02 June 2009
Team chosen to bring OrganOx technology to
life
New product development preserves organ life
2 June 2009, Cambridge UK – 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 recognised
by 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.
-- Ends --
For more information, please contact:
Helen Slaski. Team Consulting Ltd
info@team-consulting.com
+44 (0) 1799 532700
Dr Les Russell, OrganOx:
les.russell@organox.com
Notes to Editors:
Team
Consulting Limited (www.team-consulting.com)
Team Consulting is a leading product development
consultancy working primarily in the life science
and healthcare industries. Acknowledged experts
in medical and drug delivery device development,
we work globally with all kinds of companies, from
start-up ventures to multinational organisations.
Team builds postitive relationships with clients
while helping them at all stages of the product
development process. We blend design and engineering
with creativity and rigour to ensure that our clients
get the right product to market at the right time.
We are accredited to ISO 9001:2000 and 13485:2003.
About
Oxford Technology Management Ltd (www.oxfordtechnology.com)
Oxford Technology Management Ltd is a seed and
early stage venture fund manager, specialising
in UK based technology investments. Since 1983,
the company has managed a series of ten funds,
including the four Oxford Technology VCTs, and
most recently, the £30m Oxford Technology
Enterprise Capital Trust LP. Oxford Technology
Management is authorised and regulated by the
Financial Services Authority.
About
Technikos LLP
Technikos LLP is a London based venture capital
business and invests in private companies within
the UK and selected Western European countries,
in the area of medical technology, particularly
as applied to the field of regenerative medicine. Technikos
LLP entered into a long-term partnership with
the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Oxford
in 2006.
About
Isis Innovation Ltd (www.isis-innovation.com)
Isis Innovation is the University of Oxford’s
technology transfer company. It provides researchers
with commercial advice, funds patent applications
and legal costs, negotiates exploitation and spin-out
company agreements, and identifies and manages
consultancy opportunities for University researchers. It
is a subsidiary of the University of Oxford and
has established itself as one of the best University
technology transfer companies in the UK. |
