This is a point of care test for diagnosing bladder cancer. It detects the presence of a special protein, a marker for bladder cancer in a urine sample. The main current method for diagnosing bladder cancer is cystoscopy, which involves passing an endoscope up the urethra and into the bladder under anaesthetic. The new test will be much cheaper, is non-invasive, and hopes to save many patients the need for a cystoscopy. Bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer with high level of recurrence. The team hope that the test could be used to monitor cancer patients and check for recurrence and in the long run, possibly become a screening tool. The test is undergoing clinical trials and should be available in two to three years.

Judges Comments: The underlying technology behind this innovation won a previous Medical Futures Award and they are delighted to now see it find clinical utility. They are keen to see this enter into clinical trials, and if positive, they believe it could drastically change the management of this serious disease.

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This new technique uses heart stem cells to repair the damage to the cardiac muscle caused by heart disease and heart attacks. In a heart attack, heart muscle cells die but existing treatments don't repair the damage to the muscle and have a limited effect on heart function. Professor Schneider was among the first to show that stem or progenitor cells exist in heart muscle, and then developed techniques to purify progenitor cells from a patient's heart and grow them in the laboratory. The Imperial College team proposes to graft the human cells into injured cardiac muscle, under clinically relevant conditions, to obtain the safety and efficacy data needed to justify a phase I human trial. The team is seeking funding to support this essential bridge to clinical evaluation.

Judges Comments: The judges felt that whilst there are many inherent risks with such early stage research, this is exactly the kind of translational research which should be funded as its potential impact is significant.

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An Ophthalmology doctor has developed an electronic patient records system for eye departments. The system was set up to overcome the frustrations of not being able to access the outcomes of operations and other difficulties surrounding paper based notes. The system captures all of the required information around surgery and outpatient appointments. The system also includes information on glaucoma and diabetic eye disease. A company, Medisoft has been formed and in less than eight years the team have managed to go from a standing start to covering almost all of the eye departments in the UK that have electronic patient records. Medisoft is carrying out a pilot to test the feasibility of paperless eye departments and have ambitious growth plans.

Judges Comments: The Judges felt this was an exemplar as to how electronic records should be developed, from the bottom up with clinical and technical collaboration, to exacting standards. They felt that the team have the potential to create a national database for ophthalmology.

This is a medical device that will enable dentists to produce images of teeth, bones and gums similar to X-rays using Infrared light. The team have developed the instrument using a miniature camera and a set of tiny mirrors to produce images of the teeth but without the risks associated with X-rays, especially in children. The idea came about through collaboration between physicists and dentists and the hope is to enable dentists to monitor teeth and bones over time. InfraRed Imaging potentially has much wider application for example, in measuring bone density. The team is currently testing out their device in the laboratory and they are seeking funding to develop and test a clinical instrument.

Judges Comments: The Judges were highly impressed by the potential of this technology and wish to see it progress and obtain proof of concept

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This is a medical device to improve the diagnosis of hearing loss. Every person has a specific hearing profile, however techniques currently used to measure hearing are limited, measuring only eight frequency points. They also require a large hospital based laboratory, and can take up to half an hour to complete. A company from Oxford is developing a much simpler, hand-held device that uses technology to measure hundreds of frequencies in less than 30 seconds. Pre-clinical trials have been very positive and the team are now looking for funding to commence clinical trials, with the aim of having a market ready device by the end of 2009.

Judges Comments: The Judges felt this was a very exciting concept that needs to go through appropriate clinical trials, and if positive, they would like to see this brought to the market in the shortest possible time

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This is a polymer technology to make a liquid bone for use as bone graft during surgery. A team of scientists from Nottingham have developed a synthetic, biodegradable material which has the texture of toothpaste but when injected into the body hardens within 15 minutes, at body temperature and has similar characteristics to normal bone. Approximately 1.5 million bone graft procedures are performed annually worldwide. Many of these require bone to be taken from other parts of the body, or from other donors. Although there are many other synthetic materials on the market, they are difficult to shape and the new ‘injectable bone' is a much simpler procedure, allowing bone voids to be filled with ease. The material is biodegradable allowing new bone to replace it gradually. The team are seeking funding to carry out clinical trials.

Judges Comments: The Judges felt that this was a platform technology with significant clinical utility. They particularly liked the fact that it did not heat up when inserted into the body like many other injectable substances. They would like to see this enter into clinical trials.

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The Moorfields motion displacement test (MDT) is a software program for assessing the field of vision to detect glaucoma. The aim of the test is to tackle the global challenge of undiagnosed glaucoma. The MDT runs on a laptop computer and offers the advantages of portability, affordability and potential accessibility through the internet. The latest test strategy, developed with City University, London, takes 90 seconds per eye and is currently undergoing validation with three international centres. The team seeks to commercialise the technology on completion of the validation program in 2009. Future plans include the development of a paediatric version of the test in collaboration with Great Ormond Street Hospital, London.

Judges Comments: The panel believed that if the multi-centre trials prove positive, that this could be an exciting tool with commercial utility and would like to see a robust implementation plan developed especially one that looks at reimbursement in the US.

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This is a series of genetic techniques that can determine which groups of patients will respond to cancer drugs based on their genetic profile. The drug development process is very expensive and many drugs are found to be ineffective or have unacceptable side effects far too late in the process, often after hundreds of millions of pounds have been spent. A world-class team of scientists from Cambridge have developed a patent protected technique to help pharmaceutical companies know which patient groups will respond to their drugs much earlier on in development, and can also them help develop new classes of drugs tailored to the genetic characteristics of certain patient populations. They aim to bring personalised medicine closer to reality and are looking for strategic investors and collaborators (sponsored by the Technology Strategy Board).

Judges Comments: The Judges welcomed this as a breakthrough that could speed up the process of drug discovery and in the process help many patients from having to take drugs that may not work for them. They would like to see pharmaceutical companies and regulators embrace the concept of personalised medicine.

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Sir James Black OM was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his exceptional contribution to drug discovery, medicine and patient care. A Scottish doctor, Sir James, has contributed significantly to scientific, medical and clinical care, both as a physician and as a scientist. Sir James developed two major families of medicines that have transformed patient care in cardiology (beta blockers) and gastroenterology (anti-ulcer histamine receptor blockers).His invention of propranolol, the beta blocker, revolutionised the medical management of angina and is considered to be one of the most important contributions to clinical medicine and pharmacology of the 20th century. His work on cimetidine, an H2 receptor antagonist, has transformed the treatment of stomach ulcers and other gastrointestinal conditions. Sir James was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1988 for these discoveries.

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