Medical Device Link.

SPECIAL REPORT

A new research consultancy has been established to help pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and medical device companies incorporate nano­technology developments into their products. Bio Nano Consulting (BNC; London; www.bio-nano-consulting.com) will serve the biomedical and healthcare industries active in microsystems and nanotechnology.

Advancing drug-delivery technology will be one of the group’s primary objectives. “Nano­technology can certainly be used to address a variety of issues facing manufacturers of combination products,” says David Sarphie, the firm’s CEO. “In particular, nanotechnology offers the promise of improved delivery of pharmaceuticals for a range of diseases.” Sarphie anticipates that, in coming years, medical device and drug companies will show an increased interest in using nanotechnology-based tools for product development. “Bio Nano Consulting will be in a position to assist a number of these companies address their needs, using world-leading experts in a variety of fields.”

The group’s staff comprises researchers specializing in nanotechnology and biomedical engineering as well as experienced product development professionals. BNC’s industrial advisory board, composed of representatives from firms working in the biomedical sector, also will help medical device and pharmaceutical companies incorporate new technological concepts into their products.

Specialties of the group include virtual design, nanocharacterization, and rapid proto­typing. “We have access to almost £5m in equipment for nanocharacterization and nano­prototyping to assist us, as well as access to world-leading experts in a number of nanotechnology-related areas,” Sarphie says. “We have a number of nanotechnology-based tools that can assist medical device manufacturers in looking at a number of issues such as device wear, formation of impurities, leaching, and so forth, using highly sensitive techniques,” Sarphie explains. “An example of one of the technologies we use is x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which we are already using to analyze medical devices.”

A joint venture of Imperial College London and University College London, the consultancy is funded by the Swindon, Wilts, UK–based Technology Strategy Board and the London Development Agency. Bio Nano Consulting also partners with the National Physical Laboratory, which provides research support. The organization already has two projects under way with major pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies.