The Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC) has announced the funding for the new technique, which will model antibodies bound to gold nanoparticles, as part of its Impact Accelerator Competition.
The technique would allow the production of tests that are of a higher accuracy and reduced cost, which could be used to detect issues such as contamination during food production or diseases in animals such as the bluetongue virus (BTV).
It would mean testing could be conducted at the production site and results received in a matter of hours, rather than weeks, when samples are sent away to laboratories for testing.
Partnership
The Antibody Company, a microenterprise based at Biocity Scotland, is to work in partnership with the University of Strathclyde on the initiative. The Antibody Company has also received the funding for six months of a post-doctoral researchers’ time.
Eric Wagner, director of The Antibody Company, said: “This technique has the potential to reduce the time taken to detect contamination at all stages of the food production pipeline – not just for specialists, but for stakeholders such as farmers, of all levels of expertise. Potential problems can be identified and therefore dealt with at source in a matter of hours, whereas identification alone could previously have taken as long as multiple weeks.”
Impact Accelerator Competition
Ian Archer, technical director of IBioIC, added: “Our Impact Accelerator Competition investment here provides the tools and support for a Scottish microenterprise to enter a multi-million pound market – the funding to not only further the research, but the expertise to accelerate the knowledge from it into a business reality. We’re proud to be enabling smaller businesses to flourish in the Industrial Biotechnology sector, and to support their access to the excellent academic capabilities of our Scottish Higher Education Institutions.”
IBioIC’s Impact Accelerator Competition is designed to support collaborative projects that address a defined market need or commercial opportunity.