Cambridge Consultants Release: New Technology Can Enable 'Near-Patient' Monitoring For Cancer or Heart Disease

September 02, 2010 -- What if you could walk into the pharmacy and get a self diagnostic test for conditions that currently require clinical laboratory testing? Or what if you could get a an instant test result at your GP’s surgery for cardiac disease or breast cancer - without needing to wait for the results to be processed by a laboratory? Cambridge Consultants, a leading technology product development firm known for designing breakthrough products, has launched the technology to enable this new generation of high sensitivity, rapid diagnostic tests. These tests can be easily self-administered in ‘near-patient’ settings - undertaken in conjunction with patients’ GPs, or at home for more straightforward conditions - and can actually detect a problem far earlier than current methods. The new technology platform combines a novel spectroscopy technique and an advanced electronic detector to deliver a highly sensitive diagnostic test that can be applied to detect a wide range of medical conditions.

Current self diagnostic tests, such as home pregnancy tests, do not demand the sensitivity requirements of some clinical tests because the 'biomarker' they are trying to detect is present in significant amounts. However, Cambridge Consultants' technology takes advantage of 'Time Resolved Fluorescence' (TRF), an innovative spectroscopy technique. Combined with a small electronic reader – another innovation from the company – the new platform delivers over four orders of magnitude improved sensitivity compared to existing tests, allowing a wide range of other biomarkers to be measured that are present in far smaller quantities. The new technology is accurate and low cost enough for tests that today take place only in a lab to be manufactured for near-patient use, or in solutions designed for the developing world.

"While there have been immense advances in surgical and pharmaceutical technology in recent years, near-patient or home diagnostics is still mainly limited to pregnancy and glucose testing," commented Simon Burnell, Head of Diagnostics at Cambridge Consultants. "Our TRF technology can now deliver the sensitivity required to satisfy the demand for earlier diagnosis and the detection of a wider range of biomarkers in a very simple to administer format. Moreover, the technology is in a position for a rapid transition to a consumer product meaning consumers could be seeing the first of the new generation of tests on shelves in 18 months’ time."

Cambridge Consultants has already demonstrated the detection of a cardiac disease marker and is continuing to develop other tests. The company’s medical device development process means that new tests for different conditions could be brought to market in 18 months time.

Notes to Editors:

Cambridge Consultants develops breakthrough products, creates and licenses intellectual property, and provides business consultancy in technology critical issues for clients worldwide. For 50 years, the company has been helping its clients turn business opportunities into commercial successes, whether they are launching first-to-market products, entering new markets or expanding existing markets through the introduction of new technologies. With a team of over 300 engineers, designers, scientists and consultants, in offices in Cambridge (UK) and Boston (USA), Cambridge Consultants offers solutions across a diverse range of industries including medical technology, industrial and consumer products, transport, energy, cleantech and wireless communications.

Throughout 2010, Cambridge Consultants celebrates its 50th year in business. Created by three Cambridge graduates in 1960, the company has grown into a leading technology business, renowned worldwide for its ability to solve technical problems and provide innovative, practical solutions to commercial issues. In 2009, the company was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. For more information visit: www.CambridgeConsultants.com

Cambridge Consultants is part of Altran, the European leader in innovation and high technology consulting. The Group’s 17,500 consultants, operating worldwide, cover the entire range of engineering specialities, including electronics, information technology, quality and organization. Altran offers its clients ongoing support throughout the innovation cycle, from technology watch, applied basic research and management consulting to industrial systems engineering and information systems. The Group provides services to most industries, including the automotive, aeronautics, space, life sciences and telecommunications sectors. Founded in 1982, Altran operates in 20 priority countries. In 2008, it generated a turnover of €1,650 million. For more information visit: www.altran.com

About XenBio

Xen Biosciences, Inc (XenBio) is an early stage biotechnology company located at the heart of San Diego’s Golden Research Triangle. It was founded in 2005 to develop and commercialize novel in vitro diagnostic (IVD) technologies to allow accurate answers to health questions at the doctor’s office, home, mall, and other point-of-use locations. XenBio’s proven and patented portable detection platform is poised to address the need for real time, low cost, point-of-use solutions for the heart disease and breast cancer diagnostics markets. XenBio presently offers development services on behalf of clients with access to other validated markers.

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