WINNERS OF THE NEXXUS WEST OF SCOTLAND'S TOP LIFE SCIENTISTS AWARDS

The top life scientists and life science companies in the West of Scotland were honoured for their outstanding contributions to the industry on Thursday, October 27 at the first ever Nexxus annual awards.

Nexxus, the West of Scotland Bioscience Network, awarded prizes in four categories after submissions were invited from all corners of the West of Scotland life science arena.

The winners, who were presented with their awards at a civic reception in Glasgow City Chambers, supported by Glasgow City Marketing Bureau were:

PROFESSOR DAVID ONIONS

Prof Onions, Chief Medical Officer at multinational biotech firm Invitrogen, was given the Nexxus Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of the considerable contribution he has made to life science in both the academic and commercial spheres in West of Scotland and internationally.

In 1989 Prof Onions co-founded Q-One Biotech, which started off as a four-man operation in Glasgow and by 2003 had grown to a company with 260 employees, two offices in Scotland and one in Worcester, Massachusetts. Q-One Biotech became one of the major success stories of the biotech industry in Scotland and is now part of the multinational Invitrogen corporation. This huge success led 3i to describe Q-One as their most successful start-up biotech investment.

Prof Onions’ new role as Invitrogen’s CMO means that his influence on the international biotechnology industry will continue to increase.

David’s experience and expertise in this area has also resulted in him being appointed to the advisory committees in the Food and Drugs Administration and the World Health Organisation.

He said: “A lifetime achievement award was one of the last things I expected, but it’s come as a very pleasant surprise. The life science sector in the West of Scotland is doing very impressive and pioneering work, and I’m really delighted to be a continuing part of it.”

PAL TECHNOLOGIES LTD – activPAL™ professional

The activPAL™ professional system is already finding applications in a wide range of clinical studies. Initially developed with a focus on rehabilitation of stroke and spinal injury patients, the system attaches discreetly to the thigh and uses micro sensors to monitor patient activity. This provides doctors with important information on the ‘wellness’ of patients and their willingness to undertake physical activity.

Application of the technology has also extended to assessing wellbeing in patients fighting cancer, and, with activity levels plummeting and waistlines expanding, is another tool for clinicians treating patients with problems relating to obesity.

While PAL Technologies focus is on human healthcare, they have also been able to exploit activPAL™, which was recently granted a patent, for a number of animal health applications ranging from pet dogs to dairy cattle.

Douglas Maxwell, CEO of PAL Technologies, said: “The recognition this award will give us among potential customers in the West of Scotland is of great value to us. ActivPAL™ is still a very new product and there are a lot of people we want to reach.”

CRUCIAL GENETICS LTD

Crucial Genetics is a high-tech spin-out company from the University of Glasgow exploiting an identified gap in the market for first-class DNA profiling.

Established in 2004, Crucial Genetics is the first and only private Scottish firm to be officially accredited for DNA profiling work, focusing on paternity and forensic investigations.

Crucial Genetics has ambitious expansion plans which will see it extend the number of market applications for its DNA profiling technology including genealogy mapping, animal pedigree analysis and GM foodstuff testing.

Founder and Technical Director Dr John Gow said: “This award is the latest in a string of accolades for us and we’re really pleased to have been named winners. We’re very grateful to Scottish Enterprise for their continued support, and the help and advice we’ve received from the Research and Enterprise Department at the University of Glasgow, especially business manager Brian McGeough.”

Brian McGeough added: "The Nexxus Award is welcome recognition for a new Scottish spin-out from a Scottish University. Its a tribute to the partnership between the University of Glasgow, the private sector and Scottish Enterprise and is at the core of what Nexxus is all about."

PROFESSOR DUNCAN GRAHAM

Professor Duncan Graham has already had a significant impact in the West of Scotland’s life science sector. Appointed to a personal chair in the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Chemistry at the remarkably young age of 33, Prof Graham has built a research group of over 30 with funding of £3m investigating the area of molecular nanometrology – or the use of chemistry to create new molecules for use in biosensing applications such as rapid disease state diagnosis.

Prof Graham and his group’s work has already resulted in 68 academic publications and six patents, and has the potential of revolutionising molecular diagnostics by increasing the sensitivity and precision of biological detection systems. In addition to Prof Graham’s academic pursuits, in his “free time”, he is working with Professor Ewen Smith to create a university spin-out company to make this technology widely available.

He said: “It’s an honour to be recognised at the first Nexxus awards, and it’s a great reflection on the hard work and output of the research group who have been behind me all the way.”

Prof Graham is a member of the Glasgow Conference Ambassador Programme, which is run by Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and is a free service assisting academics, scientists, medics and business people who are thinking about bringing a conference to the city.

For further information contact Bryan Garvie or Marjorie Calder of The BIG Partnership on or Jan Clark, Marketing Communications Officer, Nexxus, on .