Professor Randy Mrsny, Department of Life Sciences at the University of Bath, was awarded UKRI Proof of Concept for developing a platform technology to derisk oral protein pharmaceuticals, helping to transform patient care.
Dr Christopher Vagg, Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bath, was awarded UKRI Proof of Concept for addressing barriers to Electric Vehicle (EV) adoption.
Professor Randy Mrsny
Protein therapeutics are currently administered as injectable medicines which is inconvenient and costly for patients.
Professor Mrsny has found a natural pathway to facilitate the passage for safe delivery of oral protein pharmaceuticals across the intestinal epithelium that blocks their uptake into the body. This is further advancing the stabilisation of therapeutics in the gastrointestinal tract, moving injectable medicines to less invasive oral dosage alternatives. He says:
Currently no method exists for the safe oral delivery of protein therapeutics in the harsh gastrointestinal tract environment. However, our research has shown that the intestinal epithelial cells lining the gut provide the limiting barrier to achieving the ‘holy grail’ for the pharmaceutical industry. We identified an endogenous ‘transcytosis’ pathway across intestinal epithelial cells (OPAL-TX) to provide a platform technology for achieving a wide range of protein therapeutic product opportunities.
The development of the new OPAL-TX platform technology will provide a launchpad for multiple commercial opportunities to benefit the growing protein therapeutics market, which was estimated to be worth $401.89 billion in 2025.
Dr Christopher Vagg
Whilst electrification is widely recognised as the most effective route to decarbonising transport, it faces challenges. This includes the heaviness and expense of electric propulsion systems due to battery size and cost, reliance on raw materials, and the struggle to maintain high average efficiency.
Dr Vagg will be addressing these challenges through eGear, a novel switching technology. This enables electric motors to operate efficiently across their full operating range to unlock significant benefits in cost, performance and sustainability. He says:
A significant market opportunity exists for technologies that improve adaptability and efficiency of propulsion systems. The eGear technology enables smaller, cheaper motors with reduced dependence on rare-earth magnet materials. These efficiency gains enable smaller batteries for the same range, resulting in shorter recharge times and cost savings, in addition to delivering substantial environmental gains.
The initial route to market will focus on automotive propulsion, where there is strongest commercial demand. However, eGear is anticipated to expand into heavy goods vehicles, rail, off-highway, marine, and stationary energy systems which have inflated costs for powertrain systems.
Tech Transfer support
Dr June Mercer-Chalmers and Dr James Hamilton in the Technology Transfer Office at the University of Bath supported the UKRI Proof of Concept awards. They say:
Achieving a 100% success rate in UKRI Proof of Concept awards for two consecutive years is a remarkable accomplishment. It reflects the strength of the University of Bath's innovation pipeline, the quality of our researchers' ideas, and the collaborative support provided across the Technology Transfer Office and wider research community. We are proud to help translate world-class research into innovations with real-world impact.