A PROJECT to develop a device that patients can use at home to monitor for lung infections caused by bacteria and fungi has been awarded £759,000 of UK Government funding.
Glasgow-based Ohmedics hopes to be able help minimise lung damage and improve the quality of life for patients with chronic lung diseases, as well as help reduce the unnecessary prescription of antibiotics by GP surgeries.
It is among 12 new treatments to receive a share of £18 million from the latest round of the Biomedical Catalyst (BMC), a joint programme run by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Innovate UK, formerly the Technology Strategy Board.
Grants are available to UK academics and small to medium-sized businesses seeking to commercialise the fruits of their research and deliver patient benefit.
Brainomix, a start-up of the University of Oxford, has developed the medical imaging software e-ASPECTS to automate the measurement of stroke damage, and will benefit from £633,500. The technology will automate the procedure to measure tissue at risk and identify patients who can benefit from mechanical reopening of the brain artery.
A further £634,000 will also fund University of Oxford research into a fluorescent dye which it is hoped will help spot cancers earlier.
Minister for life sciences George Freeman said: "By providing early support to these latest treatment and diagnosis developments, we are not only going to potentially help improve or save lives, we are helping businesses grow and boost the UK's productivity."
Professor Sir John Savill, chief executive of the MRC, said: "This round of awards is a further demonstration of the exceptional science coming out of the vibrant academic and industrial research base of the UK."
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