22nd July 2015

Glyconics Selected To Attend an International Open Innovation Workshop in China on Point of Care Diagnostics

Glyconics Limited has been successful in a competition led by the Yorkshire and Humberside Academic Health Science Network to attend a Workshop on Point of Care Diagnostics in Tianjin, China in July, 2015.

The workshop, which is being run in partnership with the University of Bradford, aims to foster collaborations between UK and Chinese companies, in order to create funded proof of concept projects, with the ultimate aim of establishing innovative and jointly-owned UK-China new technologies and companies and new market opportunities. If successful, UK companies can receive grants of up to £200,000 from the Chinese government to develop these projects.

The competition saw Glyconics compete with a number of UK start-up companies to join the workshop and to secure funding for the mission. Dr Nanette Bartram, Glyconics Operations Director will attend the event.

Dr Berwyn Clarke, CEO of Glyconics, said: “Glyconics is now well placed to expand to China. With clinical trials starting this year, and a product expected to launch next year, we have made excellent progress towards commercialisation. China is the world’s largest market and the COPD market is particularly large in Asia so establishing a strong foothold there is crucial to our international strategy. However, there are a number of challenges in doing this and we are actively looking for local partners to assist in this commercialization. This workshop will be a wonderful opportunity to identify potential partners and, equally importantly, to secure seed funding to enable the UK- Chinese partnership to gather some momentum”

Glyconics technology uses Infrared Spectroscopy to analyse the composition of sputum in patients with suspected respiratory disease. Scientists at Swansea University led by Dr Paul Lewis identified proprietary biomarkers in sputum that can differentiate COPD patients from other diseases, and can also provide an early indication of exacerbation. Using the handheld device, samples can be analysed using proprietary software, at the point of care, producing a result in minutes.

Assuming successful clinical validation Glyconics expects to launch its first CE-marked product in 2016 initially targeting the UK and European markets. This will be followed by a launch in China in 2017.

Visit the Glyconics profile here