They used Orla CellCarrier to support the culture and differentiation of the cells towards bone-like mesodermal cells and hepatocyte-like enodermal cells.

For more information about the publication click here.

For more information about CellCarrier click here.

We will displaying our new cell culture proteins and products.

Please drop by our booth to discuss how our animal-free proteins and 2D/3D cell culture surfaces could help your research.

For information about the conference click here.

Or for a full meeting programme click here.

The assay was performed on a Biacore T200 instrument using an Orla protein surface to capture anti-IFNγ antibodies and present them as a controlled oreinted surface to detect IFNγ in spiked complex culture medium containing BSA and growth factors.

Using an Orla surface allowed NPL to significantly improve the assay detect IFNγ at concentrations as low as 3nM.

A poster describing the work can viewed here.

Orla provides kits for performing such experiments on SPR, QCM and other analytical devices. 

This work was funded by the Technology Strategy Board as part of the Detecting Infectiuos Disease programme.

Nov. 21st, 2007. Early-stage nanobiotechnology firm Orla Protein Technologies Ltd (Orla) and leading Japanese electronics manufacturer Japan Radio Co., Ltd. (JRC) have today signed an agreement for the next stage in their ongoing development of a range of ground-breaking diagnostic devices.

The novel devices will be used by doctors and paramedics to perform near patient testing without the requirement for complex equipment resulting in earlier and more effective treatment for patients and providing savings for healthcare providers. Simple to use, small, low cost and portable they will provide instant test results for viruses, bacteria and protein markers. Test results will be stored electronically, and be capable of wireless transmission, opening significant opportunities in the multi-million dollar diagnostics market.

JRC is an established leader in the development of surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices which are currently used in mobile phones and other wireless electronic devices. Orla is pioneering the convergence of such technologies with life sciences applications by utilising proprietary surface technology. The collaboration will make mass manufacture of these bio-devices a reality.

Dr Hiromi Yatsuda, Deputy General Manager of the JRC SAW device R&D centre said "JRC was founded in 1915 and Orla in 2002. We are different nationalities and from different industrial fields, but we are now working together to create state-of-the-art biosensor products for human healthcare. "

Dr Dale Athey, CEO of Orla, commented, "We are honoured to be working with such an established partner as Japan Radio. Their expertise in mass manufacture and sensor technology, combined with Orla's novel biosurface technology provides a unique opportunity to create a leading position in the biodiagnostic marketplace."

Photograph of contract signing

Dale Athey Orla & OJ-Bio CEO will take part in the mission which is sponsored by UKTI and the Technology Strategy Board.

Further details can be found on the website http://www.futurehealthmission.com/

During the week Dale will also speak at the Biotech Showcase event on Monday 10th of January at the Parc 55 in downtown SF.

Leading UK nanobiotechnology company, Orla Protein Technologies, has developed a unique biosurface technology which could offer a more efficient and cost effective solution for biomedical research, whilst highlighting exciting possibilities for the future of biomedical implants and ‘nanomedicine'.

Featured in a recent journal article by Newcastle University Ph.D. student Elizabeth Mitchell and Dr Mark Birch of the university's Musculoskeletal Research Group, Orla's technology offers a very real alternative to current in vitro testing techniques, including those used for stem cell research.

Where current techniques see researchers adding proteins to a liquid solution to mimic conditions and behaviours inside the body, Orla's technology works by tethering proteins to a specially engineered surface made of glass or gold, designed to more closely resemble the body's internal environment.

"The technology works to immobilise the proteins on a surface, encouraging them to ‘self-assemble' or distribute evenly with uniform thickness - similar to dropping a spot of oil into water, says Dale Athey, Chief Executive at Orla.

"This offers significant advantages to researchers, helping to cut costs by as much as 50per cent, as the amount of proteins needed to conduct each experiment is noticeably reduced, whilst the speed and accuracy of results is notably increased."

As outlined in the article, published earlier this year in the BMC Journal, this technology could also hold the key for groundbreaking developments in regenerative medicines such as the way that biomedical implants, like hip replacements are accepted by the body.

Elizabeth Mitchell, author of the journal article, said: "Research has shown that in the long term this technology could see breakthroughs in the way that biomedical implants are integrated into the body.

"One of the problems in implanting prosthetic joints is that there is a lack of integration between the bone and the artificial joint. Using Orla's technology we were able to create a surface which potentiates the activity of a peptide to initiate and actively support bone formation. In the future this could be used in patients to reduce aseptic loosening and the need for secondary surgery."

Professor Jeremy Lakey, Scientific Director of Orla and an academic at Newcastle University added: "This method allows us to incorporate a huge range of bioactive molecules into new materials for drug delivery and targetting, where nanoscale particles and molecules are used to target a drug to the areas in the body where it will do most good."

The paper shows that DPPSCs are capable of producing functional 3D bone-like tissue consisting of trabecular and cortical bone using our CellCarrier 3D glass scaffolding.

The publication is available from Sciencedirect

Within the VIRASENS project, the UK's Health Protection Agency (HPA) collected samples from patients and tested them for three viruses - influenza A and B (two common flu strains, including those responsible for some major epidemics in the past) and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), a major cause of coughs and chest infections.

Tests showed that the Orla sensor was able to detect all three respiratory viruses at levels comparable to, or better than, current systems - but with results available in less than ten minutes. The results were recently presented at the American Association of Clinical Chemistry Oak Ridge Conference in San Jose, California; click here to view the poster

Being based on electronic chips from JRC that are already mass manufactured for use in mobile phones, means that devices can be made low cost, single-use and disposable - ideal for point of care application. In addition JRC's expertise in wireless communications means that the devices can be wireless enabled, allowing connectivity to healthcare networks.

Dr Andrew Sails, Head of Molecular Diagnostics and R&D at the HPA's Public Health Laboratory in Newcastle said "This is very exciting technology which has the potential to revolutionise POC testing for infectious diseases".

During the project, Orla and JRC formed the joint venture company OJ-Bio Ltd (www.oj-bio.com) to commercialise the biosensor products developed for this and other applications. Newcastle-based OJ-Bio now seeks industrial partners to turn its Flu and RSV technology into products for use in near patient settings.