OxTox Ltd to Improve Road Safety
14th November 2006
The 64th spin-out company from the University of Oxford, OxTox Ltd, will produce drug-testing kits for the police to use on drivers that are as reliable and easy to use as breathalysers for alcohol.
OxTox Ltd
OxTox Ltd will turn recent discoveries from the Chemistry Department in Oxford University into a working handheld testing device that will clearly indicate if a person is under the influence of illegal drugs.
Drugs such as cannabis and amphetamines impair driver reaction times and judgement. They are implicated in many fatal road traffic accidents, so there is a desperate need for a device that is as easy to use and reliable as an alcohol breathalyser. The OxTox DrugsensingTM approach will provide such a test.
OxTox Ltd will build upon breakthrough electrochemical sensor technology developed in the research group of Professor Richard Compton in Oxford’s Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory.
Professor Compton and Dr Craig Banks have designed and built a smart sensor that, when combined with electricity and a sample of saliva, produces a signal only when the exact target drug is present.
OxTox Ltd was spun out through Oxford University Innovation, the University of Oxford’s wholly owned technology transfer company. The company raised first round investment of £600,000.
The company has an experienced management team. John Parselle, the Chief Executive Officer of OxTox, is a successful entrepreneur who has previously built and sold three multi-million dollar companies. He said: ‘Driving under the influence of drugs (DUID), especially cannabis, is a major cause of fatal accidents not only in the UK but all over the world. Oxtox’s groundbreaking DrugsensingTM technology will provide a very rapid and accurate on-the-spot result that will be easy to administer both for the police and the person taking the test. We are not trying to detect if someone has used drugs within the last couple of days, only if they are actually under the influence at that time, in order to improve safety when driving or for instance when operating potentially dangerous industrial machinery.’
Professor Richard Compton said: ‘We are delighted and proud to join a fine tradition of successful analytical chemistry based spin-outs emerging from Oxford University.’
Previous spin-out companies based on analytical chemistry have included Oxford Biosensors Ltd and Oxford Medical Diagnostics Ltd.
IP Group Plc led the investment round of £600,000 with additional investment from Oxford Technology 4 Venture Capital Trust and a local business angel. Oxford University Innovation and IP Group worked in close partnership to prepare OxTox Ltd for investment. Alan Aubrey, IP Group’s Chief Executive, said: ‘We are very pleased to have completed this investment in Oxtox which we believe has very exciting technology addressing a pressing need and is supported by an experienced entrepreneurial team. This is an extremely exciting opportunity for us with a very high quality academic team. It is our third spin-out company from Oxford University’s Chemistry Department in the last 12 months.’
Matthew Frohn of Oxford Technology Management commented: ‘We are very pleased to be investors in OxTox Ltd. The drug testing market is large and growing – particularly laboratory based analysis. However, despite attempts, a rapid, reliable and simple roadside test for drugs of abuse remains a significant unmet need.’
Tom Hockaday, the Managing Director of Oxford University Innovation, said: ‘Isis has worked with Professor Compton for a number of years to protect the intellectual property created in his research group, and to explore routes to market. We are delighted to see that the market interest in this technology has led to the formation of OxTox Ltd, and we look forward to seeing this technology deliver real benefits for road safety.’
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