- Owlstone Medical a finalist for the Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award
- Its ReCIVA Breath Sampler is the first device capable of capturing breath samples for analysis of chemical ‘biomarkers’ in human breath for a variety of diseases
- In addition to unlocking early detection, the platform could help identify the specific therapy a patient is most likely to respond to
- The company is in the middle of the world’s-largest breath-based studies trialling the Breath Biopsy platform with the NHS and Cancer Research UK across several cancer types
- The most-advanced of these is recruiting up to 4,000 patients across 26 clinical sites in multiple countries
A pioneering breathalyser for diagnosing disease is in the running to be named the ‘next big thing’ in engineering.
Owlstone Medical’s ReCIVA Breath Sampler has been selected as one of the finalists of the Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award, which is presented annually to the engineers behind the UK’s most-exciting and impactful innovations.
The ReCIVA Breath Sampler if the first device designed to reliably capture high-quality breath samples and reproducibly analyse the biomarkers present using the company’s Breath Biopsy services and products.
It has the potential to accelerate diagnosis by detecting the unique disease biomarkers that could be present in cancer, inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, and infectious diseases like tuberculosis.
In addition to unlocking early detection for potentially devastating diseases; the platform could also help to identify the specific therapy a patient is most likely to respond to. This could significantly improve patient outcomes and help to reduce healthcare costs.
Along with two other finalists; Owlstone Medical is competing for a gold medal and a £50,000 prize.
The 2018 winner will be revealed at an awards dinner at the Tower of London on 27 June in front of an audience of top engineers, business leaders, politicians and journalists.
The MacRobert Award is the UK’s longest running and most-prestigious award for engineering innovation.
Previous winners have transformed the world we live in, delivering outstanding innovation, commercial success, and tangible social benefit.
The first award in 1969 was won jointly by Rolls-Royce for the Pegasus engine used in the iconic Harrier jets; and Freeman, Fox and Partners for designing the Severn Bridge.
