Commercialisation
The University of Leicester is recognised for its impact in creating world-changing research, particularly within Science, Medicine, Technology and Business. Innovations developed by Leicester’s world-leading researchers are protected and ready for commercialisation by our experienced Commercialisation Team.
The development of new products, processes and technologies can improve efficiency and allow the growth and development of any business or organisation. We protect commercially viable technologies and make them available for use in industry through a range of different methods.
Commercial opportunities
Our innovations are available for licensing to organisations seeking to develop their current activities or diversify their operations. We have many licensing opportunities available, here is a sample of some of our most exciting innovations.
HDAC Degraders - PROTACs
HDAC inhibitors can induce apoptosis and have been developed as anticancer drugs. Exhibit limited selectivity for all eleven zinc-dependent HDACs. Ideally, selectively target class I HDACs, or even better the individual complexes they exist in.
Technology
A range of synthesised HDAC degraders that show high selectivity and specificity. PROTACs (PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras) are heterobifunctional molecules consisting of a ligand for the protein of interest, a linker, and an E3 ligand. These degraders utilise the proteasome to degrade HDAC 1, 2 and 3 complex protein targets.
Benefits
Provides a novel therapeutic method with higher selectivity and specificity compared to current inhibitors in the market.
Applications
HDACs have the potential as a drug target for the treatment of multiple diseases including cancer, autoimmune and vascular diseases.
IP
Patent pending.
LeicSurvey – Innovative survey and feedback tool
Many hospices, heritage and educational institutions struggle to gain meaningful real-time feedback that would help them make informed decisions. A digital tool that simplifies and provides rapid feedback would help decision makers provide the best service for their users.
Technology
An innovative survey and feedback tool that uses simple and attractive user interface with powerful feedback models that collate and present complex data in real-time.
Benefits
A cost saving, simplified and customer-centric bespoke tool with a growing community of support.
Applications
Sectors that work to address inequalities such as hospices and heritage.
IP
Copyright, trademark and know-how.
Lithium ion battery recycling using high-intensity ultrasonication
Current recycling methods for lithium-ion battery recycling typically feed end-of-life batteries into a shredder or high-temperature reactor. A complex set of physical and chemical processes are subsequently needed to produce useable materials. These recycling routes are energy intensive and inefficient.
Technology
The ultrasonic delamination technique effectively blasts the active materials required from the electrodes leaving virgin aluminium or copper and proved highly effective in removing graphite and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides.
Benefits
This novel procedure is 100 times quicker and greener than conventional battery recycling techniques and leads to a higher purity of recovered materials.
Applications
Recycling of laminated battery electrodes (including lithium ion) across multiple industries in battery recycling in the Electric Vehicle (EV) supply chain.
IP status
Patent protection is currently pending in the US, Japan and Europe.
MagnaPlates - microplates with magnetic properties
Magnetic particle-based assays are an effective tool for life science and biomedical research. Current approaches may involve several time-consuming steps which are complex in nature and require several hardware platforms, potentially resulting in experimental errors.
Technology
96-well microplates with magnetic doughnut inserts for simple assays that are faster and with fewer steps using optical interrogation of analytes using magnetic particles across multiple detection modalities.
Benefits
Significantly reduced assays time, low background signal and high signal-to-noise ratio, high compatibility with imaging solutions and high-flexibility to work with a variety of detection methods including UV, visible, fluorescence, luminescence, chemiluminescence.
Applications
Biomedical and life-science research with potential for diagnostic testing. Demonstrated uses case include blood-typing, bio-analytes and drugs of abuse.
IP status
Protected by granted patents in Europe (DK, DE, FR, NL, GB, IT).
Handheld x-ray diffraction analysis
Current X-ray diffraction (XRD) methods usually require careful sample preparation, such as grinding to a fine powder. The sample has to be sent offsite for analysis extending turnaround time and testing is destructive.
Technology
Handheld XRD instrumentation that can provide a rapid (1-2 mins) in situ phase analysis of a sample with no preparation requirement; sample is analysed in its native condition with no biases or changes introduced by preparation methods.
Benefits
Flexible instrument can also provide elemental analysis by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), complementary to the XRD phase analysis. Low-cost and easy-to-use handheld operation with an instrument weighing ~2 kg.
Applications
Broad applications in mining and metallurgy industries, including improving mining efficiencies, fine-tuning of manufacturing processes, quality control and process optimisation.
IP status
Protected by granted patents in the US & Australia; patent pending in Europe.
Sustainable solder flux from novel ionic liquid solvents
Solder flux facilitates the joining of metals by creating a clean metal surface, preventing oxidation during soldering and maximising the wetting interaction between substrate and solder. Current fluxes can be toxic, expensive and face supply chain challenges. Further, they may require high operating temperatures which are incompatible with some applications.
Technology
Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) are a type of ionic liquid with unusual solvation properties, low environmental impact and inexpensive bulk materials. Leicester has developed DES for use as a solder flux for a range of applications offering a greener, cleaner, cheaper alternative to current fluxes.
Benefits
Works on a range of substrates including Cu, Ag, Ni, Au, Tn, Al, brass, stainless steel, cast iron. Has low toxicity and environmental impact and inexpensive to manufacture. Uniform wetting of substrate and water soluble residues easily removed. Works at low temperatures for difficult substrates.
Applications
Use cases demonstrated in super-conducting magnets, soldering of electroless Ni PCBs, low-temp soldering of stainless steel, alloy bonding on marine pipes.
IP status
Protected by granted patent in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe (DE, FR, GB).
Electrolyte for hexavalent chromium-free chrome plating
Chromium plays an important role in a number of modern industries and it has almost unparalleled hardness and is used extensively for hydraulic systems. Current chrome-plating technologies rely on the use of Hexavalent Chromium (Cr(VI)) which is highly toxic, carcinogenic and environmentally damaging and subject to regulation and use restrictions.
Technology
Leicester has developed a Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) for use as a non-toxic electrolyte for chromium electrodeposition using Cr(III).
Benefits
Cr(IV) is the most toxic from of chromium and is highly regulated. A DES-based electrolyte offering a greener, cleaner, cheaper alternative to the current use of Cr(IV) with low environmental impact and manufactured using inexpensive bulk materials.
Applications
This technology is of particular relevance to automotive and aerospace industries.
IP status
Protected by granted patents in the US, Australia, Canada and Europe (FR, GE, GB).
Validation Processor - an unmet niche
Every laboratory in the country that introduces new tests for patient diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring must go through the process of validation. The datasets produced from validation are massive and require months of analysis by highly trained clinical scientists. On average, only 1.5 new protein tests reach use each year, but thousands of candidates have been researched to be clinically viable.
Technology
A novel software has been developed that can process multiplexed validation datasets within minutes. Aimed at the thousands of global laboratories involved in the continual development of new assays, the software allows the user to import heterogenous datasets. The user-interface provides a place to review the data graphically, while providing reactive elements where the user can define limits.
Benefits
The Validation Processor can save every laboratory that is validating a new test months of analysis per year. It has the potential to standardise validation both nationally and internationally.
Applications
The market reaches most NHS pathology laboratories and many translational research laboratories in Universities. The processor could be licenced to users, or it could be used as part of a consultancy-based start-up that labs pay to analyse validation data.
IP status
Copyright (as this the Validation Processor is software).
Spin-outs
The University of Leicester has a rich history of pioneering innovations and turning them into commercial success stories across multiple industries. The world-class research that takes place has led to a large portfolio of spin-out companies.