanisms and immunological niches theyexploit within the host. This work is accelerating the identification of suitable targets for vaccinedevelopment and drug discovery.

This scientific progress is being matched byinitiatives which are seeing pharmaceutical

companies, biotechnologyfirms, governments andphilanthropic organisationscollaborate to translate thesebasic findings in malariascience into clinicalapplications.

In the School of BiologicalSciences, Dr Jana McBrideand Dr David Cavanagh arecurrently working to preserveand catalogue these valuableresources and create a

repository of good-quality malaria reagents, whichwill include:• Recombinant plasmodia proteins, which can be used for immunological studies, and potentialinclusion in diagnostic testing kits• Monoclonal antibodies against a range of P. falciparum antigens for potential use indiagnostics, vaccine development and qualitycontrol testing of antigen production• Characterised Plasmodium cell lines, which can be used for vaccine and drug testing,immunofluorescence assays and growth inhibition assays.

Dr Cavanagh explained: “The repository willhave a fully digitised searchable database that willinclude background information and quality controldata, giving access to the key materials needed todevelop new diagnostics, vaccines and drugtreatments against this deadly disease.”

Over forty years of pioneering malaria research at the University ofEdinburgh is being consolidated into a unique and valuable repository of malaria materials and reagents, which will be made accessible to themalaria research community.

Sequencing of malaria parasite genomes has enabled researchers to make rapid progress in understanding the basic biology of the parasitethat causes the disease, and to develop tools to elucidate the cellular

A repository of fourdecades of pioneeringwork at the universityaims to help researchersbattle malaria

Goldmine of resources

A database will giveaccess to the keymaterials needed todevelop new diagnostics,vaccines and drugtreatments against thisdeadly disease

+ Dr David Cavanagh is preserving valuable resourcesthat will help companies undertaking research todevelop drugs to tackle Malaria

Image:©

stocksnapp

infinite_pg38-39 6/10/10 11:24 Page 39

40 Imaging

psychology and more. Hence, researchcollaborations extend across colleges at the University – for example, radiologists and scientists in the College of Medicine have joint research projects with computerscientists and chemists in the College ofScience and Engineering.

The provision of imaging at Edinburghand the links across the Scottish ImagingNetwork – A Platform for Scientific Excellence(SINAPSE) provides academic andcommercial researchers with access to state-of-the-art facilities, plus experienced seniorstaff (clinical and scientific) to help design, setup, implement and run imaging trials.

The University is a partner in SINAPSE, astrong, dynamic network funded by the SFCthat pools imaging facilities and expertiseacross Scotland’s universities. This creates an optimised environment for research,education and knowledge transfer andprovides commercial and academicresearchers with access to larger patientcohorts and standardised imaging and quality assurance protocols and improveddata management.

Knowledge transfer activities in imaging atthe University have recently been boosted byan SFC grant awarded to SINAPSE in April

2010 to fund 12 joint industrial studentships,six based in Edinburgh, covering researchand development in MRI, functional MRI,Positron Emission Tomographyradiochemistry and image analysis.

The industrial partners for theEdinburgh studentships are GEHealthcare, Varian, Propeller Media,Toshiba Medical Visualisation SystemsEurope, NHS Lothian and MolecularNeuroImaging.

Dr Janet De Wilde, SINAPSEExecutive Manager, said:“Some of these partnershipsare new and some build onexisting collaborations.However, they will all givestudents invaluable industrialexperience. These students will bepart of the SINAPSE growing studentcohort, giving them access to a secondsupervisor in another institution. EdinburghResearch and Innovation has been central to enabling contracts with the otherparticipating universities and the companiesthat are liaising with the imaging researchersin Edinburgh.”

At the University of Edinburgh there is a wide base of world-class medicalimaging and image analysis expertise working on innovative and leading-edgeresearch projects.

Medical imaging research facilities and expertise at the University arebased around the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) Brain Imaging ResearchCentre at the Western General Hospital and the Clinical Research ImagingCentre at the Royal Infirmary Edinburgh. These centres give researchersaccess to a range of imaging systems, supported by image analysis labs and radiochemistry labs.

The medical imaging and image analysis research is multidisciplinary,covering radiology, physics, chemistry, computer science, mathematics,

Medical imaging facilities and expertise at the University

are being fully exploited to progress cutting-edge research

The bigpicture

+

Dr Janet De Wildebelieves partnerships willgive students invaluableindustrial experience

infinite_pg40-43 6/10/10 11:27 Page 40

• Siemens Verio 3T-MRIscanner: offeringadvanced functional MRI brain studies,

spectroscopic imaging andadvanced cardiac and

vascular applications• Toshiba Aquilion ONE 320-

MDCT scanner: has the largestvolume coverage currently available, with

a 16cm axial FOV volume scan and comeswith a calibration control system givingaccess to bone mineral density, coronarycalcium scoring and aortic calcium scoring• Siemens mCT PET-CT scanner: allowshigh-resolution anatomical imaging, using a128-MDCT system combined with high-resolution quantitative 3D PET capability• GE 16MeV cyclotron: allows theproduction of PET radionuclides for the synthesis of routine 18-F basedradiopharmaceuticals and other tracers,including 11-C and 15-O.

The MHRA-licensedradiopharmaceutical chemistry facilityincludes a Good Manufacturing Practice

(GMP)-compliant clean room for theproduction of radiotracers for humanstudies. In addition, researchradiochemistry facilities, with the sameautomated synthesis hardware systemsas those available for GMP productions,allow for the development of new tracersand ligands.

Professor Edwin van Beek, theCentre’s director, said: “The CRIC teamincludes a growing number of scientistswith multidisciplinary backgrounds, whichenables us to input into clinical trialsdevelopment, setting up of protocols anddata analysis using both visual andsoftware tools.”

The Centre has establishedresearchpartnerships with SiemensHealthcare andToshiba MedicalSystems. However,the centre is able

to work with commercial entities onclinical trials and is also looking to useimaging in non-medical applications.

Dr Craig Buckley, UK Scientific Supportfor MR Systems at Siemens Healthcare,commented on the research partnership:“This is a fantastic collaboration for both ofus to advance imaging innovation andmove forward the prevention, detectionand understanding of clinical conditionsand disease.”

Hisashi Tachizaki, Senior Manager ofCT engineering at Toshiba MedicalSystems Corporation, said: “The closeproximity of our European research

centre, ToshibaMedicalVisualisationSystems Europe,based in Edinburgh,allows us to work closely with this centre of scientificexcellence.”

A new imaging

centre is setting

up partnerships

to improve the

understanding

of diseases

and beyond

The centre is able towork with commercialentities on clinical trialsand is also looking touse imaging innon-medical applications

+

Professor Edwin van Beek is theDirector of the imaging centre

which provides advancedimaging for clinical and

research purposes

The University’s Clinical Research Imaging Centre (CRIC) aims to advance medical imaging, translate new imaging techniques intoclinical applications, and to use imaging for improving the understanding as well as the quantification of diseases throughcollaborative partnerships.

Located within the Queen’s Medical Research Institute, the Centre forms a unique bridge between the University and the RoyalInfirmary of Edinburgh, allowing for advanced imaging – both clinically and for research purposes – of human subjects.

The Centre is host to state-of-the-art medical imaging equipment, including:

Scanning far and wide

41

infinite_pg40-43 6/10/10 11:27 Page 41

42 Imaging

+

Robert Henderso

n

(left)and Jo

chen Alt,

COSMIC Research

Fellow, were key

members of th

e

project team

A European interdisciplinary collaborationinvolving the University of Edinburgh hasrealised an exciting new camera system. Itis very fast and sensitive, capable of video-imaging up to a million times per secondwith detection down to single photonlevels, and time resolution better than atenth of a billionth of a second.

MEGAFRAME was a three-yearresearch project, part-funded by theEuropean Commission’s 6th FrameworkProgramme (Information SocietyTechnologies). This successful project hasput Europe in a leadership position in high-performance time-resolved imaging.

The European research consortium,co-ordinated by the Ecole PolytechniqueFederale de Lausanne, comprised expertsin the field of vision systems (University of Edinburgh and Fondazione BrunoKessler, Italy), semiconductor CMOSimage sensors (STMicroelectronics)

andoptical systems

(University of Pavia). At Edinburgh, the

Institute of Micro & Nano Systems(IMNS) and the Collaborative OpticalSpectroscopy, Micromanipulation andImaging Centre (COSMIC) havecollaborated to produce a laboratorymicroscopy demonstrator. IMNS providedexpertise in system modelling and fast on-chip signal processing, while COSMICprovided applications know-how to steerthe design and laboratory evaluation ofthe imager prototypes.

Dr Robert Henderson, PrincipalInvestigator on the engineering side of theproject, said: “The MEGAFRAME camerais providing unprecedented performance in the capture and processing of singlephotons measured in terms of gigaphotons per second and time resolutions

down to 50 picoseconds. The cameras arealready providing scientists with insightsinto cell biology, genetics and biochemistryand are set for deployment in laboratoriesaround Europe.”

MEGAFRAME was selected as one of 12 outstanding European Commission-funded Future Emerging Technologyprojects at the European Parliament inStrasbourg in April 2010.

The consortium is now seekingdevelopment partners to apply this newcamera in further diverse applications such as biomedical screening,neuroscience, drug discovery,ophthalmology and cell sorting.

GET IN TOUCH WITH...

Trevor WhittleyBusiness Development Manager,School of Physics & Astronomy

trevor.whittley@ed.ac.uk

A new super-fast microscopic camera is helping to providing scientists with answers

In the frame

infinite_pg40-43 7/10/10 16:59 Page 42

43

limited to astronomy and could be applied tosectors where processing large amounts ofdata is routine, including seismicinterpretation for oil and gas surveying, and fast image analysis for defence.Blackford’s initial focus has been in medical imaging, where its technology canimprove the diagnostic process for MRI andCT scans by automatically preparing imagesfor radiologists.

The group teamed up with Dr MarkBastin of the University’s Brain ImagingResearch Centre in a collaboration thatprovided the basis for a Scottish EnterpriseProof of Concept project to demonstrate that the technology could be applied tomedical imaging.

This project – coupled with winning the2008 Research Councils UK (RCUK)Business Plan competition and furtherfunding from a Science and TechnologyFacilities Council Follow on Fund grant – ledto the formation of Blackford Analysis Ltdwith an initial six-figure investment and aSMART:SCOTLAND Feasibility Study award.

Dr Panter, Blackford’s Chief ExecutiveOfficer, said: “We are extremely excited to bebuilding our first product, and are grateful tothe University and our funders for enablingthis technology to be developed to the pointwhere we could raise investment. We havediscussed further application of this

technology with companies in the oil andgas and security sectors, and look forwardto raising a second, larger round of financein the next year to capitalise on opportunitiesin these markets.”

Dr Panter won the THALES ScottishTechnology Prize in 2009 for the applicationof this technology to Improvised ExplosiveDevice detection, one of the many avenueswhere this technology could prove useful.

Blackford Analysis Ltd is a new company that has spun out from the University’s School of Physics andAstronomy to provide real-time solutions to large data processing problems, using an algorithm that has alarge number of potential application areas.

The technology was originally developed by Professor Alan Heavens to increase the image processingspeed in astronomy research, and was used by Professor Heavens and Dr Ben Panter to determine the starformation history of the Universe. However, they could see that the capabilities of the algorithm were not

xcNEED MORE INFO? LOG ON TO...www.blackfordanalysis.com

+

Left to right:Professor Alan

Heavens, Dr BenPanter, KeithMcKellar and

Conrad Chin aredriving BlackfordAnalysis forward

Starsin their eyes

Originally developed for astronomy research,a cutting-edge algorithm is now being used to speed up data processing for MRI and CT scanners

infinite_pg40-43 6/10/10 11:27 Page 43

Success in securing research fundingand bringing innovations to life...

2005/06£139.6m

UK RESEARCH COUNCILS£56.3m

GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC SECTOR £31.4m

CHARITIES £39.4m

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY £8.4mOTHER £4.1m

2006/07£209.7m

UK RESEARCH COUNCILS£105m

GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC SECTOR £39.3m

CHARITIES £45.2m

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY £14.2mOTHER £6m

2007/08£212.2m

UK RESEARCH COUNCILS£93.7m

GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC SECTOR £34.7m

CHARITIES £67.5m

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY £8.1mOTHER £8.2m

2008/09£249m

UK RESEARCH COUNCILS£123.5m

GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC SECTOR £55.2m

CHARITIES £54m

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY £11.2m

OTHER £5.1m2009/10

£208.4m

UK RESEARCH COUNCILS£95.8m

GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC SECTOR £53.1m

CHARITIES £42.3m

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY £10m

OTHER £7.2m

5 year total£1,018.9m

RESEARCH AWARDS

COMMERCIALISATION

2005

/06

TECHNOLOGY DISCLOSURES 103

NEW PATENT APPLICATIONS 80

LICENCE AGREEMENTS 31

TOTAL COMPANIES FORMED 24

START-UP COMPANIES FORMED 21

SPIN-OUT COMPANIES FORMED 3

2006

/07

TECHNOLOGY DISCLOSURES 120

NEW PATENT APPLICATIONS 77

LICENCE AGREEMENTS 66

TOTAL COMPANIES FORMED 16

START-UP COMPANIES FORMED 11

SPIN-OUT COMPANIES FORMED 5

2007

/08

TECHNOLOGY DISCLOSURES 121

NEW PATENT APPLICATIONS 82

LICENCE AGREEMENTS 47

TOTAL COMPANIES FORMED 26

START-UP COMPANIES FORMED 20

SPIN-OUT COMPANIES FORMED 6

2008

/09

TECHNOLOGY DISCLOSURES 215

NEW PATENT APPLICATIONS 89

LICENCE AGREEMENTS 38

TOTAL COMPANIES FORMED 26

START-UP COMPANIES FORMED 25

SPIN-OUT COMPANIES FORMED 1

2009

/10

TECHNOLOGY DISCLOSURES 150

NEW PATENT APPLICATIONS 111

LICENCE AGREEMENTS 75

TOTAL COMPANIES FORMED 40

START-UP COMPANIES FORMED 32

SPIN-OUT COMPANIES FORMED 8

5 YE

AR TO

TAL

TECHNOLOGY DISCLOSURES 709

NEW PATENT APPLICATIONS 439

LICENCE AGREEMENTS 257

TOTAL COMPANIES FORMED 132

START-UP COMPANIES FORMED 109

SPIN-OUT COMPANIES FORMED 23

Edinburgh Research and Innovation Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary company of the University of Edinburgh.

Registered in Scotland No. SC148048. Registered Office at Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh EH8 9YL

The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body,

registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336

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