WIREDGOV

Immediate and accurate breath tests that diagnose medical conditions such as stomach ulcers are being developed by north-west company Tip Chip using a technology originally developed for space by the Science and Technology Facilities Council.

Tip Chip is a new and innovative technology that it is hoped will enable patients suffering from suspected stomach ulcers to be tested for a bacteria called Helicobacter Pylori (H. pylori) at their doctor’s surgery in minutes and with laboratory-standard accuracy.

H. pylori is the most common cause of stomach ulcers. It is estimated that more than a quarter of people in the UK become infected with the bacteria at some stage in their life. Unlike most other bacteria which are killed by the acid in our stomachs, H. pylori causes the organ to make too much acid which can then lead to an ulcer.

To confirm their diagnosis many patients are currently referred to hospital. They are given a liquid to swallow, which is broken down by the H. pylori bacteria to produce a gas, and then have their breath tested to see if the bacteria is present using a large and expensive machine called a mass spectrometer. Tip Chip has made a breakthrough in this type of medical technology as it works in a similar way, but is almost credit card sized, making it possible in the future for doctors to carry out these tests from their own surgery.

Tip Chip is the result of an innovative collaboration between the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus based business and STFC Innovations Ltd, the wholly owned technology exploitation company of STFC. Tip Chip’s development was made possible by enabling the business to access the Council’s extensive expertise in space instrumentation and micro and nano-technology from its Rutherford Appleton Laboratory through the Daresbury Campus.

Scientists from STFC involved in developing Tip Chip were formerly engaged in producing the Ptolemy instrument for the Rosetta mission. Rosetta is a European Space Agency-led robotic spacecraft mission launched in 2004, intended to study the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Ptolemy, which is led by the Open University and funded by STFC, required scientists and engineers to reduce a laboratory full of chemistry equipment into a space the size of a shoebox - and yet make it durable enough to survive the rigours of launch and a 10-year cruise through deep space.

Tip Chip’s Chief Executive Austen Bradley said: “Advances in medical technology are enabling the profession to move away from the lengthy processes of sending samples off to the laboratories and making hospital referrals.

“Tip Chip’s revolutionary technology may also eventually have wider applications in the diagnosis of other gut diseases, liver disease and diabetes. Tip Chip technology really could provide a simpler way of enabling both doctor and patient to find out what is wrong at the point of care and identify the best course of treatment much more quickly. This could reduce the burden on the NHS and free up many hospital appointments to be used for other medical conditions.”

Professor Richard Holdaway, Director of STFC’s Space Science and Technology Department added: “The technology and know-how used to develop Tip Chip had already been demonstrated by STFC’s scientists in their creation of the PTOLEMY instrument for the Rosetta Space Mission, and in a wide range of projects to manufacture devices into even smaller components. The Tip Chip technology has the potential to be a really exciting example of scientific innovation made possible through the National Science and Innovation Campuses at Daresbury and Harwell.”

The next stage in Tip Chip’s development will be the creation of a portable reader device which relays the outcome of the Tip Chip test. Tip Chip is looking to work with a channel partner that can provide route to market as well as market knowledge to focus future development.

This week marks the 10th anniversary of World Space Week (4-10 October), an international celebration of science and technology, which commerates the launch of the first human-made satellite, Sputnik 1.


Notes to editors

1. The principle of spectroscopy is based on molecular weight. Human breath is largely made up of naturally occurring 12C carbon atoms. Tip Chip works by getting the patient to take a tablet which metabolises with the H. pylori, if it is present, and creates 13C carbon atoms. These are heavier than normal breath atoms and the device can detect whether 13C carbon atoms are present by measuring the rate at which they fall.

2. Many novel solutions were developed to achieve the miniaturisation and reliability required for the Ptolemy instrument, including the use of shape memory alloys for the gas release mechanism and nanotechnology electron sources to build the world's smallest ion trap mass spectrometer. The spectrometer is the heart of the instrument and will be used to analyse the gases produced from samples collected on the comet nucleus.

Images
The following images are available:
• Image 1: The credit card sized Tip Chip technology - on request from the STFC press office • Image 2: Artist’s Impression of Rosetta and its instruments- Credit ESA - http://www.esa.int/esa-mmg/mmg.pl?b=b&type=I&mission=Rosetta&single=y&start=72 
• Image 3: Artist’s Impression of Rosetta’s second Earth swing-by- Credit ESA - http://www.esa.int/esa-mmg/mmg.pl?b=b&keyword=rosetta&single=y&start=9 

Contacts
Ian Tracey
Innovations Manager
STFC Innovations Ltd
T: +44 (0)1235 778386 / (0)7734 111223
E: ian.tracey@stfc.ac.uk 

Karen Coles
Press Officer
STFC Daresbury Laboratory
T: +44 (0)1925 603232
E: karen.coles@stfc.ac.uk 

Julia Short
Press Officer
STFC
T: +44 (0)1793 442012
E: julia.short@stfc.ac.uk 


STFC Innovations
STFC Innovations Ltd is the new name for CLIK Knowledge Transfer Ltd.

STFC Innovations is the Technology Transfer office of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). Formed in April 2002, it has the exclusive rights to the commercial exploitation of the intellectual property of STFC at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in Oxfordshire, the Daresbury Laboratory (DL) in Cheshire and the Astronomy Technology Centre (ATC) in Edinburgh and Chilbolton.

The role of STFC Innovations Ltd is to support STFC by identifying and brokering deals that exploit STFC’s intellectual property (IP) through spinouts and licence agreements. They also manage all aspects of STFC's IP rights including registering, maintaining, protecting, building and defending its IP portfolio.

Its Technical Sales team also provides valuable links with industries through managing access to facilities/skills and expertise and direct sales of products and services.

Science and Technology Facilities Council The Science and Technology Facilities Council ensures the UK retains its leading place on the world stage by delivering world-class science; accessing and hosting international facilities; developing innovative technologies; and increasing the socio-economic impact of its research through effective knowledge exchange partnerships.

The Council has a broad science portfolio including Astronomy, Particle Physics, Particle Astrophysics, Nuclear Physics, Space Science, Synchrotron Radiation, Neutron Sources and High Power Lasers. In addition the Council manages and operates three internationally renowned laboratories:

§ The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxfordshire § The Daresbury Laboratory, Cheshire § The UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh

The Council gives researchers access to world-class facilities and funds the UK membership of international bodies such as the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the Institute Laue Langevin (ILL), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), the European organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO) and the European Space Agency (ESA). It also contributes money for the UK telescopes overseas on La Palma, Hawaii, Australia and in Chile, and the MERLIN/VLBI National Facility, which includes the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory.

STFC is a partner in the British National Space Centre (BNSC) which is a cross governmental organisation that co-ordinates UK civil space activities and brings together representatives from Government, science, industry and education to promote advances in space technology and science.

Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus
In 2006 the Government announced two locations, Daresbury and Harwell, as campuses for the focus of government science research and innovation investment as a key part of its 10 year UK Science and Innovation Investment Framework.

Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus (Daresbury SIC) was formally opened in September 2006 by Lord Sainsbury, the then Science and Innovation Minister.

Daresbury SIC is an internationally recognised location for high-tech businesses and leading-edge science. It represents a fundamentally new approach to driving UK competitiveness in global science and innovation. Daresbury SIC was formed by the Northwest Regional Development Agency and the Science and Technology Facilities Council, Lancaster University, the University of Liverpool, the University of Manchester and Halton Borough Council. For further information please visit www.daresburysic.co.uk.