Technology Acquisition

RNS Number : 2331J

Tekcapital plc

02 April 2015

 

2 April 2015 

Tekcapital Plc

("Tekcapital", "the Company" or "the Group")

Technology Acquisition

Tekcapital acquires exclusive patent licence to a new technology for the non-invasive measurement of glucose in saliva

Tekcapital plc (AIM: TEK), an international provider of technology and intellectual property services, is pleased to announce that it has acquired the exclusive license to a patent for the measurement of glucose in saliva from Arizona State University. The patent, # 8815178 B2, addresses the need for a safe, fast and non-invasive method and device to collect and sample glucose in saliva.  The device allows trace fluid samples from a biological surface to be obtained for electrochemical analysis and the subsequent detection of analytes.  The device can be used to collect fluid from the mouth and for such samples to be subsequently processed to detect glucose, a metabolic product in saliva, using disposable biosensor strips.

The Directors believe this technology represents an important potential improvement for the repeated measurement of glucose in Type II diabetics, without requiring a blood sample from a finger prick, which is the current FDA standard glucometer method of measurement. 

Market potential

According to the World Health Organization, about 347 million people worldwide have diabetes (~ 9% of the world's population).  There is an emerging global epidemic of diabetes that can be traced back to rapid increases in overweight, including obesity and physical inactivity. Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Hyperglycaemia, or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.

The current standard for self-glucose monitoring technologies, used throughout the world to measure blood glucose in diabetics, is pricking the finger to draw a blood sample and placing the blood on a strip for insertion into a glucometer.  There is a general dislike of the pain and inconvenience caused by this method, leading to fewer tests being performed, which may result in inadequate blood glucose control and complications from the disease. Furthermore, the testing itself can also cause fainting and blood-borne infection.

The Directors believe that a non-invasive, strip-based technology to measure glucose in saliva could be transformative to both patients and the glucose monitoring industry and if successful, may become one of the monitoring techniques of choice.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr. Clifford M. Gross, Executive Chairman of Tekcapital plc, said:

"We are excited to have acquired the exclusive license to this important patent from Arizona State University for the measurement of glucose in saliva. The self-monitoring of blood glucose is a significant industry and we look forward to commercializing this technology with one or more leading medical device companies that can benefit by making it easier and painless for diabetics to measure glucose."

Dr. Yash Vaishnav, Vice President of Business Development at Arizona Technology Enterprises said:   

"We are pleased to have exclusively licensed this new technology for the non-invasive, saliva-based measurement of glucose to Tekcapital and we are excited about the potential for this promising technology to improve the quality of life for diabetics and become a method of choice for routine monitoring of glucose levels."

For further information please contact:

Tekcapital Plc	[phone] Ext 305
Clifford M. Gross	[e-mail]
Arizona Technology Enterprises	[phone]
Derek Sarley	[e-mail]
Northland Capital Partners Limited (NOMAD & Broker)	[phone]
William Vandyk (Corporate Finance)	[e-mail]
John Howes (Corporate Broking)
Optiva Securities Limited (Co-Broker)	[phone]
Jeremy King / Vishal Balasingham	[e-mail]
FTI Consulting, LLP	[phone]
Chris Lane / Emma Appleton / Roger Newby	[e-mail]

Tekcapital plc - The World's Largest University Network for Open Innovation

Tekcapital helps clients profit from new, university-developed intellectual properties. With our proprietary discovery search engine, linked to 4,000+ universities in 160 countries, coupled with expert scientific review, we provide a turn-key service to make it easy for clients to find and acquire the IP they need to create a competitive advantage. Tekcapital plc is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange (AIM: symbol TEK) and is headquartered in Oxford, in the UK. For more information, please visit www.tekcapital.com

 

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