£1.5m funding boost for UofG diagnostics spinout

A University of Glasgow spinout which is bringing to market a fast, affordable and efficient new way to diagnose diseases has received a major funding boost. Innovate UK, the UK's innovation agency, has announced a £1.5m grant in support of SAW Dx, an emerging biological sample analysis and point of care diagnostic company founded by University of Glasgow biomedical engineers. The grant, which requires a matching subcomponent of 30% from the private sector, will support the development of the company's low-cost sample preparation system over the next two years. SAW Dx is built on unique acoustic-flow technology developed at the University of Glasgow's School of Engineering. Samples of patients' blood, swabs or urine are placed on a disposable chip. The interaction between the sound waves and the chip enables the release of DNA and its amplification, enabling test results in as little as 10 minutes. The new award follows the company's recent successful completion of a £1.1M award from the UK Government's Biomedical Catalyst fund directed towards development of the company's technology for infectious disease diagnostics.