Owlstone Medical wins engineering award for breath biopsy platform

A platform that captures and analyses breath samples to identify certain diseases has won the UK’s most prestigious award for engineering innovation.

Diagnostics company, Owlstone Medical was named the winner of the MacRobert Award 2018 by the Royal Academy of Engineering for its Breath Biopsy platform.

The company was presented the award, alongside a £50,000 prize, by Princess Anne at the Academy’s Awards Dinner at the Tower of London.

Owlstone Medical developed its Breath Biopsy platform as a potential device for the earlier diagnosis and development of precision medicine across cancer, inflammatory disease and infectious disease.

The company’s platform is able to capture and analyse breath samples, which are then used to identify unique chemical biomarkers in a variety of diseases also known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), in human breath.

As VOC levels change at the very earliest stages of disease and provide information on the current activity of cells and tissue, the breath samples could lead to earlier diagnosis of diseases such as cancer when treatments are more effective, and more lives can be saved.

Breath biomarkers could also be used to monitor drug effectiveness and match patients to the correct treatment, cutting healthcare costs and lowering drug wastage.

The company uses its ReCiva Breath Sampler to non-invasively capture the samples, which are then analysed through its Breath Biopsy platform. The platform uses Owlstone’s microchip chemical sensor technology (FAIMS) to detect specific disease biomarkers. By developing a standardised method to collect and analyse breath biopsies, Owlstone Medical can create a digital biobank containing thousands of breath VOC profiles matched to identify how these are associated with specific diseases.

The company is also developing tests to diagnose lung and colorectal cancer and is working with the NHS and Cancer Research on clinical trials.

Owlstone Medical was up against Oxford Space Systems for its new generation of origami-inspired and cost-competitive satellite antennas and structures, and Williams Advanced Engineering and Aerofoil Energy for Aerofoils, an aerodynamic shelf-edge technology that reduces energy consumption in supermarket and convenience store fridges.

Dr Dame Sue Ion, chair of the MacRobert Award judging panel, said: “All three finalists showed outstanding innovation, and I am sure they will change the way we live, and how businesses operate, for years to come – whether that be by enhancing the space sector, helping companies slash energy consumption, or by improving healthcare.

“Owlstone Medical stood out because of the extraordinary engineering its breath sampler, and the associated breath biopsy platform, required to bring these technologies to life. The company has demonstrated exceptional innovation at every stage of development; from the mask used to help capture breath, the tubes that help collect the samples, to the software and hardware designed to ensure the tests are reliable and repeatable.

“Owlstone Medical has now created a device that is dependable and non-intrusive, and has the potential to revolutionise the way we diagnose and treat a vast array of diseases. The societal benefit is clear to see, and I believe they could realise their vision of saving more than a billion dollars in global healthcare costs and saving hundreds of thousands of lives.”