Case Histories

London Biotechnology Limited (LBL)

LBL was set up by Cogent in 1984 as a joint venture with University College London. It now operates principally as a contract research organisation and has worked closely with the MOD and major diagnostics and pharmaceutical companies. LBL has developed an extremely sensitive assay for alkaline phosphatase for use in diagnostic systems employing either antibodies or gene probes. More recent work has developed improvements using other enzymes. The principle of this assay technology is covered by granted patents and has a number of licensees, including Dade Diagnostics. In the pharmaceutical field LBL has developed jointly with Zeneca an ADEPT based technology for cancer treatment of remarkable specificity potency and effectiveness and most importantly with minimal side effects. This is now available for licensing. Cogent is providing additional funding to continue the companies work exploring and evaluating related novel technologies. In 1999 a joint venture agreement with Calzyme Labaoratories Inc was signed for the marketing of LBL technology and development of both DNA and immuno-diagnostic kits.

Vaccines for HCMV

Cogent worked with the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and the Department of Pathology at the University of Cambridge to use the Vaccinia virus as a vector to express HCMV glycoproteins to form the components of a vaccine. (Human Cytomegalo Virus is a virus which can cause deformities in the foetus and infections in the immune-suppressed adult). This technology has been further developed by a major licensee in the USA and has successfully completed Phase II trials, and will shortly be entering Phase III.

TB Diagnostics

Based on work funded by Cogent at the University of Birmingham, and combined with patented technology from the University of Surrey, novel DNA probes for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have been developed. This technology has been licensed to a major international diagnostics company and is about to enter the market place.