Product Pipeline: Four Imperial spin-outs are redefining high-resolution imaging

Recent inventions from Imperial go further than the eye can see. Here we focus on four spin-outs redefining what high-res means.

1. IONSCOPE

Nanoscience comes to life thanks to high-resolution imaging technology from Ionscope. its scanning systems, based on ion conductance, can view live or soft surfaces in 50 times more detail than a conventional optical microscope. Ionscope Chief Scientist Professor Yuri Korchev, of the Department of Medicine, developed the technology as part of his research to track the tiny detail of biomedical processes, such as how hormones act in kidney cells.

2. MOLECULAR VISION

Plastic electronics pioneer professor Donal Bradley (Physics 1983) of the Department of Physics, co-founded molecular vision to develop technology for measuring multiple diagnostic health markers at nanosensitivities in a single test. The low-cost, point-of-care disposable device based on Bradley’s optical detection technology measures previously incompatible markers simultaneously to provide results more quickly. By cutting a series of diagnostic tests down to one, doctor and patient can make better informed decisions about treatment more rapidly.

3. CORTEXICA

By reverse engineering the way that humans see things, Drs Anil Barath and Jeffrey Ng, Department of Bioengineering, have developed a technology platform through Cortexica visual systems for computers to recognise images more intelligently. modelled on the way that human nerve cells respond to visual stimuli, the technology can be licensed for developing large-scale image searches on TV, video and the internet. An early application is BrandTrak^TM, which recognises logos across broadcast channels to give businesses a frame by frame analysis of their TV brand exposure. Other potential applications include helping consumers search the web for products using photos taken with their phone, rather than having to type text into a search engine.

4. MICROSAIC SYSTEMS

Analysing chemical samples just got a whole lot more space and energy- efficient thanks to a new generation of mass spectrometers from Microsaic. Co-founder professor Eric Yeatman (Electrical Engineering 1989), from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, specialises in the semiconductor processes that have shrunk the essential analysis components so they fit on one chip. Industries such as drug development and food safety testing will benefit from the smaller instruments, which are now the size of a desktop computer.

This article first appeared in Imperial Magazine, Issue 36. You can view and download a whole copy of the magazine, from www.imperial.ac.uk/imperialmagazine.