Impact case study database

UofG spin-out company, ModeDx, was launched in 2008 to commercialise measure® BOWEL HEALTH. Despite the product showing potential and achieving sales online and in the high street, investors recommended adapting it for use in the rapidly emerging healthcare market in China. In 2016, ModeDx and the IP/technology underpinning the measure® BOWEL HEALTH device were acquired by Oxford MEStar (a company that enables the translation of products and services from the UK to China). Acknowledging Cooper’s expertise and the technology he developed at UofG, Oxford MEStar invited Cooper to take the role of Chair of the Advisory Board, where he plays a key leadership role in the continuing development of measure® [5.1 page 3]. The impact arising from Cooper’s research at UofG is primarily commercial – a successful spin-out company was created, which following its acquisition, has contributed to innovation in China through the design of new products to address barriers to bowel cancer screening.

The commercial value of the technology underpinning the UofG device was highlighted by a successful funding round in 2014 [5.2], which followed GBP600,000 of funding in 2010 [5.3] and GBP1,100,000 in 2012 [5.4]. In February 2014, ModeDx announced that it had received a European CE mark for the measure® BOWEL HEALTH product, and that it had successfully completed a significant funding round led by new investor, Longwall Venture Partners. Following securing the funding to develop the company, the Head of the Scottish Investment Bank (SIB), commented, “ SIB, through its Scottish Venture Fund, is delighted to further support this ambitious Scottish life sciences company. MODE has shown a commitment to innovation and the development of new products that enhance healthcare provision, and we are pleased to be able to build on previous Scottish Enterprise support from SMART:SCOTLAND to help them accelerate their growth plans” (2014) [5.2]. The CE Certification was received following review by an external notified body and enabled MODE to *“sell measure® into the ‘over the counter’ home healthscreening market”*. The approval followed MODE’s earlier achievement of ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 quality management systems [5.2].

At the time of acquisition, Oxford MEStar was quoted in a press release: “We are excited about the long-term commercial potential of using this technology. We believe the IP developed by Mode, a proprietary electrochemical detection technology, is an important component that we can use to develop handheld test devices manufactured at low cost and in high volumes… We will continue to work in partnership with the University of Glasgow and maintain a corporate presence in Scotland” [5.5].

A key commercial goal of Oxford MEStar is to bridge the gap between UK biotech companies and Chinese markets. Oxford MEStar reported: *“We believe there is enormous potential in this market for China; the current technology in China is not restrained by a lack of funding, but its lack of advanced technology and resources, which are readily available to Oxford MEStar. We are equipped with the right resources, and an abundance of knowledge and expertise to bring British bio-businesses and technology to the Chinese healthcare market” [5.6]. By acquiring the technology developed by Cooper and working with the UofG, Oxford MEStar has been able to meet its commercial goal of taking UK biotechnology advances to China [5.6]. Building on this goal, Oxford MEStar have further developed the device, with guidance from Cooper, to make it more suited to Chinese markets [5.1].

In China, the incidence of bowel cancer has risen in recent years [5.1], and while some countries have strong participation in bowel screening programmes, in Asia there is low public awareness and little support by health authorities for bowel screening. Following the acquisition of ModeDx, Oxford MEStar are now mass-producing measure® in China via Scottech Medical Co. Ltd (Oxford MEStar’s sister company), in Tianjin [5.1 page 1]. Building upon the original UofG research, an improved version of the product was developed for launch in China. In order to secure this place in the Chinese medical diagnostics market, Oxford MEStar carried out clinical trials in two hospitals in China [5.1 page 2]. These trials showed that measure® can detect faecal occult blood, using the existing hospital-based diagnostics as the gold standard/reference [5.1 page 2]. In December 2019, Cooper evaluated the results from these hospital trials, which represented a critical step in the device gaining Chinese Food and Drug Administration/NMPA approval [5.1 page 2]. The success of the measure® product has directly led to Scottech Medical increasing its staff from 5 to 18 between 2016 and 2020 [5.1 page 1].

Following measure® being approved in China, Oxford MEStar are further developing the original UofG-based technology to function with Bluetooth, creating new products that are compatible with smartphone and tablet apps [5.1 page 3]. This is an important adaptation made by Scottech Medical, enabling the device to fit with society’s changing needs around digital health and to make the device particularly useful in low-resource areas and community health centres [5.1 page 3]. The versatility of the device is enabling adaptations to be made so that products remain at the forefront of technological advances, with Cooper’s leadership being crucial to the continued commercial viability of Scottech Medical [5.1 page 3].