Top Bioquarter prize to University duo

A business concept created by University staff members Mike Millar and Sheila MacPherson has been awarded first prize in the 2012 Bioquarter Innovation competition.

Their idea, Tissuetix, protects human tissues samples from cross-contamination in laboratories.

Cash award

The duo, which works at the University’s Centre for Reproductive Health, has been awarded £10,000 to develop the idea.

Their winning concept tackles two of the biggest challenges experienced by scientists: ease of handling and cross-contamination with other samples.

Practical solution

“Human tissue samples vary widely in their size and shape, and current methods of handling tissue put samples at risk of cross-contamination from other samples.

"At worst, this puts patients at risk of being misdiagnosed with conditions,” Mike explains.

The QMRI-based Facility Manager also claims that their proposal will reduce this contamination risk and can easily be applied in any pathology laboratory setting at a low development cost.

Second prize

Second prize was awarded to trainee neurosurgeon and clinical lecturer Mark Hughes and University PhD student Liana Romaniuk.

Their concept Pre

I’m particularly encouraged by the quality of applications we’ve seen this year, from lab tools to software, and new uses for existing drugs and medical devices – all of which speaks of the range of scientific talents here in Edinburgh.