A simple urine sample could soon be used to predict the complex toxic effects of new drugs

BlueGnome has pioneered the use of statistical signal modelling in the analysis of high throughput experimental data. Its first product BlueFuse for Microarrays uses statistical modelling techniques to eliminate Œnoise‚ generated in microarray experiments, enabling researchers to automatically identify the presence or absence of genes and proteins with a higher level of confidence than is currently possible.

BlueFuse uses Bayesian statistics, well proven in other fields such as speech recognition, in combination with its own proprietary technology to bring a completely new approach to the processing of biotechnology data. The ability to automate this analysis will remove the cost, error and delay of manual intervention and enable drug discovery companies to base crucial commercial decisions on a far broader range of data than is currently possible.

The University of Cambridge Challenge Fund (UCF) was established in 2000 to support growth of Cambridge University and Babraham research projects from early market assessment and concept development to the establishment of a viable business. It brings together academe and industry to provide a secure environment in which early stage technology research can develop and make its mark in the competitive world.

The Challenge Fund works closely with the project giving business advice and seeking longer-term and more substantial backing, often in partnership with the University's other funding and advisory departments. This means that promising research projects have access to a very wide pool of experience and expertise, so enhancing the chances of commercial success.

About the Wellcome Trust Limited The Wellcome Trust is an independent research-funding charity established in 1936 under the will of tropical medicine pioneer Sir Henry Wellcome. The Trust‚s mission is to promote research with the aim of improving human and animal health and it currently spends more than £400m p.a. The Technology Transfer Division manages the charity's intellectual property portfolio and related matters and also provides "greenhouse" translation funding for early-stage healthcare technology development. Over 30 research and license agreements have been transacted and the Division has an interest in over 20 life science SME's located in the UK or US.