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The University of Birmingham and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) have launched a new study funded by The Drake Foundation to review and potentially enhance concussion diagnosis in Premier League football.

This new study, supported by the Premier League Doctors Group allowing access to players, is running throughout the 2018/19 football season. It involves saliva and urine samples being collected from injured players, as well as uninjured “control” players, by club doctors immediately post-match and at further time points over the course of a players’ recovery.

These samples are then being tested in the laboratory at the University of Birmingham using a new ground-breaking test, called the ‘Birmingham Concussion Test’, which has been developed following a decade of research led by academic neurosurgeon Professor Tony Belli.

The test looks for molecules in the blood, saliva or urine known as microRNAs, which can act as biomarkers to indicate whether the brain has suffered injury. The patented technology from the University of Birmingham is being commercially developed in partnership with Mirna Diagnostics Limited who owns the global patent licence of these biomarkers.

This expands research also being carried out by the University of Birmingham and UHB, which began in 2017 and is currently ongoing testing the urine and saliva of concussed Rugby Football Union players.

This research is part of the ongoing REpetitive COncussion in Sport (RECOS) study, being led by the University of Birmingham’s College of Medical and Dental Sciences and UHB through The National Institute for Health Research Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre.

In the future, it is hoped that the Birmingham Concussion Test could be used pitch-side and would have the potential to assist in return-to-play decisions or concussion diagnosis across sports, from grassroots to professional, in addition to military and other frontline settings.

Professor Tony Belli, academic neurosurgeon at the University of Birmingham and UHB, said: “Early and accurate diagnosis of concussion is one of the biggest challenges we face clinically and is particularly a major concern in the sporting world.

“This exciting new study is an important addition to the breadth of research we are undertaking into concussion and player welfare in sport more broadly.”

Dr Patrick O’Halloran, Sports Concussion Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, Sport and Exercise Medicine Registrar at UHB, and Academy Doctor at Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, said: “This research has the potential to benefit professional, grassroots and youth level footballers alike, making the process for diagnosing concussion as effective as possible. Similarly, this may be valuable in other sports or for patients in NHS Accident and Emergency departments.”

James Drake, Founder of The Drake Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation committed to improving evidence-based measures for the management of concussion injuries in contact sport, said: “We are delighted to fund this essential study in Premier League football. The conversation around concussion has come a long way in the last five years and scientific research such as this is essential in keeping our players safe.”

This latest study will also look to evaluate the effectiveness of the current Premier League Doctors Group Standard Operating Procedure for diagnosis of concussion. When a team doctor suspects a player has been concussed, the following data will be sought to accelerate and more accurately diagnose any potential concussion:

• Pitch-side assessment
• Video review of the incident at the pitch-side
• Subsequent clinical reviews of the player after the match and in the days following the game
• The time course and trajectory of recovery post injury

For more information please contact Emma McKinney, Communications Manager (Health Sciences), University of Birmingham, Email: [email protected] or tel: +44 (0) 121 414 6681, or contact the press office out of hours on +44 (0) 7789 921 165 or [email protected]

University of Birmingham develops sight-saving treatment for eye infection or trauma

21 December 2018:  Scientists at the University of Birmingham have developed a novel eye drop that rapidly reduces sight-threatening scarring to the surface of the eye.

The surface of the eye (the cornea) is usually transparent but scars resulting from eye infection or trauma make it opaque causing blurred vision – or in extreme cases complete blindness.

Their pre-clinical research, published today in npj Regenerative Medicine, shows that within a matter of days the eye drop speeds healing, reduces scarring and improves corneal transparency compared to the current standard of care for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an eye infection commonly associated with poor contact lens hygiene.  The current standard of care for eye infection are eye drops containing antibiotics and corticosteroids to reduce inflammation, followed by intensive lubrication to prevent further damage to the eye during blinking.  These treatments effectively sterilize the eye, although some patients are left with visual ‘hazing’ due to scars on the cornea.  The only option to correct this is costly and cumbersome surgical interventions, such as corneal transplants, which are fraught with risks of failure or rejection.

The Birmingham scientists, led by Professors Liam Grover and Ann Logan from the University’s School of Chemical Engineering and Institute of Inflammation and Ageing respectively, have developed the eye drop which consists of a fluid gel loaded with a natural wound-healing protein called Decorin.

Professor Ann Logan stated that “this innovative fluid gel in the eye drop is designed to retain the Decorin on the surface of the eye, and form a ‘therapeutic bandage’ that promotes scarless healing”.

Professor Liam Grover explains: “The fluid gel is a novel material that can transition between a solid and liquid state.  This means it contours itself to the surface of the eye, is retained there, and is only slowly removed by blinking.”  This research has shown for the first time that the fluid gel has a therapeutic effect in its own right, and they believe it forms a protective barrier that protects the surface of the eye from further damage caused by blinking. The fluid gel has been patented by University of Birmingham Enterprise.

Dr Richard Moakes, also from the School of Chemical Engineering explained, “We are now continuing our work to test and refine the formulation for this novel anti-scarring eye ‘bandage’ ”.

Dr Lisa Hill, from the University’s Institute of Clinical Sciences, comments: “The anti-scarring eye drop has the potential to vastly improve outcomes for patients with eye infection and trauma.  It could also help save many people’s sight, particularly in the developing world where surgical interventions such as corneal transplants are not available.”

ENDS

Media information, IP and licensing enquiries: 

Ruth Ashton, University of Birmingham Enterprise

E: [email protected]

T: ++ 44 121 414 8646

M: ++44 7989 558 041

Reference

Hill et al (2018).  Sustained release of decorin to the surface of the eye enables scarless corneal regeneration.  npj Regenerative Medicine.  DOI: 10.1038/s41536-018-0061-4.

About the research

The study was funded by a Medical Research Council Developmental Pathway Funding Scheme (MR/N019016/1).

About the University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 5,000 international students from over 150 countries.

About University of Birmingham Enterprise

University of Birmingham Enterprise supports academics who want to innovate, take their ideas to market, work with businesses and social enterprises, or enrich their professional lives by doing academic consultancy projects.  We do this by providing enterprise training, funding, office and laboratory space, and a full technology transfer service.   University of Birmingham Enterprise also manages the incubation services and facilities at the Birmingham Research Park.

The Midlands Innovation group of universities has launched the largest collaboration between university technology transfer offices in the UK, to attract investment and management talent to the region.

The Midlands Innovation Commercialisation of Research Accelerator (MICRA) will share best practice and share resources across technology transfer offices in Midlands universities. The partnership will support the development of spin-out companies, helping them to obtain finance and expertise, and accelerating the rate at which innovations are able to be commercialised.

The announcement was made at an event held at The University of Birmingham to over 120 invited guests.

The event – which had speakers including Alice Hu-Wagner, Managing Director for Strategy, Policy and Business Development and Markets at the British Business Bank and Alice Frost, Director of Knowledge Exchange at Research England – outlined the opportunities the Midlands region presents to industry and investors and the value of collaborations and innovation between industry and universities. Funded by Research England through the Connecting Capability Fund, the event heard about the challenges faced by universities in driving the uptake of their Intellectual Property (IP).

Professor Sir David Eastwood, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Birmingham, who welcomed guests to the event, said: “The benefits of MICRA to the region will be significant. Strengthening the innovation ecosystem to encourage closer links between the technology transfer offices and high-quality incubation spaces most suitable to individual business needs, will stimulate the growth of innovation-led businesses in the Midlands.”

Helen Turner, Director of Midlands Innovation, said: “Midlands Innovation provides a collaborative structure which enables technology transfer offices to strengthen their capacity and share best practice. By working together MICRA aims to attract large ‘patient capital’ investors who are willing to back new ideas. People with vision and management talent who understand the potential for success in our region.”

Dr James Wilkie, CEO of University of Birmingham Enterprise commented: “The UK has eighteen of the 100 most innovative Universities in Europe – and four of these are in the Midlands Innovation partnership. We also have an enviable translational landscape that is attracting increasing attention from overseas, and a rich history of collaboration with companies of all sizes.”

Professor Stuart Croft, Vice-Chancellor and President at the University of Warwick, who invited guests to explore the opportunities offered at the event, said: “The MICRA project shows clearly what can be achieved when universities work together. Drawing on the collective partner strengths is fundamental to what the Midlands Innovation partnership was set up to do.”

Commenting on the MICRA launch event, Alice Frost, Director of Knowledge Exchange at Research England, said: “Research England’s Connecting Capability Fund is investing in eighteen projects to demonstrate the world class commercialisation practiced in our universities. This includes MICRA being launched today – an ambitious project bringing together the largest formal technology transfer collaboration in the country, with benefits for research, the Midlands area and for delivering the Government’s Industrial Strategy and 2.4% target.”
Within easy reach of London, the Midlands is essential to national economic success. The region is responsible for over a fifth of the UK’s total manufacturing capability. The services sector in the Midlands accounts for over four million jobs and is worth around £158 billion a year.
Midlands Innovation unites the power of university research with the unique strengths of Midlands industry to drive pioneering research, innovation, skills development and economic growth. Collectively partners are incubating more than 600 businesses and supporting over 1600 jobs.

MI partners include the universities of Aston, Birmingham, Cranfield, Keele, Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham and Warwick. Academics in these universities generate more new inventions and patents per unit of research income than any other UK universities group.

To find out more about MICRA and how you can get involved, visit: www.midlandsinnovation.org.uk

19 September 2018:  The BioHub Birmingham® is constructing 5,000sq ft of self-contained laboratory and office suites to meet an increasing demand for biomedical incubator space.

The BioHub opened in 2015 and its shared facilities on the ground floor are now operating at capacity.

It is managed by University of Birmingham Enterprise and is located at the Birmingham Research Park, which provides incubation services and facilities, as well as commercial office space for biomedical and hi-tech companies.

The Birmingham Research Park is on the University campus – and the University has invested significantly to create a formidable landscape for medical innovation. In last year alone, the University has opened: the Healthcare Technologies Institute, where experts in chemical engineering, biomedical science, computer science, applied mathematics, chemistry and physics work collaboratively on translational projects; the Centre for Custom Medical Devices, which works in collaboration with Renishaw and uses additive manufacturing (3D printing) to speed development in the medical devices supply chain; and the Medical Devices Testing and Evaluation Centre which helps remove the regulatory blockages encountered by small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs).

The University ranks 4^th in the UK for the production of Intellectual Property (patents) and much of its medical innovation comes from interdisciplinary research, where scientists who apply engineering or chemistry know-how to solve problems in medicine.  This collaborative landscape has attracted increasing attention from international business, and the University currently has over 200 industrial partners, spanning all business sectors, who use its facilities and research expertise.

The BioHub is one part of this landscape, and its current tenants include diagnostics, precision medicine, and biotechnology companies, who share laboratory and office space.

The new development will create laboratory / office suites with sizes starting at 600sqft/55m².  The enquiry list for the new suites is now open, for further details or a tour of the facilities contact Angie Reynolds, Birmingham Research Park Manager, [email protected].

Midlands based CSR Scientific Training is hosting a lunch and learn session at the Birmingham Research Park on Laboratory and Scientific Apprenticeships on Thursday 27^th September.

The event is suitable for anyone who is responsible for the management of laboratory staff, involved in their recruitment or their learning and development, and who might consider employing an apprentice in a laboratory technician role.

CSR Scientific Training is the largest scientific apprenticeship provider in the UK ,and is now in its 8th year of delivering scientific apprenticeship training to new and existing staff in the biotechnology sector.

Employing an apprentice can be very rewarding for lab-based organisations. Employment costs are low, it’s a great development opportunity and there are significant grants available from government to help “grow your own”.

The lunch and learn will run from 1.00pm-3.00pm and will cover:

• The different levels of apprenticeships available
• The qualifications the apprentice will work towards
• How CSR can help you employ and attract an apprentice
• How to embed an apprentice programme in your organisation
• The funding available to support training
• How we deliver the training

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

The event is free of charge but admission will only be available for people who have booked on Eventbrite.

The West Midlands Regional Genetics Service (WMRGS) is relocating its Germline, Bioinformatics, Cancer Genetics, Business and Quality support teams to the Birmingham Research Park.

WMRGS runs the largest genetics laboratory in the UK, providing services to over 5.8 million NHS patients and processing over 55,000 samples a year. Demand for these services is constantly increasing due to developments in genetics that allow earlier and more accurate diagnosis.

The service uses a wide variety of technologies and works closely with the biomedical services in the surrounding area, including the Clinical Genetics Unit at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital and the University of Birmingham.

These services are split into two over-arching clinical programmes – the Germline Genetics Programme which includes prenatal diagnosis, developmental disorders, rare diseases and infertility, and the Cancer Genetics Programme which provides testing to people who may have an increased risk of developing cancer due to family history.

Research Park Manager Angie Reynolds commented: “The Regional Genetics Service is the hub for a vast operation that works closely with the biomedical services in the surrounding area. The new staff have settled in rapidly, and are adding considerably to the verve our commercial and incubator tenants already enjoy.

Concurrently, some elements of the Research Park are undergoing refurbishment, including the first floor of the BioHub Birmingham®, which will be developed over the next few months to provide office and laboratory space for up to six biomedical tenant companies

The WMRGS Germline, Bioinformatics, Business and Quality support teams moved in a few days ago, and will be followed by the Cancer Programme at a later date.   Overall, the move will bring a 120 new people to the Research Park, taking the office buildings to full occupancy, and meaning that 600 people work at the Research Park.

WMRGS laboratory staff will remain at the Women’s Hospital.

To enquire about tenancies, virtual tenancies, meetings or conference facilities contact the Birmingham Research Park Manager at [email protected].

For further information on the BioHub Birmingham®, contact the Business Engagement Manager at [email protected].