Three new Lighthouse Lab testing facilities have opened in Brants Bridge, Baltic Park and Plymouth, adding to the list of test processing sites across the United Kingdom. These labs will be working in partnership with NHS Test and Trace to identify new cases of coronavirus, thus ensuring that the chains of transmission are broken in communities. The labs are managed by local NHS trusts, and form the largest network of diagnostic facilities ever set about in British history. The Lighthouse Labora...

A new independent review has been launched by the Science Minister Amanda Solloway into how red tape can be cut to allow researchers to carry out their work better. The review will identify hurdles of UK research bureaucracy that hold the UK back in terms of securing a world-class research output. The study will be led by Professor Adam Tickell, Vice Chancellor at University of Sussex and delivers on the commitment by the UK Government in the strategic Research and Development Roadmap to minimis...

BIVDA Welcomes new EUCOPE – Charles River Associates report on advanced diagnostics  BIVDA, the UK trade association for in-vitro diagnostic companies, has welcomed the publication of a White Paper on Advanced Diagnostics by EUCOPE and Charles River Associates that puts forward concrete proposals to support understanding of the advanced diagnostics sector, the benefits it brings and related requirements for success . The health benefits of genomics and advanced genomic testing ar...

Please find attached the documents referred to in Helen's COO update on 19th March.

A new immunoassay biomarker diagnostic tool that is used in the detection of cancers caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) has attracted investment of over €2 million. The company which produces it is a biotech innovation firm from Germany called Abviris Deustchland. The company says this is the first available blood - based test shown to be specific enough to aid in diagnosis of HPV. Further, the rapid flow test delivers its results within 20 minutes.The early investment in the product...

MICROSENSDX RapiPRO™ LAMP for SARS-CoV-2 RECEIVES CE MARK APPROVAL Pioneering British biotech MicrosensDx has announced that its RapiPRO™ LAMP SARS-CoV-2 test has received CE Certification.The business, an established molecular diagnostics innovator with a 20-year history in IVD development, is a recognised expert in Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) testing, having developed proprietary tuberculosis (TB) diagnostics using the technology.MicrosensDx has revealed robu...

PulmoBioMed – a new medtech spin-out in the North East of England Launched with funding from Northumbria University and Innovate UK, and with its first product PBM-HaleTM in clinical trials in Europe, PulmoBioMed now seeks to close its £2.5 m initial equity capital raise. PBM-HaleTM, a Class 1 medical device, is designed to collect exhaled breath condensate samples in a non-invasive manner. The hand-held device captures a wide range of biomarkers including protein, RNA, DNA...

More than a million UK people have now been involved in research activities regarding COVID-19, according to the latest data from the National Institute for Health Research. The data shows that a total of 1,075,000 people have taken part in more than 180 studies which endeavour to reveal more and more about the virus. Of these research efforts, more than 100 were funded by the NIHR, equating for more than £108m of funding for COVID-19 research.The large number of research programme partici...

Attached to this page are the documents referred to in Helen's COO Update.

The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) has announced the twelve new companies that will be joining the programme in 2021. This new set of ‘Fellows’ (innovators) will be addressing some of the most critical needs faced by patients and clinicians in the NHS. Their products will be scaled up and implemented into the NHS system over the next three years with the help of the collaborative effort. Three key priorities were flagged by the NIA when it invited new applications for this year: su...