Pictured above: (l-r) Andrew Corley (Managing Director),
Peter Bacon (Technical Director) and Bob Newsome (Commercial
Director) all from Quadralene
A breakthrough solution which ensures the cleanliness of dental
equipment has put a Derby-based company in the running for a
prestigious innovation award.
Quadralene Ltd, pioneers of Bioclear®, has been short-listed
in the 'Innovation Achieved' category at the upcoming Lord Stafford
Awards after its revolutionary system caught the imagination of the
judges.
Development of the product came about after the firm
successfully expanded its business into the dental field. It
identified a gap in the market for a product capable of fully
removing biofilm and also maintaining water quality at drinking
water levels from equipment used in surgeries and began research
into the field.
This culminated in the creation of an innovative visual system
capable of showing the removal of biofilm in real-time. By
using biofilm grown from genetically engineered fluorescent
bacteria, the company was able to demonstrate the effectiveness of
the Bioclear® chemical definitively.
Such was the success of this new method that it is now being
considered for use in an ISO standard method for evaluation of
biofilms.
The project, a collaboration between the company and the
University of Nottingham's School of Biosciences, also has wider
potential applications in areas such as endoscope reprocessing,
haemodialysis and oral healthcare solutions.
Andrew Corley, Managing Director of Quadralene, is excited about
the potential of the system:
"Patient and practitioner safety is of paramount importance in a
surgical environment and this product will significantly reduce the
risk of infection by massively reducing the potential for
deposition of biofilm bacteria in patient's mouths and reducing
potentially harmful aerosol arising from the use of equipment for
the practitioner.
"In addition it will give dentists the assurance that
their equipment is clean, free from biofilm build-up and in line
with government best practice guidelines."
He continued: "Being nominated for this prize is just reward for
our team who all bought into our vision for the future. Three
years ago we had no presence in the medical sector whatsoever but,
through a combination of forward thinking and innovation it will
now make up over 25% of our 2010 turnover."
The collaborative nature of the project has enabled one student
to publish a paper on the technique developed as part of his thesis
and has generated revenue for the university through work on
practical rapid detection systems.
Established in 1930, Quadralene employs 30 staff at its base in
Derby, and specialises in the manufacture of cleaning detergents
and disinfectants for use in the dental, food and automotive
markets amongst others.
Awards panel judge Dr Frank Burdett, Pro Vice Chancellor of the
University of Northampton said:
"This application is one that the judging panel found very
exciting. The issue of bacteria in any kind of medical environment
is one to be taken seriously and the reduction that Bioclear®
could provide offers reassurance to both dental practitioners and
their patients.
"This collaboration is exactly what the Lord Stafford Awards are
all about and is totally deserving of its nomination."
The winners of the awards, which cover 'Innovation Achieved',
'Innovation in Development' and 'Innovation for Sustainability',
will be announced at a high-profile finale on September 9th at
Athena in Leicester.
Sponsors for the event include the East Midlands Development
Agency, the East Midlands Universities Association, CFE, Connect
Midlands, epm: technology ltd, Swindell and Pearson, Leicester and
Leicestershire Leadership Group to the list of sponsors and the
Enterprise Europe Network.
For further information, visit www.thelordstaffordawards.co.uk