Venturefest Oxford 2004 – Speakers Confirmed
20th June 2004
The Universities Technology Seminar, part of Venturefest 2004, is to be held on Monday June 28th and chaired once again by Dr Tim Cook, Managing Director of Oxford University Innovation.
The seminar will highlight early stage research projects and spin-out companies, as well as technology developed in Oxford and now in general use. The seminar offers an opportunity to hear some of Oxford’s most exciting scientists talk about their work, as well as the commercial potential of their discoveries.
Speakers now confirmed for the Universities Technology Seminar, Venturefest Oxford, include:
Mr Ian Rubin, Chief Executive Officer, Glycoform Ltd
“Adding Value”
Recombinant proteins and antibodies are becoming increasingly important therapeutics for a number of diseases. Most protein therapeutics exist as glycoproteins – proteins that include complex carbohydrates. Glycosylation is the chemistry of conjugating carbohydrates to proteins to form glycoproteins.
Glycoform’s Objectives are:
To become the glycosylation partner of choice for any biotechnology or pharmaceutical company with a therapeutic protein in development.
To develop our own therapeutic proteins and license these for commercialisation.
Professor Gus Hancock, Founding Academic, Oxford Medical Diagnostics
“Breath sensing as a diagnostic for disease”
Some 200 different volatile compounds exist in a sample of human breath, and their relative concentrations alter in the presence of disease. Measurement of these markers can be a useful clinical aid to diagnosis providing that instruments can be built which have the appropriate sensitivity and selectivity. Oxford Medical Diagnostics will exploit laser and cavity technologies developed in the Chemistry Laboratory at Oxford University to develop simple and cheap diagnostic tools which will achieve this aim. Gas sensing for environmental purposes will also be developed using similar technologies.
Dr. Jan Czernuszka, University Lecturer, Department of Materials, University of Oxford and Founding Scientist, TEOX Ltd.
“Biomaterials – A role in wealth creation”
Research within the Biomaterials Group within the Materials Department at Oxford University has led to the creation of superior bone analogues, drug delivery devices and, very recently, tissue expanders. These materials are based on natural tissues with the aim of mimicking the biofunctionality of the original tissue through mimicking the structure and biology. A spin-out company has been formed to develop and commercialise the technology – TEOX Ltd. We control the process on many length scales and tailor the properties of the scaffold to suit the application. The TEOX platform technology forms scaffolds not only for bone but also heart valves, meniscal cartilage and arteries. Licence deals are in place for the drug delivery devices.
Dr. Janet Efstathiou, Reader in Engineering Science, University of Oxford
“Oxford Engineering in the manufacturing sector”
Academics in the Department of Engineering Science collaborate with industry on a huge range of research and consultancy projects. Janet Efstathiou will talk about her experience of working with companies to integrate supply chains, design laboratories, explore Mass Customization and simulate Accident and Emergency departments in Oxfordshire hospitals. Industrialists, academics and researchers collaborate in flexible teams, to solve problems for local and national companies, and contribute to the UK’s research base.
Dr Roy Woodhead, Senior Lecturer in Technology Management, Oxford Brookes University
“Creating Value Group”
Dr. Roy Woodhead is a Senior Lecturer at Oxford Brookes and works in the field of Technology Management and Innovation underpinned by an enquiry into the philosophy of Technology. He is a fully qualified Value Engineering practitioner with European qualifications in Value Management. His systematic approach to innovation is established by making functionality explicit within a larger Innovation Management process.
Mr Mike Lawton, Managing Director, FutureTec
“Developing Creative Engineering”
Futuretec Technologies was founded by Mike Lawton and Jolyon Tidmarsh in September 2003 as an innovative software and electronics development house. In addition to contract and project management work for ‘blue-chip’ companies, Futuretec aims to revolutionise the drinks dispense industry with it’s own SmartCellarT concept. So far SmartCellarT has aroused great interest from local brewer Hook Norton and a major national brewer & pub-co. Futuretec has recently been awarded a DTI Grant for Research & Development to fund work and establish intellectual property rights on the SmartCellarT concept.
