Diagnostics
The term diagnostics covers a very broad range of activities, but at its simplest level can be divided into two broad strands – in vivo and in vitro diagnostics, the former relating to tests that carried out within the body of a patient while the latter (meaning “in glass”) being carried out remotely using samples from the patient.
As in vivo testing tends to be performed by medical professionals in a hospital or clinic environment, the commercial opportunities in diagnostics mostly fall into the in vitro camp and the industry's activities include testing for mainstream diseases, analysing saliva for evidence of drug misuse, determining genetic disposition to health problems, assessing potential organ or tissue donors and even using blood tests to determine stress levels. A real growth sector, especially in the UK, has been in self-diagnosis apparatus and kits with which consumers can test themselves for conditions such as diabetes, high blood cholesterol or high blood pressure.
According to research by Adams Business Associates, in vitro diagnostics (IVD) accounted for just 3% of the world healthcare market in 2004, but although starting from a relatively low base, the market for diagnostics products is growing rapidly as healthcare providers worldwide become aware of the cost and patient benefits of early diagnosis and preventative medicine. It is only relatively recently that in vitro diagnostics has been considered a branch of science distinct from mainstream medicine, and in the past diagnostic tests tended to be used to back-up physical diagnosis. This is because advances in technology, such as genetic testing, have enabled scientists to use a range of new techniques to diagnose problems before obvious symptoms arise. IVDs are also increasingly used to monitor a patient's progress and response to treatment after initial diagnosis.
UK hospitals and universities have produced world-class research in diagnostics but, despite the exciting prospects for the sector, the commercial exploitation of British discoveries by British companies has yet to realise its full potential. Improving technology transfer from universities and hospitals is arguably more critical for this sector than any other. In the SEEDA region, an important development was the creation of the DiagnOx Laboratory, an 'incubator' for fledgling diagnostics companies offering laboratory facilities, office space, seed capital, partnering opportunities and business advice, which was opened in Oxford with support and funding from the DTI and SEEDA in 2003. The DiagnOx project is supported by SEHTA.