Drug detection technology wins prestigious award for innovation

14 November 2007

Akubio has won a prestigious global award for innovation at the IET’s annual Innovation in Engineering Awards.

The Cambridge based company won the Emerging Technology award for Acoustic Detection Technology for drug discovery, diagnostics and bio-terrorism detection.

By basing its innovative technology on quartz resonators similar to those used in wrist watches, Akubio is able to provide pharmaceutical researchers with precise information on how well proteins interact with each other- therefore a vital process in the research and discovery of new biological drugs such as proteins and antibodies.

The breakthrough real-time technology provides data on factors such as binding rates and binding affinity in a sample, which provides the potential to design better drugs. Traditional methods of measuring protein-protein interactions rely either on the addition of radioactive labels, which is time consuming and can affect interactions between molecules, or optical sensors, which are complex and prone to interference. With Akubio’s acoustic detection technology, protein interactions are specifically measured in crude and complex mixtures thereby eliminating expensive and time-consuming purification procedures.

Using proprietary Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and actively resonating sensors the technology is able to detect the molecular interactions of a given sample. The technology works by measuring the oscillation of a resonating quartz crystal, which decreases in proportion to the mass of the molecules in the sample binding to its surface.

Fully commercialised and launched in September 2006, the technology is now being applied to enable significant improvements in the speed and efficiency of diagnostic tests in time critical situations. The technology has also led to a number of advances in chemistry and detections science including major programmes in rapid heart attack detection and biothreat detection.

A total of 15 awards, each sponsored by a major company, were presented and at a ceremony at the Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square, London hosted by TV personality and science enthusiast Johnny Ball.

The host of “Think of a Number” said: “What makes a great innovator? Perhaps a little eccentricity, a desire for improvement, plus vision and the determination to see it through. All that equals the type of projects recognised through these awards. Innovators always ask ‘Why can't it be better?’ If it wasn't for innovation we would still have black and white television and mono radio.”

He continued: “Innovation is at the heart of business and wealth creation. It is right that we acknowledge those who push the boundaries of science, engineering and technology and it will be exciting to see how the innovations awarded this year will make their mark in the future. “

Robin McGill, CEO of the IET said: “These awards recognise the vital role that innovation in engineering plays in the global economy. On behalf of the IET I would like to congratulate all the winners who have displayed outstanding innovation in their respective categories.”

He added that because of the huge interest in the awards this year details of the 2008 awards would be available immediately on the IET web site at: www.theiet.org/innovationawards.

The judges felt that Akubio clearly exhibits the qualification of emerging technology. Real time detection of drug candidates, diagnosis of bacterial, viral and especially relevant in today’s world detection of bio-threat / bio-terrorism agents is becoming a key and exciting direction of innovation. The winner has achieved a breakthrough in detection science in applying acoustic detection technology. This technology is enabling advances in detection science systems and of note is a portable, multi-channel biosensor device for bio-threat detection that runs off 4 ‘AA’ batteries, portability being clearly useful. The winner also impacts on most if not all of selection criteria laid down by the judging panel.

The Emerging Technology award is sponsored by RS Components.

The awards have been supported by the Department for Innovation University and Skills and Make Your Mark in Manufacturing & Engineering.

Photographs of a company representative and Johnny Ball are available from the IET press office, along with contact details for United Utilities.

IET Press Office
Jenny Bond
T: 020 7344 5445
E: jennybond@theiet.org