Cambridge Enterprise works in collaboration with University of Cambridge researchers to market and license technologies ranging from the biosciences to engineering.
Cambridge Enterprise has completed close to 900 technology transfer transactions. We welcome contact from companies interested in licensing technologies from the University of Cambridge, and work with companies on an individual basis to identify specific areas of interest.
Reference number: Hov-2008-07/Hov-2003-07
Contact email: rachel.atfield@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
System for monitoring and controlling levels of glucose in type 1 diabetes patients using an interacting multiple model strategy.
Reference number: Bar-2746-12
Contact email: chunjing.gu@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) is a questionnaire developed by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen and colleagues at the Autism Research Centre and available for licensing. Consisting of fifty questions, it aims to test if adults, children or adolescents of average intelligence have symptoms of autism or one of the other autism spectrum conditions. A suite of tests developed by the team for diagnosing autism found at the following link are also available for licensing: http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/arc_tests
Reference number: Rub-1856-07
Contact email: rachel.atfield@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Two stable inducible rat phaeochromocytoma (PC12) cell lines expressing GFP-tagged exon 1 of the Huntington gene with either 23 or 74 glutamine repeats (PC12 HD-Q23 or PC HD-Q74), driven by a doxycycline-dependent Tet-On promoter. These cell lines can be used for in vitro studies to evaluate compounds to treat Huntington's disease.
Reference number: Lac-1893-07
Contact email: paul.thomas@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
An ideal limb prosthesis is one that the patients can naturally wear and control. This can be achieved through the use of an implanted neural interface that records neuronal signals that can be used to control the prosthesis. The neural interface developed here allows damaged nerve fibres to regenerate through an array of electrode-coupled microchannels in a way that increases signal levels and decreases the incidence of crosstalk.
Reference number: Leh-2484-10
Contact email: rachel.atfield@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
A method of identifying and eliminating human cytomegalovirus infected cells from bone marrow transplants. This technology has the potential to increase survival rates of transplant recipients and to reduce disease complications in transplant recipients.
Reference number: Zer-2489-10
Contact email: christine.martin@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
A novel method that enables embryos to be cultured in vitro past the implantation stage, which has been previously unachievable. Culturing embryos past this point allows development to be closely monitored, but also will enable generation of a much larger number of pluripotent stem cells than can be isolated from embryos using current methods. This method will therefore be of great use to both developmental and stem cell research communities. In addition it will aid understanding embryo development at a critical stage of pregnancy thereby facilitating the optimisation of in vitro fertilisation techniques.
For more information see the publication Morris, S et al, Nature Communications 2012 Feb 14;3:673:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22334076
Reference number: Bar-2748-12
Contact email: chunjing.gu@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Empathy Quotient (EQ), Systemizing Quotient (SQ) and Empathy/Systemizing Quotient (EQ-SQ) are questionnaires developed by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen and colleagues at the Autism Research Centre and available for licensing. They aim to test if adults, adolescents or children of average intelligence have Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism. A suite of tests developed by the team for diagnosing autism found at the following link are also available for licensing: http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/arc_tests
Reference number: Cha-1883-07
Contact email: amanda.wooding@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Unlike currently existing endometriosis mouse models, this novel allograft model is an immuno-competant mouse that produces viable endometriosis-like lesions. This model will be useful in screening and identifying compounds for use in the treatment of endometriosis. Other applications include investigating the pathogenesis of endometriosis, identifying target genes or others factors associated with endometriosis.
Reference number: Hol-2466-10
Contact email: paul.thomas@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
An innovative system for selectively entrapping proteins and nucleic acids within microfluidic gel beads, enabling high-throughput screening in directed evolution experiments and the isolation of positive clones via FACS.
Reference number: Sin-2591-11
Contact email: andrew.walsh@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Origin-specific vascular smooth muscle cells have been generated from embryonic stem cells including iPS cells using chemically defined culture conditions. The derived cells have been extensively characterized including functional characterization. Broad applications in vascular regenerative medicine.
Reference number: Wut-2525-10
Contact email: rachel.atfield@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Novel method to derive haploid mouse embryonic stem cells (ESC) for forward genetic screening. Several different lines are currently maintained, including from different mouse strains and transgenic lines. Main use to facilitate forward genetic screening; homozygous mutation libraries could be easily generated.
Reference number: Wal-336-00
Contact email: rachel.atfield@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Humanised anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody to prevent antigen-specific immunological responses to life-saving therapeutic proteins. Proof of mechanism has been demonstrated preclinically and in man.
Reference number: Cla-146-98
Contact email: iain.thomas@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Novel, improved, human, antibody constant regions which lack destructive effector functions. These constant regions can be combined with the variable region genes or receptor domains of your choice to produce antibodies or fusion proteins of any desired specificity. Specific applications in the areas of autoimmunity, inflammation, allergy, asthma and cardiovascular disease are envisaged.
Reference number: Lin-1924-05 / Tre-1892-07
Contact email: andrew.walsh@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Improved ultrasound imaging technique known as strain imaging that distinguishes between harder and softer regions in human tissue and provides more accurate and better quality images. Can be used for detecting tumours in the breast, prostate and neck and distinguishing between malignant and benign lumps as well as for other diagnostic applications including detecting and grading Deep Vein Thrombosis.
Reference number: All-2278-09
Contact email: rachel.atfield@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Early diagnosis of brain tumours in children relies on accurate assessment of their visual field. However, current visual perimeters (visual field analysers) are impossible to use in young children. KidzEyez is a child-friendly perimeter system that can aid in the early diagnosis of tumours. KidzEyez also allows the clinician to accurately monitor and record tumour progression, helping them preserve sight and life.
For more information, see the video:
http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/researchers-develop-new-test-for-children-with-vision-loss/
Reference number: Sch-2538-11
Contact email: paul.thomas@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
A novel method and apparatus for monitoring the performance of a person undertaking exercise to assess their cardiovascular fitness, in particular, by calculating VO2 max, the maximal oxygen uptake per unit time.
Reference number: Low-1930-07
Contact email: paul.thomas@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
High specificity, low cost synthetic ligands which are useful to manufacture therapeutic antibodies and other biopharmaceuticals. This technology, developed by Professor Chris Lowe and colleagues in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, offers the potential to replace Protein A or Protein G in commercial bioprocessing.
Reference number: Bri-2121-08
Contact email: amanda.wooding@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
A novel agent for use in molecular imaging of apoptotic cells that can be cross-linked to a variety of contrast agents and is highly suitable for use with imaging technologies such as MRI, PET and SPECT. This imaging agent may be useful as a prognostic indicator of treatment outcome for cancer or cardiac plaque formation.
Reference number: Ven-2161-08
Contact email: andrew.walsh@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Our researchers have identified the earliest known marker for DNA damage. Phosphorylation of residue Thr51 of protein HP1β occurs within minutes of the onset of DNA damage. A robust, specific polyclonal antibody to the phosphorylated form of this protein has been developed which is an effective biomarker for DNA damage. This has excellent potential for use as a biomarker in clinical applications such as the diagnosis, prognosis and predictive response of individuals to cancer therapy.
Reference number: Lom-1613-06/Lom-2382-10
Contact email: andrew.walsh@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Novel controller for navigation of 3D medical imaging data that enables interactive 2D reformatting of, and navigation through, volumetric imaging data, such as data from CT or MRI, whilst avoiding visual distraction.
For more information see the video:
Reference number: Ben-840-03
Contact email: andrew.walsh@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Transgenic mice are engineered so that on induction they rapidly and predictably develop a disease state that shares major features of advanced vulnerable atherosclerosis in humans. This valuable model is highly suited to studies of cardiovascular drugs which stabilise atherosclerotic plaques and the long term study of arterial diseases such as aneurysm formation, angioplasty restenosis and atherosclerosis.
Reference number: Gle-2119-07
Contact email: emma.barker@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
A novel drug-like series of 5-HT1B antagonists with excellent potential for treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) with a low side effect profile and in-vivo data showing reversal of PAH.
Reference number: Smi-2124-08 / Smi-2260-08
Contact email: amanda.wooding@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
A method for predicting prognosis in autoimmune diseases including lupus and ANCA-associated vasculitis. The technique enables patients to be divided into groups at high and low risk of disease progression to identify patients requiring intensive immunosuppressive therapy or to reduce the total immunosuppressive load in patients at low risk of disease relapse.
Reference number: Bar-2747-12
Contact email: chunjing.gu@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
The Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT) is a questionnaire developed by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen and colleagues at the Autism Research Centre and available for licensing. Consisting of twenty-five questions, it aims to identify children aged 18-24 months who are at risk of having social-communication disorders. A version with 10 questions is also available. A suite of tests developed by the team for diagnosing autism found at the following link are also available for licensing: http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/arc_tests
Reference number: Hyv-1467-05
Contact email: andrew.walsh@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
High purity Activin A available in large quantities from E Coli, useful as an additive in stem cell culture and as a mesoderm inducer in developmental biology.
Reference number: OM-0215
Contact email: rachel.atfield@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Large quantities of recombinant full-length human RAD51 useful for biochemical and biological assays including for DNA strand exchange, protein-protein/protein-DNA interaction studies in vitro and in vivo and Western blots.
Reference number: Hov-2295-09
Contact email: rachel.atfield@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Executable and source code to represent glucose regulation of type 1 diabetes.
Reference number: CL-0229
Contact email: rachel.atfield@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
A stable human cell line expressing multiple copies of biotinylated ubiquitin under tight control by tetracycline. This cell line enables clean and easy identification and quantification of ubiquitin substrates, studies of ubiquitination mechanisms and ubiquitination inhibitor screens. Ubiquitination is thought to be a key signaling mechanism in diseases such as cancer and these cells will be a powerful tool for the ubiquitin research community.
Reference number: Rol-2617-11
Contact email: rachel.atfield@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
The General Practice Assessment Questionnaire (GPAQ) is a patient questionnaire that helps practices find out what patients think about their care. It specifically focuses on aspects of general practice that are not covered elsewhere in the Quality and Outcomes Framework - for example, access, inter-personal aspects of care and continuity of care.
Reference number: SMI-2230-08
Contact email: amanda.wooding@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Administration of a recombinant protein known to be involved in preventing oxidative stress to preterm infants shortly after birth is therapeutically beneficial to protect against complications of prematurity and to reduce the costs of neonatal intensive case.
Reference number: Gri-2367-09
Contact email: andrew.walsh@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Enables exploration of mechanisms involved in glucose dependent insulinotropic polypeptide secretion with the potential to identify targets in these cells that could be exploited therapeutically for treatment of obesity.
Reference number: Gri-1716-06
Contact email: andrew.walsh@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Enables exploration of mechanisms underlying GLP-1, PYY and glucagon release, with the potential to identify targets in proglucagon-expressing cells that could be exploited therapeutically for the treatment of diabetes and obesity.
Reference number: Alc-543-02
Contact email: rachel.atfield@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
A viral CD30 polypeptide that may be used to treat inflammatory diseases for example autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus or multiple sclerosis. Viral CD30 works in the same way as human CD30 antibodies to neutralise interactions between CD30 ligand and its receptor but may have additional effects to CD30 antibodies by inducing signalling in cells expressing CD30 ligand.
Reference number: Sta-321-00
Contact email: emma.barker@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Human keratinocyte cell line useful in research related to human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) and cervical carcinoma.
Reference number: Han-2172-08
Contact email: charlanne.ward@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
A small form-factor Liquid Crystal (LC) laser capable of tuneable colour or continuous wave (CW) lasing has been demonstrated, enabling one or more dynamically controllable laser outputs in any 2D pattern and any colour from a single pump source.
The technology, developed by Professor Harry Coles and his team in the Department of Engineering, uses software defined holograms on an LC modulator to vary the position of the pump laser beam. The pump beam then interacts either with an array of single colour LC laser cells or with a segmented array of different colour LC laser cells to produce either a spatially defined CW output or a coloured output, where the specific spatial arrangement or colour is determined by the pump hologram.
Since the hologram can be varied dynamically, the output can be tuned in lasing wavelength or spatial location without the need for lengthy reconfiguration of the system. Other benefits include improvements to LC laser lifetime, increased average power output and by combining both techniques the ability to generate multiple simultaneous laser emissions at the same or different wavelengths in a compact and portable laser module.
Reference number: Whi-2267-09
Contact email: gillian.davis@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Professor Ian White and members of his research team in the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge have developed a technique for enabling simultaneous bi-directional transmission on standard multimode optical fibre. Signal rates of 10Gb/s have been demonstrated, resulting in an aggregate data rate of 20Gb/s without the need for multiple fibres. This also enables a duplex bi-directional optical link with an aggregate data rate of 40Gb/s.
This solution is protected by a granted US patent US8326157. CE would be interested to hear from companies looking to extend their data rates over multimode fibres in areas such as campus networks, data centres, storage area networks, enterprise LANs and other fields requiring high speed multimode fibre links.
Reference number: Dri-2191-08
Contact email: enquiries@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Enhancement of critical current densities by an order of magnitude in YBCO in self fields or applied fields with no lowering of the critical temperature. The enhancement, by incorporating rare earth tantalates into the YBCO, is effective even in thick films and over wide angular ranges of applied field.
Reference number: Nol-2585-11
Contact email: gillian.davis@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Recordings of speakers with ‘Standard Southern British English’ pronunciation have been collected and transcribed orthographically by researchers in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at the University of Cambridge.
The database was recorded with forensic phonetic research in mind, but serves very generally as an extensive source of contemporary spoken English. It comprises studio quality recordings of 100 male speakers aged 18-25 performing four tasks involving different speaking styles: taking part in a simulated police interview, making a telephone call with an “accomplice” (recorded simultaneously and over the public telephone network), reading a passage, and reading a set of sentences.
Compared to alternative databases of comparable size, this database provides, for a tightly homogeneous population of speakers, a spectrum of speaking styles with a substantial number of words and phrases (elicited by design) in common. It is expected to be of interest to companies involved in a variety of speech technologies, and is available to license from the Economic and Social Data Service.
Reference number: Pen-2302-09, Pen-2424-09
Contact email: gillian.davis@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Typically there is a trade-off to be made between the cost of an RFID tracking system and the coverage and tag locating capabilities which can be achieved. Most systems capable of reading tags with near 100% success rate over distances up to 100m require active tags to achieve their long range and high resolution location accuracy. Alternatively passive systems with cheaper tags, are limited to a reliable tag detection range of only a few meters.
Now researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a system using passive tags and advanced signal processing which can achieve comparable tag detection performance to active tags at a lower cost point. This enables near 100% read success and has been demonstrated for asset tracking over a 20x20m2 area, although the system can readily scale to larger areas. The researchers have also demonstrated the potential of the technique for accurate real time location capabilities.
This technology is protected by patent applications in US, Europe and China, and is now ready for pilot commercial applications such as inventory and asset tracking and monitoring patient movement in hospitals.
Reference number: Csa-2168-08
Contact email: enquiries@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Gaussian Approximation Potential (GAP) is a novel atomistic modelling technique that combines accuracy with speed. By inferring the energy of an atom from the position and identity of its neighbours using a precomputed database of exact quantum mechanical solutions, the potential energy surface of a system of atoms and molecules is approximated.
This methodology allows a controllable compromise to be made between the accuracy of Quantum Chemistry models and the speed of Interatomic Potential methods, with applications in a diverse range of fields including pharmaceuticals, aerospace, electronics and biotechnology.
Reference number: Rob-2400-10
Contact email: andrea.cantone@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
A method for forming small catalytic nanoparticles at high densities over a substrate to serve as nuclei for the growth of carbon nanotubes (or CNTs). The inventors have experimentally grown CNTs with densities of 5•1012 cm-12 (five times greater than the closest rival technology), and expect that arrays of CNTs with densities of 1013 cm-2 or higher can be grown using this method.
Reference number: Smi-327-01
Contact email: enquiries@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
The 'Inerter' is a novel passive device which allows designers of ride-control and suspension/damping systems the ability to realise performance levels that were previously only possible with actively controlled architectures. The device may be used on its own or in conjunction with traditional ride-control building blocks, to allow the designer cheap and simple, passive access to the full range of suspension characteristics. The device promises improvements over traditional technologies in areas such as passenger comfort, heavy vehicles dynamics and the handling of high-performance vehicles.
Reference number: Col-1109-03
Contact email: gillian.davis@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
A unique polarisation control system utilising the flexoelectric effect exhibited by chiral nematic liquid crystals responding rapidly (100µs to 1ms) under the influence of an externally applied electric field.
The system provides switching angles of over 90 degrees, stable materials over wide operating temperature ranges, and precise control of polarisation state.
These characteristics make the system ideal for use in polarisation controllers to reduce the effects of polarisation mode dispersion (PMD), endless polarisation controllers, optical routers, and liquid-crystal displays.
Reference number: Whi-2606-11
Contact email: charlanne.ward@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Standard telecom WDM networks require tight alignment of transmitter wavelength and receiver filter to ensure adequate performance (signal-to-noise ratio) – especially as data rates increase. To avoid the effects of laser wavelength thermal drift, high-performance transmitters utilise expensive Thermo-Electric Coolers (TECs) to hold the laser temperature steady, or wavelength lockers based on filters and feedback loops, with their associated increased capital and operating costs.
Our technology enables the use of lower cost uncooled transmitters without sacrificing channel spacing, by utilising electrical signal processing at the receiver based on MIMO techniques. 100 Gb/s transmission has been experimentally demonstrated with an 8 channel 100GHz grid, with the associated simulations supporting predictions of scalability to higher channel counts and bitrates.
Reference number: Rae-2372-09
Contact email: andrea.cantone@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Thermocouples for temperature measurement at high temperatures suffer drift over time due to atomic migration. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a thermocouple sheath of unique design which significantly reduces high temperature drift. This both improves the accuracy of temperature measurement, and increases the durability of thermocouples.
This technology is applicable in many sectors including power generation, aerospace, heat treatment (of aerospace and other components), and automotive (turbochargers). Cambridge Enterprise is already collaborating with manufacturers and is seeking licensees with channels to market in each sector.
Reference number: Wil-2653-11
Contact email: Gillian.Davis@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Lenses with aspheric surfaces can have much lower spherical aberration than spherical lenses, especially for lenses whose focal length is short relative to their diameter, but they are much more difficult to manufacture. Currently aspheric lenses for very high volume applications (eg camera lenses) can be moulded, but for lower volume or very high accuracy applications (eg telescope lenses) they are manufactured by grinding and polishing, typically CNC multi-axis grinding. This invention uses a low-cost mechanical system and embodies copy-lathe type technology to grind highly aspheric lenses. The invention is protected by a UK patent application.
Reference number: Mac-808-03
Contact email: enquiries@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
A manufacturing process for embedding multiple parallel micro-capillaries into flat, flexible polymer tapes and films has been developed. Application areas include chemical and biochemical analysis, medical applications, heat exchangers and pressure sensing applications.
The shape and size of these micro-capillaries can be easily controlled, ranging in diameter from 5 to 500 microns, and having circular, elliptical or diamond cross-sections, allowing transport of liquids or gases at pressures as high as 50 bar. The capillary walls can also be designed to be semi-permeable or catalytic.
Reference number: Wil-2201-08
Contact email: charlanne.ward@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
This technology comprises a device geometry, based on the flexoelectric-optic effect in a chiral nematic liquid crystal, which is capable of linear multi-level phase modulation and frame rates in excess of several kHz. The multi-level phase modulation from these devices has potential for application in holographic projectors, optical correlators and adaptive optics.
By employing flexoelectric devices one can now modulatethe phase of light at frame rates well above those detected by the eye, thereby enabling improvement of image quality in holographic projectors as well as the implementation of real-time adaptive opthalmic imaging for high resolution diagnosis of retinal disease.
Reference number: Pen-2605-11
Contact email: Charlanne.Ward@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed a digital signal processing solution which overcomes the current limitations of in-building wireless signal propagation for advanced services such as 3G and LTE. Most large buildings requiring improved in-building radio coverage, such as shopping malls and airports, are installing Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) which require dedicated high-specification infrastructure such as optical fibre, high linearity and dynamic range, and suffer from high energy consumption. Femtocells provide an alternative solution which avoid some of these issues but are still restricted to single service and fixed configurations.
The proposed digital DAS (DDAS) solution substantially compresses the data signals thereby reducing the infrastructure bandwidth requirement ultimately towards use of copper rather than optical fibre and also allowing multiple services (voice, data, video…) to be combined onto a single infrastructure. The use of DDAS also enables more flexible architectures, including per-service or per stream reconfigurability and remote service distribution for multiple buildings over a common infrastructure. This would allow easier upgrade and secure maintenance using software rather than the current hardware approach.
We are now looking for industrial partners to help us develop this technology further to exploit the exciting market opportunity which this technology presents.
Reference number: Ses-2673-11
Contact email: gillian.davis@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in vibration energy harvesting, especially to enable self-powered wireless sensor networks for structural health monitoring. While some early commercial solutions have witnessed increasing deployments, two of the key technical limitations still stubbornly persist; namely, the low power density relative to conventional power supplies and the mis-match between the narrow operational frequency bandwidth of conventional energy harvesters and the wideband nature of real vibrations. Researchers at the University are addressing these issues through employing vibration energy harvesting based on auto parametric resonance rather than the conventional approach of using the fundamental mode of resonance.
Reference number: Fle-2629-11
Contact email: andrea.cantone@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Bulk acoustic wave (BAW) sensors based on micromechanical systems (MEMS) offer significant advantages over quartz crystal microbalance (QCM); such as compact size, compatibility with electronics, lower power consumption, lower cost and higher reliability. However, their wide application to real-world detection remains limited by the temperature-dependence of their performance. Recently researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a novel Film Bulk Acoustic Resonator (FBAR) device which has the potential to overcome this limitation by enabling the simultaneous measurement of temperature and mass loading in a single device without increasing their size or adding complexity to the electronics. Through the use of a novel multi-layer device structure and electrode materials, temperature self-referenced FBAR resonators with high operating frequencies (~1-2 GHz) and world-leading Q-factors (>1500) have been produced paving the way for real-world monitoring using FBAR sensors.
Key potential benefits:
Parallel sensing of several physical variables within the same unit sensor
Small size (around 150μm × 150μm)
Ultrahigh sensitivity ( in range of 10-14 to 10-15g)
Tuneable frequency of actuation (suitable for >1 GHz applications)
Reference number: Siv-2445-10
Contact email: andrea.cantone@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Nanoporous materials have many applications including the formation of high surface area electrodes that increase the efficiency of fuel cells, photovoltaics, OLED devices and membrane separation technologies, such as desalination.
The main advantage of these materials is that they can be bicontinuous, which means that the porous portions of the material are completely accessible. Currently it is difficult to create such a structure in a controlled manner, as this requires controlled chemistry and long processing times.
This novel invention is a robust method of creating nanoporous materials from copolymeric systems. Through the application of the UV radiation. cross-linking and photodegradation convert an initially spherical, micellar system into a bicontinuous matrix of polymer and voids.
The resulting template can be used as-is or can, with further, simple chemical transformations, be converted into inorganic nanoporous materials that have other exotic functionalities such as water splitting, tunable magnetoelectric properties, and high surface area electrodes.
Reference number: P2012-0042
Contact email: gillian.davis@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Without using dyes or other applied colourants, polymer opals reflect specific colours due to their physical structure. By choosing the spacing of tiny polymer spheres which make up the material, the colour can be tailored to any colour in the rainbow. Stretching the material changes that spacing – and also the colour. So a sample of polymer opal material might stretch from red to green and then blue, reversibly relaxing back to its original colour. Colour changes can even be localised to reveal a pattern such as a logo on stretching.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge, working with colleagues at the LBF Fraunhofer Institute in Darmstadt (formerly DKI), have developed this material system and its manufacturing process so that polymer opals can now be produced in an industrially scalable way and laminated simply onto any appropriate substrate, including fabric, for applications such as security, brand protection and clothing. We are now actively seeking a partner to take this process to the next stage and would welcome contact from companies with interest or experience in this area.
Please see the linked documents for technical information and a more visual demonstration of polymer opals’ colour behaviour.
Reference number: Fer-2710-12
Contact email: andrea.cantone@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Printable electronics have to date been limited by the lower electron mobility and hence operation speed of organic materials compared to silicon, the production cost, processing requirements and performance of metal or carbon nanoparticle-based inks. Current generation transparent and electrically conductive layers are stiff and brittle and hence limit flexible electronic applications.
Professor Andrea Ferrari and his team in the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge have developed a novel method of ink production based on layered nanomaterials such as graphene. This technology overcomes the issues of current printable inks and can be printed by various methods on flexible substrates.
Reference number: Gue-2535-11
Contact email: andrea.cantone@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
With the increasing demand for power converters and high power densities, and Silicon (Si) is reaching its theoretical limits, Silicon Carbide (SiC) is the object of a growing interest. It possesses several advantages over Si, among which: lower on resistance and operation at higher temperatures . This makes of SiC transistors, and more generally SiC power converters , the ideal candidates for use in hybrid and electric cars. Only one type of SiC transistor is close to commercial production: the Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET). However, it is a normally- on device, i.e. it needs a negative voltage to be turned off. Therefore it needs protection when used in a circuit, as a fault in the driver power supply would turn on the JFET and possibly lead to short-circuits .
The invention proposes a way of solving the problem while retaining the advantages of using a SiC transistor. Therefore it does not add switching losses and does not impede the high temperature operation.
Reference number: Kum-1669-09
Contact email: margaret.wilkinson@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
A new process has been developed that has the potential to transform the lead battery recycling industry. The method uses organic reagents (derived from renewable bio-sources) to recycle the lead-bearing paste from waste batteries into a form which can be used directly as the lead oxide precursor for manufacturing new lead battery paste. This method has considerable benefits over the high temperature methods that are conventionally used to recycle lead battery paste into metallic lead.
Reference number: Sch-2562-11
Contact email: gillian.davis@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) is an ultra-sensitive, non-destructive spectroscopic technique that enables characterisation and identification of molecules for a wide variety of potential applications including environmental sensing, forensic analysis and medical diagnosis. It potentially replaces fluorescence techniques due to its photon yield, lack of bleaching and label-free molecular signatures.
Wide adoption of SERS-based techniques remains, however, limited by lack of reproducibility and reusability of the SERS substrates. Recently, scientists at Cambridge University developed a novel approach, based on cucurbiturils, that has the potential to dramatically improve the usability of SERS-based techniques.
By accurately controlling the gaps between aggregates of metal nanoparticles using cucurbilturils as rigid sub-nanometre ‘cages’, analyte molecules can be held in the intense electric field regions between the nanoparticles providing the possibility of reliable, highly sensitive, molecular recognition based on SERS. Not only does this technique open up the possibility of using SERS to identify single molecules that have no affinity for metal surfaces, it is also potentially self-calibrating due to the Raman-activity of the cucurbituril spacer molecules themselves and reusable due to the triggered release of analyte molecules from the cucurbilturil ‘cages’ by chemical, photo-initiation or thermal means.
Reference number: Sch-2560-11
Contact email: gillian.davis@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
The next generation of "smart" materials will require molecular self-assembly to achieve the high degrees of functionality and complexity that are required for a wide range of applications such as heat absorbers, self-healing paints, optical sensors and drug delivery mechanisms.
Professor Chris Abell and Dr. Oren Scherman have developed a new technique for manufacturing such functional materials in large volumes, using supramolecular, stimuli-responsive polymers.
Aqueous microfluidic droplets dispersed in oil are used as templates for building discrete supramolecular assemblies. These assemblies form highly uniform microcapsule structures, the shells of which can be tailored to enable and monitor, passive or active release of encapsulated contents to meet a range of market needs.
Reference number: Col-2292-09, Col-1109-03
Contact email: gillian.davis@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Consumer demand for higher brightness, higher resolution and lower power consumption are key requirements driving the developments of next generation liquid crystal displays. Researchers at Cambridge University have developed a new display mode based on short-pitch chiral nematics, that not only achieves switching times sufficiently fast to allow provision of frame sequential colour and hence elimination of absorbing colour filters, but also provides wide viewing angles and high contrast ratios to be achieved.
More information on this technology can be found on the website.
Reference number: Cha-2689-12
Contact email: andrea.cantone@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Conventional rigid lenses can only create changes in focal plane (focus) and focal length (zoom) by using multiple lens elements, often in multiple groups. However a single element flexible lens (typically made from liquids or polymers) can do this on its own. Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a way of manufacturing ultra-low cost flexible lenses which are highly robust, with few if any moving parts, from non-toxic materials. These lenses should be suitable for a broad range of applications across different market sectors.
Reference number: Lin-2539-11
Contact email: gillian.davis@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Researchers in the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge have discovered a novel method of fuelling nuclear reactors which enables the virtual elimination of long lived highly radioactive waste. The fuel is a mixture of Thorium and existing waste, which is fed into either an existing Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) or a new reactor built to the proven PWR or Reduced Moderation Water Reactor design. The reactor availability and the fuel reprocessing requirements are expected to be similar to that of existing operating reactors, with the significant benefit of removing highly radioactive material from the environment. This method also provides a way to exploit the planet's considerable Thorium resources using existing well-proven reactor technology.
Reference number: Moo-2554-11
Contact email: paul.thomas@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
CAM2 is a new fitting software package that enables hearing aids to be tailored to an individual’s needs, resulting in improved hearing quality. All modern hearing aids include multi-channel amplitude compression and the characteristics of the compression need to be set to suit the individual hearing-impaired person. CAM2 has been developed to provide a superior solution for the tailoring of wide-band hearing aid parameters, using the audiogram alone and is an essential new tool in the audiology field.
CAM2 is available for licensing to hearing aid manufacturers and providers and for academic research purposes. If you are a hearing aid user interested in having CAM2 used in the fitting of your hearing aid, please contact your hearing aid provider and ask them to get in touch with us directly.
Reference number: Smi-833-03
Contact email: christopher.arnot@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
The ICM+TMcomputer software programme provides a real time analysis of measurements obtained from subjects in clinical trials in an intensive care or neurosurgical environment.
A non-exclusive licence with standard terms and conditions is available for the ICM+TM software.
To obtain a licence tailored to your needs:
1) Complete the Licence Request Form and send to cs.admin@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
2) We will then send you the quote for the licence (including the quote for consultancy work if requested)
3) If you wish to proceed, we’ll draft the licence (and consultancy agreement if requested) based on our standard template and send to you.
4) To proceed, print 2 copies of the licence agreement (and consultancy agreement if requested) and have both signed by an authorised official of your organisation (and by the Head of the Research Group in the case of the licence) and mail both original signed agreements to:
Consultancy Administrator
Cambridge Enterprise Ltd
University of Cambridge
Hauser Forum
3 Charles Babbage Rd
Cambridge
CB3 0GT
Both agreements will be signed and one original will be returned to you at the address on the agreement. You will then be invoiced and the ICM+TM software will be made available to you to download (or ready for installation via consultancy if requested).
5) Should you wish to continue to download new releases of updates to the software via the ICM+TM website: http://www.neurosurg.cam.ac.uk/pages/ICM/ (with up to 1 day off site support services included over 2 years), then download the maintenance agreement and enter your company name, full registered address and VAT number on page 1 of the agreement and follow the instructions as per 4) above, providing your contact details (name, job title, email, telephone and fax number) for subsequent invoicing.
Reference number: Kuh-266-02
Contact email: christopher.arnot@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
JBIG-KIT is a software implementation of the JBIG1 data compression standard (ITU-T T.82), which was designed for bi-level high-resolution image data such as scanned documents. This library is available in portable C code and has been widely used in fax products, printer firmware and drivers, and document management systems. The package includes a variant implementation of just the ITU-T T.85 profile, with memory management optimized for embedded and fax applications.
Reference number: Col-2708-12
Contact email: charlanne.ward@enterprise.cam.ac.uk
Calculating the minimum lap or manoeuvre time of a road vehicle has received much attention in the past. Existing solutions to the calculation problem include the quasi-steady-state method (QSS), which is computationally fast but ignores the transient dynamics of the vehicle and does not allow the optimum vehicle path to be determined. At the other end of the spectrum, nonlinear optimisation has been used, but there are associated difficulties with numerical robustness and computational load.
Researchers in the Department of Engineering have developed an algorithm which overcomes these limitations and provides a computationally efficient and numerically robust solution by formulating the problem as a convex optimisation. Given a set of vehicle parameters and road boundary geometry, the algorithm calculates the optimum path, speed, steering and drive/brake controls to minimise the lap or manoeuvre time of the vehicle. The results from the software have been validated against results from a nonlinear optimisation algorithm. Use of the software requires the industry-standard MATLAB® program and access to a Quadratic Programme Solver.
The software has application in the automotive and racing car industries.