Government technology grant enables UK consortium to break new ground in biological and chemical sensor technology

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STP035
Issue Date: 29th September 2008

The UK consortium led by Stratophase Ltd and supported by a Technology Strategy Board grant has produced a novel low cost biological and chemical sensor system. Initially developed for counter-bioterrorism applications, the technology has also proved to be well suited to pharmaceutical manufacturing, food and beverage manufacturing, industrial process control and drug discovery applications.

The £565k project, which was completed this summer, has broken new ground by developing a unique multi-wavelength sensing system for the detection of biological binding to coated surfaces, and the measurement of liquid properties.

The Technology Strategy Board’s investment provided half of the funding for the collaboration between Stratophase, Southampton University Optoelectronics Research Centre, Davin Optronics and Smart Fibres.

Proved and patented Stratophase technology was used as the basis for the project with the objective of taking grating-based refractive index sensing to the next step – commercialisation. The system has several advantages over competing commercial measurement and detection products, notably its durability, sensitivity and versatility.

Dr Greg Emmerson, Project Leader from Stratophase, said, “For operation in hostile environments the optical based system produced by the consortium has significant advantages over traditional systems, whether dealing with flammable liquids or unstable temperatures. Using this technique high accuracy refractive index measurements, traditionally restricted to controlled laboratory conditions, can be taken out into the field.”

The wider applications for the optical technology include medical diagnostics, food and beverage manufacturing, industrial process control and biohazard sensing for the medical/pharmaceutical and bioterrorism security sectors.

Dr Richard Williams, CEO Stratophase Ltd, commented, “The Technology Strategy Board’s support has been a great endorsement of this new sensing technology, and validation of its real-life sensing applications. Their grant, combined with the highly relevant expertise of the consortium partners, has resulted in the rapid advancement of this technology to a marketable product far faster than would otherwise be possible.”

Professor Ralph Tatam of Cranfield University (Project Monitor on behalf of the Technology Strategy Board) said, “This has been a highly successful project. To see a technology successfully emerge from an academic idea and turned into a full product is the ideal outcome for a Technology Strategy Board project.”

The three commercial organisations involved - Stratophase, Davin Optronics and Smart Fibres - expect the positive outcome of the research to translate into direct equipment sales and technology license fees for their businesses. For Southampton University’s Optoelectronics Research Centre the innovative collaborative project will help it to maintain its position at the forefront of optoelectronics research.

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