MIP Diagnostics Ltd is exploiting the remarkable and robust nature of nanoMIPs (nanostructured molecularly imprinted polymers) as affinity reagents in healthcare diagnostic devices. This award enables the company to secure advice from leading experts to meet the regulatory requirements such tests need to pass before commercial launch.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) have been proven for a range of applications including affinity purification. MIP Diagnostics using a revolutionary manufacturing process have developed nano-MIPs. This proprietary method enables much more refined MIPs based products including affinity chromatography media for separation of high value compounds. This proof of concept project aims to demonstrate the potential of this technology beyond the analytical scale though the isolation of glucosamine from a food processors co-product stream. The compound choice is based on a recognised customer need, the availability of a novel source (mushroom stalk) and builds on the recent success with nano-MIPs in high sensitivity glucosamine assays. The proposed project is to demonstrate the capability of nano MIPs as an emerging technology in the isolation of high value chemicals from waste food streams. The project will specifically explore the use of nano MIPs as a way to bring to market a UK sourced, vegan, sustainable, natural healthcare supplement suitable for all.

The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) combined with reverse transcription (RT-PCR and qRT-PCR) is a sensitive method to detect RNA and a crucial technique within bioscience and healthcare research, for example in detecting RNA viruses that exist in very low levels in blood and body fluids of infected individuals. However the sensitivity of the technique can be affected by the enzyme used in the process, Reverse Transcriptase (RTase), forming 'primer dimer' and non specific products at lower temperatures during reaction set up. Our research has shown that the current methods used to improve the sensitivity and specificity of the reaction by inhibiting RTase activity at lower temperatures ('hot start') are inferior and do not inhibit RTase activity sufficiently for ultrasensitive RNA detection. We intend to take an innovative approach to RTase inhibition and develop a novel RTase inhibitor and a range of hot start RTase products for cDNA synthesis, RT-PCR and RT-qPCR to dramatically increase the sensitivity and specificity of RNA detection.