Projects funded to bolster healthcare

Spin-out projects from Dundee University which have the potential to deliver big healthcare benefits have secured a major funding boost.

The three projects have received more than £250,000 from the High Growth Spin-out Programme (HGSP) run by Scottish Enterprise.

Softech, led by Dr Luigi Manfredi at the university’s School of Medicine, is developing a disposable, low- cost soft robot for colorectal cancer screening and treatment.

The current procedure can cause pain and discomfort, carries inherent risks, and is expensive.

Sof tech’s de vice will reduce pain, avoid crosscontamination, and facilitate screening for and treatment of colorectal cancer, the third- most common cause of cancer death worldwide.

Two other projects,

R NA C a p R x and Data Driven Health Solutions received support as part of an additional funding package for innovative early-stage businesses whose routes to investment and growth have been impacted by the pandemic.

RNACapRx, at the School of Life Sciences, will build on Dundee’s established drug d iscovery infrastructure to develop small molecule inhibitors targeting a family of enzymes known to play a role in diseases such as c a n c e r, inflammatory d i sea se s and neurodegenerative conditions.

R NA C a p R x ’s lead programme is focused on a subset of cancers and, ultimately, the team will deliver candidate drugs with potential applications in a number of diseases.

The project is being driven by Professor Victoria Cowling and colleagues at the Drug Discovery Unit.

Prof Cowling previously won the Lister Institute of Pr e v e n t a t i v e Me d i c i n e prize awarded to young scientists to develop their potential.

The university’s drug discovery unit was established in 2006 to translate biology research into new de-risked targets and candidate drugs.

The Data Driven Health Solutions team, led by Professor Colin Palmer and Professor Emily Jefferson, have developed an artificial intelligence system to accelerate the detection of disease , identify personalised treatment plans, and support clinical decision-making.

Prof Palmer previously led a research team which discovered some people are genetically predisposed to suffering aches and pains when prescribed statins used to lower cholesterol.

Anne Muir, head of IP and commercialisation at Dundee, said: “The Un i v e r s i t y of Dundee continues to excel in translating its innovative, world-class research into commercial outputs with the potential to impact on health globally.

“These awards show the breadth of opportunities coming from our scientists, from med tech to therapeutics to AI.

“We h av e a venture pipeline that is growing despite the pandemic and it’s exciting to see new companies start to form which will then significantly impact on the local economy.”

Scottish Enterprise’s HGSP supports the commercialisation of leading-edge technologies emerging from Scotland’s universities, research institutes and NHS boards.

It helps researchers to export their ideas and inventions from the lab to the global marketplace and assists organisations with a range of issues including market assessment and company formation.

INNOVATION: One project is being driven by Professor Victoria Cowling and colleagues at the Drug Discovery Unit.