Media Centre | Team Consulting

— Novel concepts utilising a multi-platform, revolutionary inhaler engine from Team Consulting to be on display at RDD in Phoenix, Arizona for the first time

Cambridge, UK – May 1st, 2012 – At this month’s Respiratory Drug Delivery (RDD) conference in Phoenix, Arizona (13th May – 17th May), Team Consulting will be unveiling three inhaler concept designs based upon its revolutionary Occoris™ technology. Designed primarily for delivering systemic treatments beyond the typically inhaled topical asthma and COPD, such as vaccines, pain relief and insulin, the Occoris™ ‘engine’ is ultra-small, active and achieves very accurate and repeatable delivery of API-only formulations.

At the conference, Team will be showcasing prototypes for a single-use disposable inhaler, a multi-unit dose inhaler and a multi-dose inhaler – demonstrating the technology’s multi-platform credentials, and to illustrate the numerous design possibilities afforded by Occoris™.

The Occoris™ technology was developed by Team after the company identified a number of factors that are likely to shape the respiratory drug delivery market of the future:

Firstly, asthma and COPD inhalers typically use an inert carrier fraction to dilute the small quantities of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). Inhalers that treat conditions beyond asthma and COPD will need to deliver a wide range of dose sizes which do not require a carrier fraction.

Secondly, inhalers for treating conditions such as diabetes, pain relief or delivering vaccines will require very different design approaches. The simplicity and small size (around the same size as a garden pea) of the Occoris™ engine gives designers incredible flexibility in form factor and materials. For example, one of the concepts on show at RDD will be for mass vaccination and can be produced largely out of recyclable cardboard.

Finally, regulators will demand much tighter dose content uniformity, higher delivery efficiencies and better independency of flow rate from inhalers. Early indications are that inhalers that use the active Occoris™ engine will deliver highly accurate dosage and repeatable performance.

“Delivering drug via the pulmonary route offers so many advantages over needles and tablets. The drug is quickly absorbed by the body, in powder form it doesn’t require cold storage and there is no user anxiety or danger of needle-stick injuries. With our Occoris™ technology we are opening up a wide range of new opportunities beyond the traditional and highly competitive asthma and COPD market, which will help our pharmaceutical clients to establish new revenue streams,” says David Harris, Head of Respiratory Drug Delivery at Team. “We are in the process of optimising the technology, and at this month’s RDD conference we’ll be sharing three novel inhaler concepts with the industry – and I’m looking forward to discussing the range of potential applications for the ground-breaking technology.”

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High-res (300 dpi) images of the three inhaler concepts (click on the image to load it, then right click and ‘save as’):

Above – the multi-dose inhaler concept, based on Team’s Occoris™ technology

Above – the disposable inhaler concept, based on Team’s Occoris™ technology

Above – the multi-unit dose inhaler concept, based on Team’s Occoris™ technology

Above – the full range of inhaler concepts, all based on Team’s Occoris™ technology

Media contacts:

Neil Cooper

Head of Marketing

Team Consulting

Mobile: +44 (0)7581 210 919

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

David Harris

Head of Respiratory Drug Delivery

Team Consulting

Tel: +44 (0)1799 532767

david.harris@team-consulting.com

About Team Consulting

Team Consulting is focused on medical device development and has a global reputation for integrity, creativity and excellence. We believe devices should save lives, enhance wellbeing and reduce pain. Formed in 1986 we are a fee-for-service business, helping clients to turn concepts and needs into viable and commercially successful devices.

The Regenerative Medicine sector is the crossroads where science, engineering, academia, clinicians and industry are coming together to develop some life-changing therapies and treatments. It is an area important to Team and as a result we are very pleased to be involved in this year’s Regener8 conference.

Attracting people from right across the regenerative medicine spectrum, the one-day conference promises to be a great opportunity to listen to the latest thinking, see the greatest breakthroughs and meet like-minded individuals.

It takes place on September 27th at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, UK. For more information on the event visit: http://www.regener8.ac.uk/events/2012/09/27/regener8-annual-conference-2012.html.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Team Consulting, renowned experts in medical device design, are excited to announce that they are winners of the 2012 red dot design award for product design, which has just been announced today. The award is for the Revitive IX, a Class IIa medical device that was designed for Actegy Health (formerly High Tech Health). The product was up against over 4,500 products that were also entered into the award, which was judged by 30 international experts.

The Revitive IX is the next-generation version of Actegy’s flagship ‘Circulation Booster’ and is due for launch in late April 2012. Aimed at people with circulatory disorders, as a result of old age, illness or disability, Revitive IX uses electrical stimulation and an exclusive and proprietary Isorocker system to significantly increase the blood flow in the feet and legs. The outcome of poor circulation can range from discomfort and chronic pain, to leg amputation and even death (if the patient gets a pulmonary embolism due to deep vein thrombosis (DVT)).

“Winning this globally recognised award means everything to us,” comments Paul Greenhalgh, Director of Design at Team. “Medical devices don’t need to be beige and boring. In fact the look and feel of a product can play a big part in encouraging compliance. With the Revitive IX we’ve proved that you don’t need to talk down to the elderly and sick. They appreciate good design as much as everybody else, but we do need to avoid alienating them through complex user interfaces and technology. With so much of our work shrouded in secrecy, it is great to be able to show the world that through intelligent design we can make things better and to receive the recognition for us and our client.”

Josh Penny, Managing Director at Actegy Health is also delighted by the win. “When we embarked on this project with Team our objective was to put some distance between us and the imitation products that were coming onto the market. We recognised that in order to maintain our premium market position we needed to innovate and launch an iconic product that had a strong medical/therapeutic aesthetic but at the same time would appeal to consumers in a retail environment. This award is a massive stamp of approval across what we’ve done.”

As with the other red dot winners, the Revitive IX will go on show at the red dot museum in Essen, Germany for the next year, as well as being celebrated at the gala event on July 2nd.

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To download 300dpi jpegs, please click on the images below:

About Team

About Actegy Health

At Actegy Health, we believe that everybody deserves to feel positive about their health. We intelligently harness the power of science to bring you innovative and effective home healthcare products, like the Revitive and AeroSure, which are proven to work. We rigorously test our technologically-advanced products through clinical trials and scientific research. We go above and beyond what is deemed necessary, so that you can be confident they will positively impact your health. When we design and develop our products, we ensure that every one is not only intuitively simple to use, but also fits easily into your daily routine. They should never be a chore or a burden. And because we appreciate how debilitating poor health can be, our products are always enjoyable to use too.

Media Contact

Neil Cooper, Communications Manager

+44 1799 523781, +44 7851 210919, nsc@team-consulting.com

There has been a lot of discussion in the media over the last few months regarding PIP breast implants and this conversation has now moved on to medical devices in general and how they are regulated. As one of the world’s leading medical device developers we have 20 years’ experience in this area and an opinion on this issue:

The following quote is from Jerry Turner, CEO:

“The process of designing and developing a medical device is a long one, far longer than consumer product development. At every stage of the process, which can take up to seven years to develop, test and achieve regulatory approval, user and patient safety is paramount. By users we mean the wide range of healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, surgeons, midwives, etc).

Throughout the process we ask: Can a user use this medical device correctly and without injury through misuse? What are the risks? Are the components, materials and even colours approved for medical purposes? How can we reduce the chance of misuse or errors? How can we improve patient compliance – as it isn’t just about reducing risk.

The issue with the PIP breast implants is not, according to the UK’s MHRA, regarding the rate of rupturing, which is apparently in line with the failure rate of other leading implants. The issue is that the manufacturer apparently used an unapproved silicone, which was brought to the regulators’ attention during the saga. This is not a widespread problem from what we see. All of our clients, which include many of the world’s leading pharma companies, follow regulatory guidelines carefully – as we do for them when designing devices. They want commercially successful drugs and devices and they do this by playing by the regulatory rules and enhancing, and saving, the lives of patients.

It is not in the interests of companies with integrity to try and trick the regulators or bypass the process. They do get found out and they suffer the legal and financial consequences.”

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If you would like to know more about the process of developing medical devices, please get in touch (contact details are below).

About Team

www.team-consulting.com

Media Contact

Neil Cooper, Communications Manager

+44 1799 523781, +44 7851 210919, nsc@team-consulting.com

Strong financial performance in 2011 and outlook for the future drives expansion and investment

Team Consulting, the only purely medical-focused design and development company in Cambridge, has opened a dedicated, state-of-the-art Respiratory Physics laboratory at its headquarters in Ickleton. In addition to investing in the latest technology and facilities, Team has also appointed Mark Shepherd, a full-time Pharmaceutical Scientist to manage the laboratory suite.

Mark previously worked as a Physical Properties Scientist in respiratory product development at GSK and will ensure that Team’s new laboratory is managed in accordance with current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) to achieve compliance with the stringent regulatory guidelines faced by its clients.

“In recent years we have worked for six of the world’s top ten pharma companies and for them it is important to see us making this investment in facilities and quality procedures that match theirs, from the validation of test equipment down to the traceable cGMP laboratory notebooks that we will be using. This enables the seamless transfer between our facilities and those of our clients and it gives our engineers and designers a purpose built space to test and analyse early-stage prototypes through to drug products in a dedicated cGMP controlled area,” said Shepherd.

As well as the company’s 25th year, 2011 marked Team’s most successful year to date and the company is embarking on a phase of growth that will see the company take on further office and laboratory space and more staff as it keeps up with the demands of its client-base.

“Our stellar performance in 2011 comes on the back of years spent building a reputation for rigour and creativity, and especially strong relationships with clients, who really buy-in to our approach and culture,” commented Chief Commercial Officer Dan Flicos. “They like coming to people who really understand the industry and who can give them insight into the issues they face and the opportunities that exist. They see us as an extension to their company and we both benefit from the result of this close relationship.”

To support this growth Team is looking to recruit a number of new experts, details of which can be found on the company’s website: www.team-consulting.com/careers.

Supportive images (all are 300dpi jpegs)

Media Contact

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919

Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Team Consulting

Team Consulting is a leading designer and developer of medical products. The organisation is contracted by its clients, which range from multinational pharma companies to start-ups, to help them create, refine, design, engineer and industrialise cutting-edge products. Team’s expertise includes drug delivery (inhalation, injection, nasal, transdermal), surgical tools, regenerative medicine and medical systems. Many of the products that Team has developed are in wide use today, however due to confidentiality we cannot always talk about our clients and the products we have developed for them. For more information, visit www.team-consulting.com.

Team Consulting is delighted to announce that the Optyse, a low-cost ophthalmoscope which it designed and developed for Ophthalmos Ltd, has been identified as one of the most important products to have been designed in Cambridge in the last 40 years. The product will be included in the Design Icons: Cambridge Innovation Festival exhibition at Anglia Ruskin University (8-23 February) alongside 19 other iconic products from the region.

The Optyse was invented by retired surgeon Roger Armour who asked Team to help him turn his basic concept into a real product. What makes the Optyse so unique is that it delivers the same level of performance as other Ophthalmoscopes but without lenses. Without expensive and fragile lenses, the product is more resilient, reliable, portable and – importantly – cheaper. Healthcare professionals can now carry the Optyse with them without the need to calibrate before use and without the fear of breakage. The product is currently being used all around the world by medical students, midwives, doctors, nurses and paramedics.

Tim Evans, director of Cambridge-based Think Product Design, was one of the design and industry experts on the panel: “We had a number of criteria for selecting the final products including innovation, market success and pure design aesthetics, but just as important was to select products that would interest a cross section of the population, so it was great to be able to put a hi-tech ophthalmoscope alongside the Evian water bottle.”

The final 20 were selected from a shortlist of 90 products with 19 picked by a judging panel and a final product selected by the public. The event is being organised by Creative Front with funding from the UK’s Design Council.

For more information on what Team did for Ophthalmos Ltd, click here: http://www.team-consulting.com/case_studies/lens-free-direct-ophthalmoscope/
For more information on the Cambridge Innovation Festival, visit http://www.camdesignicons.co.uk/

We are very pleased to announce the recent arrival of two new faces to Team. Mark Shepherd, who joins as the respiratory Physics Laboratory and Workshop Manager, and Ben Cox, who joins as a Human Factors and User Research Consultant, have joined the company at a very exciting time. 2011 marked Team’s 25th anniversary as well as one of the company’s must successful years.

Mark joins Team from GSK where he was a Physical Properties Scientist in respiratory product development. He will take responsibility for Team’s analytical capabilities, which includes the implementation and maintenance of laboratory quality systems and procedures. He will also oversee the development of analytical systems to support technology innovation and innovative devices. Mark will apply his background in inhaler development at GSK to manage Team’s new Respiratory Physics Lab.

Prior to joining Team, Ben worked as a human factors consultant at PDD, and for an assistive technology consultancy in London, where he led a programme of work using an ergonomics and human factors approach to inform the design of varied products. He joins a HF team with a growing global reputation as leaders in user research in the medical sector. Ben will contribute to and lead projects for the wide variety of Team’s clients, offering insight and evidence to support new product development and regulatory approval; from conducting analytical assessments, through to explorative evaluations and usability validation.

Due to strong demand from clients and further expected demand over the coming years, Team is looking to recruit a number of new people to service clients and further strengthen our positions in drug delivery, critical care, surgical and regenerative medicine. For more information on current vacancies, see our ‘join us’ page.

David Harris to lead Team’s further development in pulmonary and nasal drug delivery

Team Consulting is very excited to announce that David Harris has joined the company as Principal Consultant. As well as developing a number of new inhalers and devices since 1994, David regularly presents at the major conferences in the drug delivery sector and is a published author in a wide variety of science and trade journals; as a result he has established a reputation globally as an expert in his field. By joining Team he is joining a company with a growing reputation as the global authority in medical device development. A point highlighted by the fact that Team counts six of the world’s 10 biggest pharmaceutical companies as clients.

David’s role will see him lead a number of projects in pulmonary and nasal drug delivery, as well as further increase Team’s market share in this important area. He joins from Sagentia where he was Principal Consultant for the last two years, and before that Cambridge Consultants, where he invented the Conix inhaler platform and occupied key roles – including Chief Technologist – for eight years.

“It’s fantastic to be here. I’ve known Team and some of the people who work here for a number of years, and I’ve always been aware of the reputation that they have for their approach and expertise. They have some of the brightest brains in the medical sector, so it feels like I’m joining a medical device dream team, and I can’t wait to get started.”

David is the third new starter in 2011 and follows the appointment of Dan Flicos, ex-Managing Director of Sagentia, as Chief Commercial Officer, and Neil Cooper who joins as Marketing & Communications Manager, and who previously worked for Cambridge Consultants.

“It is an exciting time for us at Team. We are engaged on a number of truly remarkable client projects across drug delivery, surgical and regenerative medicine at the moment and the outlook is very strong for the immediate and long-term future,” said Dan Flicos, the company’s new Chief Commercial Officer. “With David’s appointment we aim to further capitalise on our strong market position and deliver even greater value to our clients.”

Notes to Editors:

A high-res (300dpi) photo of David Harris can be downloaded here.

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Team Consulting

Engineering consultant Sebastien Cuvelier Mussalian will join world-leading chip manufacturers ARM, Texas Instruments and Freescale Semiconductor at ‘Medical Devices & Technology: Design for Regulatory Compliance’ at the end of June, to take the audience through designing safety critical medical devices.

The event, which is being jointly hosted by QNX Software, ARM and MPC Data, takes place on June 21st in Munich, Germany and is then repeated two days later, on June 23rd, in Cambridge, UK.

During his presentation, Sebastien will outline the key steps required to transition a novel lab-based concept into a robust, viable and manufacturable medical product. He will take the audience through the strict regulatory framework for European and US markets and will focus special attention on the importance of meeting user needs and developing regulatory-compliant firmware and software architectures.

For more information on the conference, visit: http://www.qnx.com/news/events/eu_medical/index.html

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Team Consulting

The respiR8™ breathing rate counter for hospitals has received the CE mark, enabling it to be used throughout Europe. The device, from UK-based Anaxsys, is novel as it measures the moisture in a patient’s breath and could transform the way that patients are monitored after anaesthetic or opioid pain relief as it alerts the healthcare professional to respiratory depression. By providing continuous breathing rate monitoring, respiR8™ can give an early warning should a patient deteriorate. A low breathing rate can warn of a respiratory arrest whereas rapid breathing over 27 breaths per minute, provides a warning of a potential cardiac arrest or infection.

The respiR8™ monitor was designed by Team Consulting who helped Anaxsys turn their concept into a fully functional prototype, enabling the company to conduct market research. Team defined the product specification, following in-depth user research, and then used its expertise in software, electronics and industrial design to turn the innovative concept into a power-efficient and intuitive pre-production prototype.

“We are very pleased for everybody at Anaxsys,” said Jerry Turner, CEO at Team. “Their amazing sensor technology and product will save lives, whilst at the same time helping health services to improve patient care and increase efficiency. For us it was a joy to work on as it relied on a wide range of our skills in user research, electronics, software and industrial design.”

The respiR8™ is already in use in Switzerland, Germany and at seven hospitals in the UK with a further 34 UK trials planned this year. It has also successfully completed trials at several hospitals in Spain and has received regulatory approval from the South African health authorities. Anaxsys has signed up a European distributor and is looking on introducing the device into Japan and the US next year.

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Anaxsys press release:

http://www.anaxsys.co.uk/CMS/files/cms_files/Every%20breath%20you%20take.pdf

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Anaxsys

Anaxsys is a medical device company that develops and markets innovative respiratory devices that meet clinical needs. Anaxsys’ unique approach to identifying and meeting clinical needs has resulted in a range of novel products, based on Anaxsys’ patented sensor technology, to improve patient outcomes. These product ranges are targeted at patient monitoring, screening and diagnostics in the areas of vital signs, asthma, sleep apnoea and lung cancer. Anaxsys’ first product to market is respiR8, a continuous respiratory rate counter that provides an early indication of patient deterioration. For more information, visit www.anaxsys.com.

About Team Consulting

Tuesday October 19 saw product developers from a leading technology firm working on an engineering challenge with 100 children from Melbourn Primary School.

Year 5 and 6 children were set the challenge of cleaning a litre of ‘dirty’ water and were coached and guided through the development stages that face engineers.

While working in teams, they were awarded points for their approach to team working, design, testing and for the quality of the clean water that produced. Winners in each skill area were rewarded with a certificate. The overall winning team was TUWC (The Ultimate Water Cleaner).

The Science Week day was led by staff from Team Consulting, a design and development firm that focuses on solving the technology challenges that face the medical industry.

“From a ‘result’ perspective, it was a very close race. Many teams achieved excellent cleanliness of water at high flow rates”, said Stuart Kay, Head of the Electro-Mechanical Engineering group at Team.

“We were excited to be able to share our skills in problem solving with young people, not just to inspire them to become engineers and scientists but to give them the skills to think through the challenges they’ll face in their own lives.”

Gary Casey, acting headteacher at Melbourn Primary said: ”We were delighted to have worked with Team Consulting on this exciting science week project. It gave our students the opportunity to work on a real-world engineering challenge and learn some valuable approaches to thinking and problem solving.”

Melbourn Primary is a co-educational community school catering for 290 children of age 5-11.

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

Technology developed by Team Consulting has helped its client, OrganOx, to win an important award for the ‘Best Early Stage in Medtech’.

The award, which was presented by the Oxford Business Network, recognises OrganOx’s achievement in getting so far along the development process, from laboratory to production in such a short time.

OrganOx Limited is working with Team to develop a medical device that will increase the availability of livers suitable for transplantation from non-heart-beating donors and so reduce the number of discarded livers.

The device operates by maintaining the organ in a fully functioning state during transport and storage, by providing blood flow, oxygen, nutrients and temperature within the parameters experienced normally within the body. This not only enables the liver to be stored safely for a longer period (up to 24 hours) but also provides the surgeon with real-time and cumulative data with which to assess the viability of the liver and so make a decision as to its suitability for transplant. This is a major advance over the current method of assessment, which is largely subjective.

Team is guiding the device along a development process that includes all stages from initial specification to final manufacture. The award has been made on the basis of the work done with a prototype device that Team designed, built and delivered to OrganOx within 10 months of starting the project.

“We’re delighted for OrganOx. It’s always a proud moment for us when a client is acknowledged as a World-beater and recognized with an award for work in which we have been intimately involved,” said Stuart Kay, leader of Team’s Electro-Mechanical Development Group.

OrganOx was selected for the award from a shortlist of three finalists. In Europe and the US, around 12,000 liver transplants are undertaken each year. However, there is a combined waiting list of around 30,000 patients and up to 20 per cent of these patients die while awaiting transplantation. Over 2,000 livers are discarded annually because they are either damaged by oxygen deprivation or by intracellular fat.

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

Team Consulting Limited www.team-consulting.com

Leading medical technology firm, Team Consulting, is now offering medical device firms new development options that cut both the cost and risk of medical device certification and decrease the time-to-market.

Team has begun working with SafeRTOS, an embedded operating system from Wittenstein High Integrity Systems. Accompanied by Wittenstein’s Design Assurance Pack, SafeRTOS enables Team to build systems rapidly while ensuring that the software meets US FDA510(k) Class III and European IEC EN62304 medical device certification requirements.

By using pre-validated and certified software systems Team can more rapidly assemble device management, multi-way communication and safety-critical control systems; complete with advanced, user-centric interactions and graphical user interfaces.

“The knowledge that final approval and certification is a rapid and straightforward process enables designers and clients to work in confidence. Both risks and costs are well controlled,” said Chris Ferris, head of electronics and software development at Team Consulting.

“SafeRTOS enables us to build robust systems quickly. We can ensure clients hit their targets on the calendar while reducing the risks associated with software validation.”

Team will launch two major product development projects based on SafeRTOS in 2010. This same platform will be offered to all clients as a basis for future development projects.

David Brook, head of marketing at Wittenstein High Integrity Systems said: “The risks associated with using general-purpose software and multiple support organisations are virtually eliminated, thanks to a kernel, certification and support capability that’s delivered through our organisation.

“We’re delighted that a market leader, such as Team, has chosen to use SafeRTOS and we expect Team’s experience in the field to contribute to our understanding of the requirements of medical technology development.”

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Team Consulting

Leading medical technology firm Team Consulting has joined the consortium of investors that is providing seed funding to Oval Medical Technologies, a developer of proprietary medical pre-filled syringes and autoinjectors.

Team will be joining with others, including The Cambridge Angels and Cambridge Capital Group, to provide Oval Medical with near to £0.5 million of new funds in exchange for equity. This investment will enable Oval Medical to rapidly advance the development of its injection technology, including the production of new drug containers and prototype injection devices for validation by pharmaceutical partners.

Team Consulting’s CEO, Jerry Turner, will join the board of Oval Medical along with other investment representatives, including Phil O’Donovan, Steve Dawson, Catherine Beech and Barbara Lead.

Jerry Turner said “Team is delighted to be investing in Oval. With many new biological and injectable drugs in development and an associated rising demand for autoinjector technology, device manufacturers face many new challenges. Oval Medical is developing exciting approaches to meeting these.

Founded in 2009 by its CEO, Matthew Young, Oval Medical develops and maintains its own intellectual property relating to novel pre-filled syringe and autoinjector technology.

Matthew Young said “I am delighted to have raised this funding from experienced investors and to have attracted such a breadth of expertise to the board. It truly validates Oval Medical’s approach to creating devices that will provide a safe and easy method for self administration of drugs.”

“Team Consulting is entering an exciting new phase of development and growth”, said Team’s Corporate Development Director, Helen Slaski.

“This is the first of what we expect to become a portfolio of investments, partnerships and strategic alliances that will keep Team at the leading edge of drug delivery and medical device technology. These investments will enable us to maintain our drug delivery and medical technology expertise, ensuring we can give clients the best advice at all times”

While new biological drugs bring great benefits in a range of therapy areas, traditional injectors and syringes cannot always contain these drugs within acceptable levels of contamination, safety and reliability. Oval’s proprietary drug containment technology is particularly well suited for these sensitive biological drugs.

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Team Consulting

Working with client Anaxsys Technology, life science technology specialist, Team Consulting, has completed the development of an exciting new design of respiration rate counter.

The revolutionary new device is set to increase dramatically the contribution that respiration monitoring can make to diagnosis and treatment of illness around the world.

Medical sensor firm Anaxsys understood that respiration rate is an important vital sign.

“It is the earliest indication of the deterioration of a patient’s condition and will, initially, be used in clinical areas, such as postoperative care, emergency medicine and, subsequently, in ambulances and MRI scanners.” said Deryk Williams, Managing Director, Anaxsys Technology Ltd.

It is accepted that there are no devices that can measure respiratory rate reliably in a clinical setting. Any patient movement interferes with ECG leads and, if supplemental oxygen is given, pulse oximetry is rendered unusable as a parameter. Clinically, respiratory rate is still measured by a nurse with a stop watch.

Recognising the problems, Anaxsys conceived a portable, standalone, system that would help clinicians to make rapid diagnosis and deliver effective treatment and monitoring of patients.

By keeping the system portable, low-cost and efficient in terms of power consumption, the Anaxsys concept would enable a far wider range of healthcare professionals around the world to access the technology. And, by building sensors into a standard oxygen mask, the device can be used quickly and easily in a wide variety of situations.

Anaxsys approached Team – specialists in product development for healthcare and life sciences – to seek help with the development of a prototype.

Team defined the product specification through a combination of technical work in the laboratory and discussions with healthcare professionals.

“Team Consulting has a just reputation for being able to acquire real understanding of users’ needs, and their experiences – both good and bad – of using medical products. We take that knowledge and apply it to a technical project so that it can shape the way a new device functions.” said Jerry Turner, Team’s Managing Director.

The research was conducted via individual interviews and group sessions.

Meanwhile, technical design work called on Team’s expertise in both software and electronics. The device, which mounts Anaxsys’ own sensors within a facemask to measure exhaled water and enable the calculation of respiration parameters, was developed to a ‘proof of principle’ stage.

This confirmed the viability of the technology, giving Team a green light to develop and deliver a fully functioning prototype to Anaxsys for clinical testing.

The prototype boasts a clear OLED display. This reduces the product’s power consumption while enhancing the readability of its screen over a wider range of angles.

A USP class IV medical grade plastic was selected for the device’s sensor housing. This enabled Team to form the components rapidly and at low cost via a laser sintering process.

Barbara Lead, Commercial and Development Director at Anaxsys said: “We were excited that Team was able take our concept and vision and develop it so effectively into a viable design for a commercial, product. This prototype formed the basis for the production prototype that will enable us to proceed to clinical trials and to demonstrate the impact that respiratory rate counting can have on healthcare around the world.”

Anaxsys believes the product will reduce post-operative mortality, particularly in the emergency medical environment, where patients can be left unobserved due to other crises.

Its low cost will make it affordable to third world economies and, being battery powered, can be of value in regions without a reliable electricity supply.

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Anaxsys

About Team Consulting

Team Consulting has assisted a Dutch biotech firm, ProFibrix, in taking a step toward the launch of a ground-breaking new wound-sealing product.

Based in Leiden, the Netherlands, ProFibrix is developing Fibrocaps™, a dry powder fibrin sealant, based on a mixture of the proteins fibrinogen and thrombin which occur naturally in blood. When applied to a wound Fibrocaps™ precipitates clotting and stops bleeding that occurs during surgery or after injury.

Unlike existing liquid Fibrin sealant sprays, which need to be refrigerated and mixed directly before use, Fibrocaps™ are prepared in seconds and can be stored at room temperature.

However, applying a powder, which comprises fine particles that become sticky when moist, to bleeding sites presents many technical challenges.

ProFibrix conceived a method of application by which a hand-held device ‘blows’ the sterile product onto the wound. The company sought a partner to define a technical design and produce prototypes that would enable ProFibrix to move to phase II clinical trials.

Team Consulting was selected to develop a prototype device, compliant with ISO13485, the quality standard which governs the design and manufacture of medical devices.

“As an expanding life sciences technology development firm, Team is excited to be assisting ProFibrix to develop an innovative solution to an important medical challenge,” said Team Consulting’s Commercial Director, Helen Slaski.

She said: “As a company centred in life science technology, we are pleased that our knowledge and our ability to build teams comprising both technologists and end users has enabled us to provide ProFibrix with a device that enabled them to move to clinical trials.”

Team took conceptual ideas and, in conjunction with clinical users, developed them through a series of product definition and technical workshops. User feedback enabled refinement of a design and, following rigorous testing and development, the project team arrived at a proof of principle.

In just four weeks, Team completed the stainless steel tooling needed to produce injection moulded components of the application device, so enabling the rapid manufacture of disposable prototypes.

ProFibrix has now entered Phase II clinical trials using the device designed and built by Team.

Jaap Koopman, Chief Executive Officer of ProFibrix, said: Team’s work has assisted us in taking Fibrocaps™ to a Phase II clinical trial and we are looking forward to seeing the results. Team was selected for the project, not only because of their technical excellence but, also, because of their ability to listen, work with us and understand our needs. As a young company we greatly valued Team’s flexibility and willingness to work with us in partnership.”

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Team Consulting

Team has been appointed by OrganOx Ltd to assist with the development of a new device that will keep organs alive for extended periods outside the body.

Team will guide the device along a development process that will take it through all stages from specification to manufacture.

Steps will include definition of specification; analysis of the requirements for users and consequent functionality; proof of principle; industrial design with validation leading to the manufacture of prototypes and pilot builds of first products.

In little more than a year from now, the project will conclude when Team transfers the design to a commercial manufacturing line.

OrganOx’s invention will sustain life in organs by supplying them with oxygenated blood while they are maintained at normal body temperatures.

“This is a mission critical project that combines many of our core skills,” said Stuart Kay of Team. “We’re delighted that our ability to combine the ‘soft’ skills of working in partnership with the ‘hard’ skill of technical leadership has been recognisedby OrganOx.”

The device has been developed by academic founders of OrganOx, Professor Peter Friend, a leading transplant surgeon, and Dr Constantin Coussios, a biomedical engineer.

In the first instance, the product will be used to improve and prolong the condition of livers during transport before transplantation.

In December 2008 Isis Innovation, the University of Oxford’s technology transfer company announced that OrganOx Ltd, a spin out from the University’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Nuffield Department of Surgery had raised £1.5m in equity financing. This Series A round brought together a syndicate of highly experienced life science investors led by Oxford Technology Management Ltd and Technikos LLP. The Oxford University Challenge Seed Fund also participated in the round. The funds raised will be invested in developing a working prototype of the machine and completion of the pre-clinical studies before undertaking clinical investigations.

The OrganOx technology will enable livers to be preserved for up to three days, more than three times longer than is possible by conventional cold storage. The company expects that it will also enable livers currently deemed unsuitable for transplant to recover to an acceptable standard.

“Our technology will enable the number of suitable livers available for organ transplantation to be increased,” said Dr Les Russell, the CEO of OrganOx. “For the product to arrive at market successfully with the correct technical specification it was critical to select the right technical partner to work with. We are delighted to
choose Team.”

In Europe and the US, around 11,500 liver transplants are undertaken each year. However, there is a combined waiting list of around 30,000 patients and up to 25 per cent of these patients die while awaiting transplantation. Over 2,000 livers are discarded annually because they are either damaged by oxygen deprivation or by intracellular fat.

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Team Consulting

Brennan Miles was a Senior Scientist in the design team at Pfizer before joining Team as a Product Design Consultant. Bridging the design and engineering disciplines, his key area of interest is in creating products that not only meet the requirements of the technical specification, but are easy and pleasurable to use.

Design Engineer Oliver Harvey joins Team from Sagentia, bringing engineering experience and a keen interest in mechanism design which is already playing a valuable role in a surgical device development for one of Team’s European clients.

And Phil Canner is combining his postgraduate training in classical singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with a role as a Team design engineer. After a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Cambridge, Phil spent three years working at The Automation Partnership. He is looking forward to applying his laboratory automation skills in the broader medical arena, and has a particular interest in developing his skills in user interaction design.

Despite prevailing economic uncertainty, Team has an extremely healthy order book and continues to work with medical and lifescience clients across Europe and the US. Helping to deliver outstanding product development programmes for our clients are John McGarva and Steve Marshall, consultants to Team. John and Steve have worked extensively in medical device and systems development, with recent spells at Cambridge Consultants and TTP.

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Team Consulting

At the September ERBI Medtech event, sponsored by Team, speakers from academia, industry and clinical practice discussed the challenges of meeting the needs of users and putting safety first in the medical arena. The event was chaired by Professor Chris Lowe, Director of the Institute of Biotechnology and Professor of Biotechnology at Cambridge University, and actively involved in many companies and collaborations worldwide.

Professor John Clarkson, Director of the Cambridge Engineering Design Centre (EDC), opened the evening with a compelling presentation, “Safer by Design”, arguing that as the NHS doesn’t see itself as safety-critical, it seems to accept a failure rate that would be unacceptable in any other high-risk industry. He discussed the huge challenges faced in taking what we know from other safety-critical industries and applying best practice to healthcare. Using a case study based on the administration of a highly potent antimetabolite and antifolate drug used in treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, he provided a graphic example of “what could possibly go wrong” and how many of the issues faced could have been prevented by the timely use of a user-focused systems design approach. John’s presentation drew on a “Design for Patient Safety” study carried out by a collaborative group including the EDC which produced many recommendations for improving safety in the NHS, but which, despite a positive response fromgovernment, has not yet been implemented. The report can be found at: www-edc.eng.cam.ac.uk/medical/downloads/report.pdf.

Julian Dixon, Head of Team’s User Studies group, outlined a highly practical guide to incorporating Human Factors engineering into the product design process in order to meet the needs of the user and the regulator. Drawing on his specialist background in both engineering and psychology, he discussed the importance of small-scale, iterative research, begun early in the process, and the need to foster a user-centric mindset amongst designers and engineers which clearly resonated with an audience facing the challenges of getting their products safely and successfully to market. The clear message from Julian was “stop before you start!” – don’t do anything until you’ve put the user at the heart of your design process.

Finally, Mr Alan Getgood, Orthopaedic Specialist Registrar and a Clinical Research Associate at Cambridge University, gave the user’s view from a clinician’s perspective in which he stressed the important role that innovation plays in improving both surgical procedures and the patient experience. Charting the history of hip replacement surgery, he emphasised the vital need to collaborate with clinicians from an early stage of development.

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Team Consulting

A new skin rejuvenation and hair removal system from Energist Ltd owes its striking looks to the design skills of Team Consulting.

The VARIMED is a ‘Variable Pulsed Light’ system aimed at the aesthetic medical market, and is used for speeding the healing process of scar tissue and to aid the permanent removal of hair. It has been designed specifically to permit clinicians to adapt the treatment and customise it for each individual patient.

Energist, established in the beauty therapy sector, approached Team to develop a visual identity for their system that would help them break into the medical marketplace. To make an impact in this competitive arena, Team’s designers knew that the machine needed to be strongly differentiated from the competition whilst suitable for the clinical environment and appropriate for use by cosmetic surgeons. Energist was keen to support a bold approach to the design of their new machine.

Team developed an unusually pure and minimalist aesthetic which set the machine apart from its competition. The design was suitable for medium volume manufacture and practical in use – accommodating the needs of field service engineers.

In addition, Team assessed and selected manufacturing partners and component suppliers. Working closely with Energist and the chosen suppliers through prototyping to the final build of the first production machines, Team’s integrated approach ensured a smooth transition from design through to manufacture.

“Interest from the medical sector has been far greater than expected. They predominantly like the clean lines of this state-of-the-art system,” comments Energist’s director of engineering, Tim Major.

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Team Consulting

A new Dry Powder Inhaler (DPI), designed and developed by Valois Pharma with the support of Team Consulting, was presented for the first time at the recent Drug Delivery to the Lungs Conference in Edinburgh. Whilst offering excellent delivery performance, the Prohaler™ was designed from the outset with the user in mind and is completely intuitive to use.

Inhalers currently on the market present many challenges to the user – devices may require co-ordination of breath and operation, need to be shaken, held in a particular orientation or rely on a sequence of actions for the dose to be successfully taken. The Prohaler™ is a breath-actuated inhaler that simply requires the user to open it, breathe in, and close it again. Critically, the dose is only released when the user inhales, so the device can be opened and closed with no drug wastage, and the powder remains fully protected even if a user breathes into the device. This makes it particularly suitable for the broadest range of asthma and COPD patients.

Key to the project success was the user-centred approach. A ‘user champion’ on the project team ensured that the user was represented and considered throughout the rigorous engineering design process. Usability trials and task analyses were undertaken from the very beginning to guide early concept development, and repeated throughout the development process. This enabled the project team to refine all aspects of the design with feedback from potential users and healthcare professionals. The intuitive use of the inhaler is seen as a key competitive advantage by Valois Pharma’s partners.

Complementing the device’s user appeal is a unique dispersion technology that gives excellent aerosolisation and high fine particle fraction even when operating at relatively low inspiratory flow rates. Numerous novel (and patentable) mechanical solutions were generated through this process highlighting the benefits of the Valois Pharma-Team collaboration.

The pure, clean visual language of the design was realised within the demands of design for high-volume, managed component cost and a risk-based assessment of product and processes. The Prohaler™ was designed for worldwide market regulatory compliance and looks set to redefine the standard for DPI user interaction and performance.

Guillaume Brouet, Director – Business Development Pulmonary, comments: “Valois Pharma’s drug delivery device expertise combined with Team’s extensive experience in device development and unique approach to user and usability research have delivered an exciting new inhaler which offers genuine benefits to the user.”

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Team Consulting

Team, product development specialist for the medical and pharmaceutical industries, celebrates 20 years of success this month. Founded in November 1986, Team has worked with a wide range of companies, from local start-ups to multinational companies such as Pfizer, sanofi-aventis and Novartis. The company has more than 800 design and consultancy projects from some 250 customers under its belt and has averaged 18% annual growth in turnover in recent years.

Team Consulting helps pharmaceutical and medical device clients at all stages of the product development process and has eight of the ten largest pharmaceutical companies amongst its client base. Team has worked on a wide range of highly innovative product developments including inhalers for diabetics and asthmatics, injection systems, safety packaging for the EpiPen® injector and an optical high-throughput screening system.

Jerry Turner, CEO of Team Consulting comments: “Over the past 20 years Team has built up a strong reputation for its depth and breadth of expertise in drug delivery and medical devices and more than 90% of our business is now with clients in continental Europe and the US. I believe the underlying reason for our success is the strong relationships we build with our clients. Technical excellence is vital but “people do business with people”, and much of our work is with long-standing customers who value the honesty and integrity we bring to their projects.”

Earlier this year the revolutionary OptyseTM lens-free ophthalmoscope, designed and developed by Team, was a winner at the International Saatchi and Saatchi Awards for ‘World Changing Ideas’. The OptyseTM was invented by Roger Armour, a retired surgeon from Stevenage and is being marketed by Ophthalmos Ltd.

Laura Garcia, CEO, Ophthalmos commented “This award recognises the expertise of our development partner, Team Consulting Ltd. Team’s experience was crucial to the successful delivery of an end product true to the initial concept and vision.”

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Team Consulting

Team Consulting is delighted to announce two new appointments at the leading UK product development consultancy.

Dr Sandrine Cuney joins Team as a Senior Consultant, bringing a wealth of expertise in project management for medical product development. Sandrine’s background is in materials science and packaging, and she was previously a senior consultant in the healthcare division at Cambridge Consultants.

Sandrine: “It’s exciting to join a growing company that has a clear focus on the healthcare industries. I was attracted by the calibre of the engineers and designers at Team, and also by the emphasis placed on considering the needs of the user during development, which is key to the success of medical products.”

Also joining Team this month from Novo Nordisk in Denmark is Christian Dunning, a mechanical engineer with a depth of experience in development, automated assembly and validation within the pharmaceutical industry.

Christian: “I’m looking forward to the challenges of working at Team on a range of assignments, developing my skills and utilising the experience gained in my time with Novo Nordisk. It’s a great opportunity to join such a professional company that also enjoys an open and honest culture.”

A revolutionary lens-free ophthalmoscope, invented by retired surgeon Roger Armour and designed by Team Consulting, was a winner at this year’s International Saatchi and Saatchi Awards for World Changing Ideas.

A high profile ceremony in New York City was held on Thursday, January 26th, where the eleven finalists exhibited their ideas and products. During this event, Edward De Bono presented his ‘Medal for Thinking’ to Ophthalmos Ltd for its Optyse™ ophthalmoscope, recognising the simplicity, practicality, effectiveness, and application of the new device.

The global award is presented biennially and recognises innovations that have the potential to change the world.

Laura Garcia, CEO, Ophthalmos commented: “I was thrilled to accept this award on behalf of Roger Armour, inventor of the Optyse™, and Ophthalmos. It is an honour to have our product acknowledged by such a pioneer in the field of lateral thinking. This award also recognises the expertise of our design partner, Team Consulting Ltd. Team’s experience in the field and involvement in the project was crucial in the successful delivery of an end product which reflected Roger’s initial concept and vision.”

Roger Armour conceived the idea for the ophthalmoscope in 2000. Team Consulting then worked with Mr Armour to develop his idea into a prototype product which was the overall winner, and winner of ‘Best Innovation to Improve Global Healthcare’, at the Medical Futures Innovation Awards 2003. Ophthalmos Ltd has since been established to focus on bringing the device to manufacture and market, with Team Consulting continuing their role as design partners.

Notes to editors

An estimated 37 million people are blind worldwide, 75 per cent of this blindness is treatable or preventable and these figures are increasing at a rate of 1 – 2 million each year*. Recognising the need to make retinal screening a viable, simple and cost effective diagnostic aid, Ophthalmos developed the Optyse™ for use in developing countries, as well as for use in a range of healthcare settings in developed countries.

Direct fundoscopy is an effective, non-invasive technique enabling medical practitioners to view the retina and identify abnormalities indicative of serious sight threatening conditions like cataracts and diabetic retinopathies, as well as life threatening medical conditions such as brain tumours, hypertension and cerebral malaria. The Optyse™ is the result of five years extensive research and development. It eliminates the complexities, obstacles and costs that often prove a barrier in the use of standard ophthalmoscopes by healthcare workers outside the areas of ophthalmology and optometry.

* Statistics sourced by VISION 2020 (www.v2020.org/right_to_sight/index.asp)

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Team Consulting

Team Consulting Ltd, one of the UK’s leading product design and development consultancies, is delighted to announce another year of substantial growth.

Team’s annual growth in turnover for 2004 was 16% – contributing to an average of nearly 18% over the past four years. The steady, managed growth has helped the company establish itself as an international source of expertise for product design and development in the lifescience arena, with over 80% of work now carried out for companies overseas.

Crowning the success of 2004 – which saw Team win two prestigious awards for technical innovation in packaging – was the recent accreditation to ISO 13485:2003, the quality management system for development of medical devices.

Helen Slaski, Commercial Director: “Our strategy to achieve sustained growth is bearing fruit, with an encouraging number of new clients augmenting our established relationships. We’re looking forward to another successful year which will also see the launch of the lens-free ophthalmoscope – via a joint venture between Team and Lone Medical Optics – which has generated tremendous interest since the original idea won the prestigious Medical Futures Award in 2003.”

Acclaimed JFlex Ready-To-Dispense System Wins WorldStar Award and Exceeds Sales Expectations

Team Consulting Ltd, a leading product design and development consultancy, today announced the JFlex dispensing system, designed in collaboration with JohnsonDiversey, has been awarded a 2004 WorldStar for excellence by the World Packaging Organisation. This honour follows on from the UK Starpack 2004 Technical Innovation award won earlier last year for the JFlex design.

The innovative design of the JFlex disposable dispensing system enables the user to dilute chemicals at the point of use, achieving the correct dilution ratio safely and easily without expensive equipment installation. With the JFlex, a new market segment was created, and product wastage eliminated. Initially launched in the US, the product is now available globally.

Curtis Hubmann, JohnsonDiversey, said “US and European sales far exceeded expectations. It was the largest product launch within our company and the only product to be launched globally within a year’s time.”

Helen Slaski, Commercial Director, Team, added, “The combined expertise of Team and JohnsonDiversey enabled us to deliver a product that was both innovative in design, creatively engineered and commercially successful. We’re excited about the growing success of the JFlex in the market place and proud to have received the WorldStar award.”

Media Contact:

Neil Cooper, Marketing & Communications Manager, Team Consulting Ltd

neil.cooper@team-consulting.com

Mobile: +44(0)7581 210 919 | Direct dial: +44(0)1799 532 781

Twitter: @team_medical

About Team Consulting

Team Consulting Ltd, one of the UK’s leading product design and development consultancies, is delighted to announce its move from Cokenach in Hertfordshire to substantially larger premises in Ickleton, Cambridge.

Team’s new offices are based in a prestigious 6000 ft2 Grade II listed 13th century barn, with additional accommodation for their fully equipped labs to fulfil Team’s development activity in the pharmaceutical and medical devices sector.

Team have established themselves as a leading design consultancy in both the local and global arena with award winning product designs. Despite the tougher climate experienced by much of the consulting sector, Team have enjoyed annual growth in turnover averaging 19% over the past three years while maintaining steady headcount growth.

Helen Slaski, Commercial Director: “Building on the success of the past few years, we are very pleased to have secured significant business for further growth of our life sciences business in the foreseeable future, too. Our stunning new premises not only offer the truly creative and dynamic atmosphere that match Team’s skills and approach but will also equip us for further growth over the next few years.”

Jerry Turner, CEO: “Team’s strength is derived from a combination of outstanding technical skills, a depth of industry experience and strong client relationships built on honesty, integrity and trust. It’s tremendous to see our hard work rewarded by this move to a truly inspirational building, and we’re looking forward to growing further whilst maintaining our unique culture.”

Team Consulting and Valois Pharmaceutical Division today announced they have embarked upon a major development programme to produce a novel breath-actuated multi-dose Dry Powder Inhaler (DPI).

The ‘Bead Inhaler’ will utilise a unique dispersion technology proven to deliver excellent aerosolisation performance, reproducible emitted dose and high fine particle fraction. A novel drug storage and release technology is also being developed. In addition to offering excellent delivery performance and moisture protection with a wide range of formulations, the inhaler will be compact and simple to use.

This programme reflects a strong relationship between Valois, the pharmaceutical manufacturing and packaging experts, and Team, who have a depth of experience in medical and drug delivery device development.

Salim Haffar, Associate Director, Business Development Valois, said, “Team’s skills and proven track record in developing inhalation devices make them an ideal partner to help Valois in achieving its development milestones for the ‘Bead Inhaler’.”

Helen Slaski, Commercial Director, Team, added, “We’re very excited to be working on this innovative development. The combined expertise of Valois and Team and our established relationship will deliver a product which offers great benefit to users.”

A simple, lightweight, low-cost ophthalmoscope, which has significant implications for medical training and disease diagnosis, has been developed and prototyped by two UK companies.

Examining the retina at the back of the eye can be very revealing. Serious diseases such as glaucoma, diabetes, high blood pressure, brain tumours and cerebral malaria can be diagnosed, or their possibility noted for further investigation. Unfortunately, most current ophthalmoscopes are heavy, complicated to use and expensive – typically between £40-200. Only about a third of medical students buy one whilst training, and those who do may not master the complexities of a typical device with its many lenses and settings. Because much of the expertise in using an ophthalmoscope can only be developed through training and practice, the opportunity to swiftly screen for certain conditions could be lost. Needless to say, in the third world, where the use of such devices would be extremely beneficial, the cost of such devices is prohibitive.

A simple, lens-free ‘Key-Ring’ ophthalmoscope has been invented by Roger Armour, a vascular surgeon, and modelled by Team Consulting Ltd, his development partner. The device will be small, lightweight, very low cost (likely manufacturing cost of less than 3GBP) and extremely easy to use. Because of this, the technology has the potential to transform the diagnosis of certain diseases in the third world, and, by facilitating ownership and training, should enable a much broader range of healthcare professionals to make diagnoses in developed countries.

Hermann von Helmholtz invented the ophthalmoscope in 1851 with an ingenious use of lenses. Not since has anyone, to our knowledge, developed a lens-free device.

Preliminary studies show the lens-free “Key-Ring” ophthalmoscope compares well against the standard direct ophthalmoscope, and Mr Armour has tested the device on hundreds of individuals from 1-87 years of age.

The device is the subject of a patent application and is one of the finalists in this year’s prestigious Medical Futures awards; a presentation describing the development was awarded the Ian Fraser Cup for one of the two best posters at the Oxford Ophthalmological Congress in July.

Mr Armour and Team Consulting are currently investigating potential partners and sources of funding to take the next steps in the product development, which are to design the product for high volume manufacture, and establish distribution routes in its various markets.

OptiNose today announced at the Nasal Drug Delivery Conference in London that it has signed a pilot production deal for its Bi-Directional Delivery device. The announcement coincided with the company presenting new flow modelling data and clinical results on the technology at the conference.

According to CEO Helena Kyttari Djupesland, OptiNose is now entering an exciting phase of development. “Having secured further funding, we now also have the scientific and clinical justification to take our Bi-Directional technology forward. The pilot production deal we have signed with Team Consulting and the Tech Group will enable us to take advantage of growing interest from pharmaceutical companies. This interest reflects the widespread advantages and applications of the technology. Bi-Directional Technology is more effective than traditional spray pumps in reaching target areas, enables nose-to-brain delivery and offers a viable alternative to needle injection. Furthermore the technology can be used for both existing and new topical and systemic drugs, as well as vaccines. The project aims for device samples to be ready for the autumn.”

OptiNose chose UK-based Team because of their particular strength and depth of expertise in the design and development of drug delivery devices, built over many years’ experience in pulmonary, nasal and parenteral projects. Andy Fry, Director: “At Team, we feel that nasal delivery is an important and promising route which has not, to date, received the attention it warrants. We believe that the OptiNose technology is the most exciting development in nasal drug delivery we have seen for a decade, and are delighted to be working with OptiNose to realise the potential of their ideas”.

The Tech Group, a global contract manufacturing company specialising in medical products, will collaborate with OptiNose and Team Consulting on the design of components and tooling for manufacture, so that the device parts are made reliably and economically with robust tooling and assembly systems and ensure the transfer into scale up production. Paul Flavell, Business Development Manager: “The Tech Group are delighted to have been selected as the device clearly demonstrates clinical benefits that should make it attractive to pharmaceutical companies. We look forward to participating in the project and contributing to OptiNose’s future success”.

The data presented at the conference showed the results of a deposition study involving a functional prototype which demonstrated one of the key benefits of OptiNose Bi-Directional technology – the elimination of the risk of lung inhalation. This was backed by nasal flow modelling data on particle size showing that Bi-Directional Technology is suitable for not only single-, but also duo- and multi-dosing. Finally interesting results from a Phase 1 clinical trial were presented.

Team Consulting has made a major step forward in respect of child safety with medicines. The company has designed the “Citizen Pack”, a robust, effective and inexpensive means to render pharmaceutical blister packs child resistant. The ‘Citizen-pack’ meets the recent British Standard for non-reclosable containers (BS8404) designed to protect children from accidentally consuming potentially toxic drugs. Its simple design is also senior friendly, ensuring that measures taken to safeguard children do not inadvertently prevent senior citizens from accessing their medication.

The introduction of the Citizen Pack is timely as the market for pharmaceutical containers – already considerable, is still growing. Recent estimates for blister packs predict that this sector of the market will enjoy above average growth with US production, alone, likely to exceed $1 billion1 in 2004.

This expansion adds to the already increasing pressure on manufacturers to offer child resistant blister packaging. The US is leading the way in this respect with regulation already in place that requires child resistance for non-reclosable packaging for certain prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) products. Britain is soon to follow, the UK Health Minister announcing on 26th November 2002 the proposal to introduce regulations to implement the new British Standard for child resistant packaging for non-reclosable containers (see www.mca.gov.uk). These regulations aim to make the standard mandatory for all new products containing aspirin, paracetamol and iron.

A particular challenge in the design of child resistant packaging is to ensure that conditions do not arise where it can become difficult or impossible for senior citizens, who may have, for instance, arthritis or impaired eyesight, to access their medication. Team Consulting has overcome this problem by developing a concept for a simple moulded plastic component that can be used to house standard blister packs, rendering them both child resistant and senior friendly within a disposable, attractive casing. The device incorporates a locking mechanism requiring a co-ordinated action by the user to release the buttons, which assist in the removal of the tablets.

The efficacy of Team’s design concept should deliver an 01 level of child protection as designated by the Child Protection Safety Council, in addition to offering robustness and visual appeal – factors that place it ahead of any existing competitive approaches.

To date, a number of prototypes proving the principle of the design have been manufactured and have received positive feedback. As a result, Team is currently seeking to identify commercial partners for exploitation of the technology.

Team’s intellectual property is protected by patent applications.

Having achieved record sales this year, product development company Team Consulting has made three appointments to help drive future growth.

Appointed as Business Development Director is multi-lingual Dutch national Marc Bax, who has a background of global sales and marketing management in high-technology companies. Trained as an engineer, Marc has extensive commercial and technical experience in bringing new products to market.

Team’s new Marketing Manager is Diane Aston-James, in charge of marcoms at Cambridge Consultants for several years and more recently part of YTKO, the high-tech marketing agency.

Finally, Neil Harrison brings ten years experience in the UK and Belgium to his role of Industrial Designer.

Team achieved an increase of 25% in sales this year in the face of difficult times for many consultancies. Jerry Turner, Managing Director: “At Team we’ve always focused on providing excellent solutions whilst building a relationship based on trust and integrity. Our success is borne out by the number of our clients who return to us. We’re now building the foundations for even greater growth in 2002.”

The NMT Safety Syringe has scooped both the New Product Design award and the Design Grand Prix at this year’s Scottish Design and Architecture Awards 2001, which recently took place in Glasgow.

Team Consulting worked with medical devices company NMT Group to develop the hypodermic safety syringe system, which offers protection against needlestick injury. The syringe features a patented retraction system to enable the needle to retract automatically into the plunger once the drug is delivered, significantly reducing the risk of exposure to used and potentially contaminated hypodermic needles.

Team designed the product for high volume manufacture and assembly. This also involved all the design, validation, risk analysis, tool proving and pilot manufacture.

The product is now being successfully marketed across the United States and Europe and continues to win design awards in recognition of its contribution to the medical field.