BioAscent’s Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Phil Jones has been working with the Translational Research Initiative within the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow on a number of early stage projects, providing consultancy to assess their translational and commercial potential.

Two of the consultancy contracts which Dr Phil Jones has assisted with were Opportunity Audits and involved reviewing projects from Principal Investigators from the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences and the Centre for Virology Research. The third consultancy contract involved following on from one of the reviews and looking in greater depth at opportunities from one Principal Investigator. Each of these contracts had a duration of a few days including preparatory work and presentations carried out by the Principal Investigators followed by report writing.

Commenting on the projects, Dr Phil Jones explained: “This is a great initiative by the University of Glasgow. The breadth and depth of science displayed at these meetings is inspirational and if only one or two of the ideas presented can be translated into the clinic and beyond then the benefit to patients will be significant.”

Chris Mort, Translational Research Development Manager, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow, added: “Within the College, the Translational Research Initiative is undertaking a systematic audit of its research pipeline, identifying new opportunities to align with appropriate funding and expertise to ultimately help translate these nascent opportunities into patient or societal benefit. Phil’s expertise has been invaluable in guiding this process and we look forward to a continuing relationship with BioAscent.”

The Translational Research Initiative (TRI) provides a nexus for translational activities within the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow, coordinating access to funding and providing project management support and training for staff through an integrated hub.