Lung Imaging Company Sets Its Sights On Tackling COPD

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Also Included In: MRI / PET / Ultrasound
Article Date: 11 Mar 2011 - 4:00 PDT


A unique, non-invasive magnetic imaging (MRI) tool is being developed by The University of Manchester spinout company Bioxydyn. It has the potential to considerably improve the treatment of lung conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, cystic fibrosis and emphasema as well as aiding cancer specialists and neuroscientists.

COPD is the world's 3rd biggest killer but Bioxydyn's diagnostic imaging technologies have the potential to change the way in which lung disease is diagnosed and monitored by providing non-invasive regional assessments of lung ventilation/perfusion ratio (V/Q) and measures of changes in pulmonary vascular function.

Bioxydyn is also developing powerful MRI based oncology tools for quantifying tumour oxygenation and oxygen metabolism. By providing unique non-invasive characterisation of the oxygenation status of tumours its technologies will aid therapeutic decision making and provide additional information for assessing the response of tumours to intervention.

Commenting on the potential for this new technology Prof. Geoff Parker, Bioxydyn Director said: "There currently simply isn't an inexpensive or practical 3D lung imaging technique available that can capture the structure and function of the lung, so we feel we've got something the market will want quickly. Lung diseases and disorders are so commonplace, with COPD affecting 80m people and causing 3m deaths world-wide each year."

Prof. Parker continues: "We've some exciting interest from major pharmaceutical players, so the race is on to develop our products and engage with the market to bring this to a commercial reality as soon as possible."

Professor Parker who is also Director of The University of Manchester's Biomedical Imaging Institute (http://www.bii.manchester.ac.uk/), has been named by the Institute of Public Policy Research as one of 50 'Northern Lights' in recognition of his work with Bioxydyn.

Bioxydyn has received commercialisation support and advice from UMIP The University of Manchester's Intellectual Property commercialisation company as well as funding from The UMIP Premier Fund which makes late-seed stage investments.

In 2010 Bioxydyn was named as Startup of the Year at the Northwest Biomedical Awards.

Source: Bioxydyn

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