The University of Glasgow announced that Innovate UK has awarded a university spinout, Acu-Flow, £1 million for development of the company’s Nebu-Flow surface acoustic wave nebulizer technology. The University said that its researchers will work with Acu-Flow and the NIHR Devices for Dignity Med-tech Cooperative to have a working nebulizer ready for manufacturing within two years.
Earlier this year, Acu-Flow (identified as Nebu-Flow) announced that it had closed a £1.7 million funding round. According to the company’s web site, “Nebu-Flow is collaborating with world-renowned specialists to develop its unique nebulizer to deliver fragile and hard-to-nebulize drugs including formulation containing suspensions, surface active and biological active compounds.”
Acu-Flow CEO Elijah Nazarzadeh commented, “We’re delighted to have been awarded this significant grant from Innovate UK, which will allow us to accelerate our research and development over the next two years, helping us to bring our innovative and potentially life-changing technology to market. . . . While treatments for some of these diseases have advanced significantly in recent years, there are still significant challenges to overcome the efficient delivery of drugs directly to patients’ lungs. Our new technology will not only improve the amount of drug reaching the lung, but will enable new drug formulations, helping pharmaceutical companies to develop the next generation of life-changing treatments.”
University of Glasgow Professor Jonathan Cooper said, “We are delighted to support the University’s spin-out progress, enabling their products to better deliver inhaled drugs. In addition to the benefits for patients, Acu-Flow’s methods also greatly reduce the associated carbon footprint with respiratory disorders, helping contribute to sustainability targets within healthcare, as we all strive to meet net zero.”
NIHR Devices for Dignity Clinical Director Wendy Tindale added, “We believe that Acu-Flow’s technology has the potential to deliver a user-friendly nebulizer, enhancing the patient’s adherence to medication, and we will work with the team to ensure that voice of patients is heard and integrated into the designs, as a co-creation effort.”
Read the University of Glasgow press release.
