Regional Development CentRe & ReseaRCh offiCe

issue seven winteR 2010

the link

Novation is up for the challenge

Where research & InnovatIon Meets enterprIse

Professionals discover hidden talents Water workshop in Uganda Finding commercial apps for biotech

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Great care has been taken to ensure that this information is accurate, but the Regional Development Centre, including its subsidiaries does not accept responsibility or liability for errors or information which is found

to be misleading.

Written & edited by Brian Skelly, The Write Business, + 353 86 857 5829

Regional Development Centre Dublin Road Dundalk Co Louth

T | +353 42 9370400 F | +353 42 9370499

W | www.rdc.ie E | info@rdc.ie

The Regional Development Centre (RDC) is a centre to promote innovation, technology transfer and enterprise in the wider region and is

based on the DkIT Campus.

Contents Foreword

Staying positive

2010 is drawing to a close and for some the end of the year cannot come quickly enough. A hair-shirt budget, bailed-out banks, and a stalling economy on the one hand; on the other an Arctic freeze that brought large parts of the country to a standstill. Yes, it’s been a memorable year – for all the wrong reasons.

What crumbs of comfort, if any, can be found in developments here at the Regional Development Centre? As far as we are concerned there are plenty. One thing that cannot be stifled by any recession is individual creativity and passion to succeed and in this issue of The Link both of these can be found in spades. Personifying this attitude is Kieran Fitzpatrick, CEO of Barracuda FX, a software house which employs 20 people in the IFSC in Dublin and which recently scooped a €100,000 prize from InterTradeIreland in its competition for early stage businesses. Fitzpatrick in recent years has participated in both the Enterprise Start Programme and the Novation Enterprise Platform Programme (NEPP) at the RDC.

A different type of operation altogether but no less promising is the Ion Channel Biotechnology Centre (ICBC), an Enterprise Ireland-funded research group at DkIT which focuses on the commercial applications of biotechnology and is making exciting headway in the area of drug discovery. Find out more about its work on page 10. The importance of strategic research partnerships to DKIT is also highligthed in the articles on pages 9 and 11, concerning the Water is Life research programme led by DKIT researchers from the Centre for Freshwater Studies (CFS) and the formal collaboration recently established between software engineering researchers at DKIT and the LERO CSET funded by Science Foundation Ireland and led by the University of Limerick.

Here at the RDC we will continue to support entrepreneurs and young businesses as effectively as we can though a varied roster of programmes. An exciting new addition to this is the ICE initiative, a cross-institutional programme which is aiming to fire up the entrepreneurial engines within business. Although still in its early stages, ICE is seen as a radical new model for enabling businesses to respond to change in a dynamic and flexible manner. (See article on facing page.)

We hope you enjoy these and other stories in this edition of The Link. If you have any comments or suggestions regarding content, or would like to be included on the mailing list, please email anne.tinnelly@dkit.ie. Finally, we would like to wish everyone associated with the RDC a very happy Christmas and peaceful New Year.

Irene McCausland External Services Manager, RDCTim McCormac Head of Research, DKIT

Front cover: Mountaineer Ian McKeever is pictured descending Aconcagua, western Argentina during his successful Seven Summits World Record attempt in 2007. McKeever is to lead a charity climb of Kilimanjaro to mark the tenth anniversary of Novation EPP. See story on page 5.

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Start-up scoops

€100k prize

Novation firms make

leap of faith

Student entrepreneursin the making

Professionals find

hidden talents

Water workshop

in Uganda

Sensing an

opportunity

Drug discovery focus at ICBC

Answering

LERO’s call

Successionplanning

Cool thinking

at ICE

Regional Development CentRe & ReseaRCh offiCe

the link

Novation is up for the challenge

Where research & InnovatIon Meets enterprIse

Professionals discover hidden talents

Water workshop in Uganda

Finding commercial apps for biotech

A radical new way of enabling companies to exploit change and adding value by developing new business models, products, services and processes is how the Innovation for Competitive Enterprises (ICE) programme in which DkIT is lead partner has been described.ICE kicked off with a series of nine innovation information and recruitment workshops across the three eligible regions of Northern Ireland, Western Scotland and the six border counties of Ireland earlier this year.

ICE Programme Manager Kieran Fegan said, “This programme, which has received €2.49 million from the European Union’s Interreg IVA Programme with support from Scottish Enterprise, will seek to develop the innovation capacity and capability of 30 SMEs per year for the next three years. During the initial workshops we gave over 100 company owner managers the opportunity to undergo an innovation audit. Peter Robbins, the former Head of Global Innovation

at GlaxoSmithKline consumer products, attended each of the workshops to provide an insight into how innovation can make a difference to a company’s fortunes.”

Kieran continued, “Companies were then given an overview of the ICE programme and invited to apply for year one of the intensive 12-month main ICE Innovation ‘learning by doing’ programme.”

There are four strands to the ICE programme:

•Sharingofinformation,resourcesandknowledge through a cross-border, cross-regional network of companies

•Accesstocross-regionalexpertiseinthe third level partner institutes and business support agencies

•Technologytransferandlicensingopportunities

•Intensivein-houseInnovationLearning Programme coupled with in-company mentoring (‘learning by doing’)

The programme is free to participating companies but does require each owner manager and key staff members to commit to participating in the 12 in-house half-day sessions over the 12 months’ duration and committing time and resources to work through an innovation project.

DkIT is the lead partner on the ICE programme and is collaborating with University of Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Ulster.

Kieran Fegan can be contacted via email at kieran.fegan@dkit.ie or by phoning +353 42 939 1038. The ICE website is www.iceprogramme.com.

This project is part financed by the European Union's European Regional Development Fund through the EU INTERREG IVA programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body with support from Scottish Enterprise.

Cool thinking at ICE

Pictured celebrating the launch of the ICE project were (front row, from left): Irene McCausland, External Services Manager, DKIT; Professor Richard Harris, University of Glasgow; and Professor Renee Reid, Glasgow Caledonian University. Back row, from left: Ariane De Vriendt, Special EU Programmes, and Professor Rodney McAdam, University of Ulster.

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Barracuda FX, a software solutions provider to leading global banks which has firm roots in Dundalk, has won the overall prize of €100,000 in an InterTradeIreland competition for high-growth businesses.

Prior to starting Barracuda FX, CEO Kieran Fitzpatrick participated in the Enterprise Start Programme at the Regional Development Centre in Dundalk Institute of Technology. Subsequently, he completed the Centre’s Novation Enterprise Platform Programme (NEPP) in 2008-’09. NEPP is the Regional Development Centre’s flagship enterprise development programme for technology start-ups.

Now employing some 20 people at the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in Dublin, Barracuda FX provides trading and risk management software solutions to international banks. Its innovative Foreign Exchange Order Management System gives banks complete control and confidence to significantly transform their foreign exchange business by increasing revenues, reducing costs and removing operational risk.

Sean MacEntee, Manager, Regional Development Centre, Dundalk Institute of Technology, said: “We’re delighted to see this latest recognition for Barracuda FX. Smarthomes and mCor Technologies are other previous Novation Enterprise Platform Programme participants who have gone on to enjoy success in this same all-island competition. We’re committed at the Regional Development Centre to continuing to provide a productive environment to all those entrepreneurs developing their business ideas to the stage where they’re market ready.”

For his part, Mr Fitzpatrick said of the award: “Taking part in the process helped us refine our business plan. Effectively it helped us to take a step back and re-evaluate all aspects of the business. We are delighted to take home the Best High Growth Company prize. It is a validation of our business and winning will also help to raise our profile. It is a great endorsement for the team and it will definitely help us attract the highest calibre of staff to our business.”

Batt O’Keeffe TD, Minister for Enterprise Trade and Innovation, said: “Barracuda FX is to be congratulated on their tremendous achievement. They typify Ireland’s entrepreneurial spirit, using their ideas and vision to develop innovative products and services that break new ground and have widespread global potential. InterTradeIreland’s flagship competition supports and nurtures entrepreneurship and new ventures – key to Ireland’s recovery and growth. After all, today’s budding entrepreneurs are tomorrow’s big employers.”

InterTradeIreland’s Seedcorn competition, with an overall prize fund of €280,000, aims to recognise and promote the best early stage companies across the island. Companies are selected following an intense competition designed to mirror a real life investment process.

Further information about the Regional Development Centre is available at www.rdc.ie

Kieran Fitzpatrick CEO and founder of Barracuda FX on left with Fergus McIlduff, NISP and Maurice Curran, Barracuda FX Co-Founder.

Risk and reward: software firm with NEPP roots scoops €100k prize

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Tenth Novation Enterprise Platform Programme scales new heights

Enterprise

The 2010/11 Novation Enterprise Platform Programme launched early November with participants undergoing a challenging three days of training and personal development in Carlingford, Co. Louth.

The theme of the launch was “Brick Walls Make Us Climb Higher.” As Ian McKeever author, adventurer and broadcaster put it “brick walls shouldn’t be seen as something to stop them (the participants) starting their businesses but as something to remind them how badly they want to be successful."

Ian had joined the participants to share his experiences of climbing the seven highest peaks on the planet in 2007 in a world record time of 155 days. Of particular interest to the group was how Ian brought all the various stakeholders together and created a product or package to meet their needs in order to fund the challenge.

Of course each of the participants was given their own challenge in the guise

of the “leap of faith” where they climbed a 50-foot pole and jumped off to catch a strategically placed trapeze. Perhaps it was a measure of the participants on this year’s programme that only one failed to catch hold of the target.

The NEPP programme celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and so far has supported over 100 entrepreneurs, many going on to start technology businesses in the North East region. A recent survey indicated employment of over 300 and annual sales of over €27million. Amongst the sectors represented by this year’s group are software development, sports products, energy, food and manufacturing.

As a final thought Ian shared the following with the group: “Neverlet the things you cannot do interfere with the things that you can do!” Advice all of us can follow...

Details of Ian’s other adventures can be found on www.givemeheros.ie

NEPP charity challenge 2011

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Novation EPP programme, which has supported over 100 technology entrepreneurs in the North East region, all former participants, trainers, mentors and investors are invited to take part in a charity climb of Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, in July 2011.

The challenge will be led by Ian McKeever, current world record holder for the Seven Summits (the highest peak in each of the continents) completed in 2007. Ian has brought over 100 people up Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, each successfully making the summit.

A full training, nutrition and support package will be provided and participants can choose to support a charity of their own or choose one as a group.

Full details available from garrett.duffy@dkit.ie.

High-achieving mountaineer Ian McKeever will lead the charity climb of Kilimanjaro in July

Enterprise

Social and healthcare professionals tune into entrepreneurship An innovative five-week programme about entrepreneurship aimed at those studying and working in the health and social care arena was recently run by DkIT. A wide range of contributors from social charities, the healthcare profession, academia and DkIT’s Regional Development Centre (RDC) were involved in this non-accredited programme.

Developed jointly by the RDC and the School of Health and Science at DkIT the programme was made available via podcast from the ACE website and also went out live to listeners of Dundalk FM, having its own regular weekly slot during the month of November.

The course has received widespread attention from major health organisations, trusts and charities. For further information email ace@dkit.ie.

Enterprise interns roll up sleeves Student enterprise interns in DkIT, Cork IT, IT Blanchardstown and Sligo IT are getting to grips with, for some, their new roles promoting enterprise and business ownership among their fellow students.

The Enterprise Internship Programme is a two-year programme supporting one or two student interns at the ACE partner institutions listed above, which effectively offers the interns an apprenticeship in applied entrepreneurship.

This year’s dynamic group met recently at DkIT to participate in an exciting training residential programme focused on developing personal skills such as communication, negotiation, presentation and selling.

Their first task of the academic year was to publicise the Newstalk 106-108fm Student Enterprise Competition. This competition encourages students to form cross-disciplinary teams to solve real business challenges using a case study format. Teams compete for the opportunity to represent their institute and the winning prize of a luxury Caribbean cruise.

The enterprise interns have a wide variety of entrepreneurship activities planned for the academic year including organising a prestigious speaker series; collaborating in student-led initiatives; assisting staff in curricular activity; leading social and charitable events including 'Enterprise & Innovation Week' promoting seed capital funding, challenges and competitions; and generally encouraging and supporting all types of student business activity.

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ACE up your sleeve

Creating entrepreneurial graduates through a collaborative approach is the aim of the Accelerating Campus Entrepreneurship (ACE) programme, a joint initiative between IT Blanchardstown, Cork IT, IT Sligo and NUI Galway and led by Dundalk Institute of Technology.

Collaboration means embedding entrepreneurship education into existing non-business programmes. It also means effecting organisational change within and between the various participating institutions to reflect the entrepreneurial activities happening between the academic schools and departments, and incubation and technology transfer offices.

ACE is supported by the HEA's Strategic Innovation Fund, provided by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan 2000-2006 with the assistance of the European Regional Development Fund. For more information visit: www.aceinitiative.ie.

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Issue 77Enterprise

Ten experienced professionals have come together to develop new ideas and explore ways in which they can use their skills, experience and talents to exploit commercial opportunities. All are receiving support as part of The Discovery Zone, a programme developed by the RDC at DkIT in conjunction with Cork IT aimed at unemployed or underemployed professionals. It is hoped that many participants will commercialise ideas generated during the 12-week programme.

The programme provides formal training one day a week, along with a further two days per week facilitated group and individual workshops, mentoring and access to the facilities of the RDC. There is particular emphasis on personal development during the programme.

In addition to no charge for participation on The Discovery Zone, social welfare benefits will not be affected by attendance on the programme.

Having completed the programme, each participant will have a better understanding and appreciation of:

• Howtheircareertodateisanasset that can be used for further benefit

•Howopportunitiesarecreatedby those with skill and determination to explore them

• Amethodologyfortestingthe commercial viability of new ideas

• Howcommercialideasare generated

• Routestocommercialisation

• Howsuccessfulentrepreneurs have transitioned from manager to entrepreneur

• Thejourneyfromagoodideato developing a worthwhile business opportunity.

The Discovery Zone will facilitate the above by delivering elements which include business workshops, personal skills development, group project work, individual project work, guest speakers, case studies, expert inputs, external visits and mentoring.

The RDC intends to run a further three Discovery Zone programmes during 2011. This pilot project focuses on County Louth and has been co-funded by Louth County Council and Enterprise Ireland .

Already the initial course, which is nearing the half-way stage, has received very positive feedback. The participants are especially delighted with the personal development and the level of training and support offered.

Dervla McGee, a current participant, noted, "The Discovery Zone has given me the motivation and support to succeed in my business."

Tom Laramie, a fellow participant, said The Discovery Zone offered

Experienced professionals Discover hidden talents

great support "if you've had an idea for a while, haven't been able to progress it, and you want the extra push to be able to achieve it."

The Discovery Zone is not just about starting a business for the participants but is also about discovering themselves. In this respect, the participants will discover their potential and any "road blocks" that may have prevented them from achieving their true potential so far. This softer side of the course will enable the participants to develop a stronger, more robust mentality, making them better able to cope with the numerous setbacks encountered when setting up a new venture.

Currently there are over 1,000 unemployed professionals in County Louth . The Discovery Zone aims to address this issue in a small but strategic way by accepting a group of between eight and 12 participants on each 12-week programme. The candidates undergo an interview, and if successful, are offered a place on the programme. The first programme will conclude in February 2011, with the next scheduled to begin the following month. For details contact sean.macentee@dkit.ie

This pilot project focuses on County Louth and has been co-funded by Louth County Council and Enterprise Ireland.

Pictured (L-R) at the launch of the Discovery Programme Pauric White Chairman Louth Economic Forum, Malacy McCloskey Executive Group Chairman Boyne Valley Food Group, Joan Martin Town Clerk Drogheda Borough Council, Michael McCabe, Enterprise Officer Louth County Council, Anne Cauldwell Enterprise Ireland, Sean MacEntee, Regional Development Centre, Claudine McGrane, Tom McGuinness, Dept. of Social Welfare, Michael Curran, Louth County Council, Sarah Warden Programme Participant, Peter McGrane Programme Facilitator, Bernard McKevitt, Dept of Social Welfare and Pat McCloughan.

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Ideas flow at Ugandan water workshopExploring the issue of sustainable water management in Uganda was the subject of a high-level workshop hosted recently in Kampala by DkIT, in collaboration with Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

Entitled ‘How can we make a difference - making research real’, the workshop, held on 3 November, provided a platform for academic partners, key stakeholders, community leaders, representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and high-level officials to exchange views and practical experiences related to local Ugandan water issues.

Professor Eli Katunguka, Director of Academic Affairs at Makerere University and Irish Ambassador to Uganda HE Kevin Kelly opened the event. Prof Katunguka emphasised the need for research to respond to the needs of society. He encouraged the project participants to take advantage

of the opportunity that they had been given through project funding by Irish Aid. He also thanked the Medical Missionaries of Mary (MMMs), the linchpin for the project on the ground, for choosing Uganda as one of its focus countries.

Ambassador Kelly spoke about the long history of co-operation between Ireland and Uganda . He also talked about how institutional research work on this project would yield transformational results in the lives of ordinary Ugandans. Dr Suzanne Linnane from the Centre for Freshwater Studies and lead researcher on the ‘Water is Life’ project gave an overview of this multidisciplinary project which involves academic partnerships with DCU, RCSI, UCD, TCD, QUB and NUIM. Through eight PhD projects, ‘Water is Life’ aims to examine various themes around sustainable water management.

Research

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A key feature of the morning session was the presence of high-level ministry officials from the Ugandan government. A strategic aim of Irish Aid funding is to bring about change not just on the ground but at policy level also. To this end Dr Callist Tindmuguya, Commissioner with the Ministry of Water & Environment, spoke about Water Policy in Uganda . Dr Tindmuguya is also a member of the Water is Life Advisory Group and has many years of experience dealing with water-provision issues.

Julian Kyomuhangi, Assistant Commissioner at the Ministry of Health, made an address on sanitation and hygiene in relation to health. Successful water provision cannot be separated from sanitation and health issues, so this was a welcome and informative session.

Peter Oumu, Economist with Irish Aid in Kampala , broadened the discussion with an address entitled ‘Millennium Development Goals and Uganda - how Ireland is contributing’. In the afternoon, Josephine Asasira, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Manager, Water Is Life, delivered a presentation on the role of GIS in the project and updated the group on the computer-based maps that she has produced from initial project data. These maps will be invaluable for linking and monitoring aspects of the water infrastructure and health effects locally.

The main body of the Water is Life research is being carried out by eight PhD researchers. One year in, each of these updated the meeting on their progress which provided the basis for the group discussion that was to follow:

Sam Kagwisagye Sourcing of sustainable

groundwater supplies

Michael Lubwama Sustainable pump

technologies

Rosemary Nalwanga Solar disinfection of

harvested rainwater

Jacent Asiimwe Solar disinfection of

drinking water (health impacts)

Joyce Mpalanyi Magala Social & health

impacts on women & children

Mavuto Denis Tembo Adaptation of water

management to climate change

Richard Asaba Bagonza Gender & water

resource management

Firminus Mugumya Conflict and

Cooperation in Local Water Governance.

Dr Edel Healy, Head of School of Health and Science at DkIT on the equator.

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Research

As the researchers are drawn from a variety of academic disciplines, one aim of the event was to share information so that the cross-cutting issues that inform aspects of all of the research could be fully dealt with. Participants brainstormed in groups on enhancing community engagement, embedding research outputs within community projects and maintaining an influence on water policy. The outcomes of these sessions are in the process of being distilled so that the future work of Water is Life can be driven by them.

Dr Edel Healy, Head of School of Health and Science, DkIT, chaired the event. As chair of the steering committee that organised this event, Dr Healy was very keen to make sure that ordinary Ugandan villagers would be represented at the workshop. “The workshop theme refers to making research real. It was essential that those people who stand to benefit most in a tangible way would be present to represent their communities,” she pointed out.

Gerald Majjwega, Kibuye community health worker and Joseph Kabogere, Kuvunikidde community health worker and teacher questioned the presenters closely and offered a vital perspective on the desirable outcomes that they would like to see stemming from the research. The event concluded with group workshops examining themes like promotion and measurement of community engagement, how to embed research in the community and influence of the research on water policy.

The workshop was very well attended (almost 50 attendees) with representatives from the project stakeholders, academics from Makerere University , NGOs and Ministry officials. The organisers were especially pleased to have Sr Celine Jones from the MMMs in Makondo and Sr Helene Delaney, MMM in Hobart, Masaka attend. The workshop was closed by Prof Samuel Kyamanywa, Dean of Agriculture, Makerere University .

Extensive media coverage in Uganda was given to the event including a slot on the Nine O’ Clock news on national television. More information: www.dkit.ie/waterislife.

Frost & Sullivan1 in its 2009 market research report stated that the “revenue percentage of the agriculture and environment market for sensors in 2008” was 2% each of the global sensors market, with the compound annual growth rate projected to be 48.5% for wireless sensor systems up to 2013. The gas sensor market is currently in a stable growth stage with increasing revenues predicted for the future. More specifically, the gas detector global market has been estimated to be $1,690 million in 2009 with a projected revenue growth rate of 3.3%, with Europe generating the second largest revenues at a value of $507 million (2009) with associated predicted revenue of $652.3 million by 2016.2

The Electrochemistry Research Group at DKIT is combining the twin technologies of electrochemistry and Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) devices to develop a Technology Platform for environmental sensor applications. Of particular importance is the development of gas detection systems for volatile and toxic gases, for both the home and workplace environments. It is envisaged this will enable the development of gas sensors which:

• Areinsmallsizeandlowincost;

• Canbetailoredtobegasspecific;

• Givereliable,reversibleand reproducible responses;

Environmental gas monitoring at DkIT

• Possesshighsensitivitieswithhigh dynamic ranges

• Willoperateindualsensingmodesoas to eliminate environmental factors such as temperature.

The group is in early stage discussions with several key Irish based industrial partners in relation to potential commercial opportunities that may arise as the technology is developed. The group has over 20 years scientific experience within the field of electrochemistry, in particular, the design of chemically modified electrode systems for sensor applications. The employment of tailor-made materials as sensing elements within chemical sensors and as surface immobilisation matrixes for sensor systems is a key focus of the group. In addition, to the group's scientific and technical expertise, the team has in place the required scientific infrastructure such as, suite of modern electrochemical potentiostats and network analysers for thin film deposition and sensor measurements.

For more information please contactDr Tim McCormac (Head of Electrochemistry Research Group)Tel: +353 42 9370459Email: tim.mccormac@dkit.ie

1 Frost & Sullivan 2009 “Sensors for Agriculture and Environment Monitoring”

2 Frost and Sullivan 2009 “World Gas Sensors, Detectors and Analysers Markets”

Shahzad Imar, PhD researcher in the Electrochemistry Research Group, employing modern electrochemical techniques to study modified electrode systems for sensing applications.

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The Ion Channel Biotechnology Centre (ICBC) at Dundalk Institute of Technology is an Enterprise Ireland (EI) funded centre focused on commercial applications in biotechnology, including drug discovery. The Centre, funded through EI’s Applied Research Enhancement (ARE) Programme, works with discovery biology groups in industry and has its own drug discovery programme.

A multi-disciplinary approach to drug development allows the research team to observe effects of potential drug candidates on whole tissue and electrophysiology studies and feed back this information in an iterative manner to the medicinal chemistry lab. This approach has been tremendously valuable and so far over 60 novel drug candidates have been synthesised and patent applications are underway. This small scale but innovative approach has garnered a great deal of interest from the pharmaceutical industry due to the novelty of the drug candidates, being first in class in many instances.

Innovation in the pharmaceutical industry takes many forms. The common belief is that innovation leads to new medicines, and that this is of utmost importance in the drug industry as we search for cures in major disease areas and seek to improve the quality of life of patients. It has been increasingly recognised that the cost of this innovation in large multinational companies is spiralling, and the outcomes of massive R&D programmes is diminishing rapidly.

Against this backdrop, Ernst & Young in its 2010 report declared for the first time that the biotechnology industry is “profitable”, yet a closer assessment of the figures reveals a massive gap between

the achievers and non-achievers. For the have-nots especially, innovation in this new environment will require increasing efficiencies, de-risking drug development, more effective collaborations, efficiencies in R&D and operations and appropriate levels of risk management.

Most pressing is the need for early elimination of bad drug candidates; taking the “kill it quick” approach to drug development and spending more time and money at the early stages, reducing the risk of late-stage costly failures. Companies and investors alike are beginning to understand the importance of laying the right foundations rather than adopting a more familiar approach of ploughing forward with a lead candidate and putting all resources into a single product which so often historically, has failed.

Cardiac toxicity is most often cited as the primary cause of drug withdrawals. When a drug affects the synchronicity of the heartbeat it can be a life or death situation, as the orchestrated electrical activity of cardiac cells cause the heart muscle to contract and squeeze/pump blood around the body. This has become such a critical issue for new drugs that the regulatory authorities including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set out guidelines for studies that are required to advance a drug into human clinical trials, and indeed through these trials.

Understanding the potential of drugs to create such lethal side effects while they are in early development is a difficult task that requires a deep understanding of the molecular basis of the heart beat. The electrocardiogram (ECG) that we are all familiar with is a measure of the sum of the action potentials in all heart

cells and is measured at the skin surface. However, drugs that are associated with potentially lethal irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias) may not show an observable effect in ECGs due to the relatively small number of episodes that can be picked up. Drugs such as terfenadine (marketed as Seldane®) were withdrawn from the market after extensive use over a period of several years lead to the conclusion of an association of the drug with arrhythmias. Terfenadine had an incidence of only one in 28,500 prescriptions and grepafloxicin (Raxar®) was withdrawn due to seven cardiac related deaths and three cases of arrhythmias out of 2.65 million prescriptions. It should be apparent then that identifying this level of risk in a clinical trial involving a few thousand patients is unlikely. Most adverse cardiac events are picked up during post-marketing surveillance or once a drug has been on the market for some time.

In this complex web of molecular interactions, it is no surprise that the ion channels of the heart are the key critical mediators of the heart beat and ion channels are the targets on which these drugs act to produce arrhythmias. The culprit in the vast majority of cases of drug-induced adverse cardiac events is an ion channel that conducts the potassium ion and is encoded by a gene called hERG. Blockade of hERG underlies the adverse events associated with a number of blockbuster drugs that were not designed to impact the heart, including cisapride (Propulsid), astemizole, grepafloxicin and terfenadine.

As a result of the comprehensive evaluation of new drug candidates imposed by the regulatory authorities the design and expense of clinical trials

ICBC carves promising niche in drug safety

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has also gone up in parallel. The need for more careful planning at the earliest stages of drug development is now proving even more critical, and hERG safety analysis is a key component of this.

These safety assessments are a critical first step and a core competence of the ICBC team. Adding to the toolbox of the team we have in-licensed technology to assist in the assessment of toxicity of drugs at the earliest stage of development and we attempt to derive cardiac side effect profiles for each of our drug candidates, and for external companies that are interested in this type of service. At ICBC we understand the molecular basis of the cardiac action potential and the role that ion channels have to play; we understand the importance of hERG safety analysis. We use an assay that over-expresses the hERG ion channel, allowing analysis of drug effects on this ion channel in relative isolation. We have also taken this a step further incorporating other ion channels in the heart and have a separate assay for sodium ion channels (NaV1.5), another key mediator of cardiac contractility. We have recently completed the first sweep of studies for Berand Neuropharmacology using Enterprise Ireland’s Innovation Voucher programme to fund this work as a test bed for ICBC services, and as a benefit to the client who needs to know what to look for in planning the development of new drug candidates. ICBC is the only organisation in Ireland that offers hERG liability testing and we hope to become the go-to organisation for cardiac toxicity profiling of new drug candidates.

For further information on the work of the ICBC visit www.icbc.ie or email mary.earle@dkit.ie

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LERO, the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre, recently announced that Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) and National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI Galway) have entered into a formal collaboration to further advance the enormous strides made in Irish software research in recent years.

DkIT and NUI Galway will now formally collaborate on projects, including EU Framework Programme 7 projects and in software research.

Lero, which is based in the University of Limerick (UL), UCD, TCD and DCU, has been working with DkIT and NUI Galway for some time but this is the first time that the collaboration has been formalised, a significant development for the impact of Irish software research on the world stage.

Commenting on the collaboration, the Director of Lero, Prof Mike Hinchey said: “We are very pleased to join with DkIT and NUI Galway in a formal collaboration to further enhance the profile of Irish software research on a global basis. It has been extremely worthwhile and productive to work with these excellent institutions in the past and we look forward to exciting developments in the future.”Head of Research at DkIT Dr Tim

DKIT formally joins LEROThird Level Institutions join forces to advance software research

McCormac said: “We are delighted that DKIT is formally joining one of Ireland ’s leading research institutes. This underlines the international quality of the software engineering research currently being undertaken by the researchers at DKIT and we look forward to playing our part in ensuring Ireland ’s work in this area continues to have a global impact.”

Lero was established in November 2005 with support from Science Foundation Ireland ’s CSET (Centre for Science, Engineering and Technology) programme. It is a collaborative organisation, embracing the software engineering research activities in the University of Limerick (UL partner), Dublin City University , Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin.

Lero focuses on specific domains, especially those where reliability is crucial, including automotive, aerospace, medical devices, telecommunications and financial services. Lero develop models, methods and tools that make it cheaper, faster or easier to produce this crucial software.

More information: www.lero.ie.

Dr Tim McCormac, Head of Research, DkIT

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Starting Out or Need a Base for your R&D Activities?

The Regional Development Centre has top class Incubation Facilities and Business Supports both on-campus in DkIT

and Off-Campus in Millmount, Drogheda.

For further details contact: Sean MacEntee on [t] 042 9370400 [e] sean.macentee@dkit.ie [w] www.rdc.ie

Case studies book due out in spring 2011 Lecturers in higher education in Ireland will soon have another valuable resource to support the teaching of enterprise and entrepreneurship thanks to a book of cases commissioned under the Accelerating Campus Entrepreneurship (ACE) initiative.

Due to be published in spring 2011, the compilation will enhance the quality and quantity of informative teaching cases for entrepreneurship (Levels 6-9). All cases are set in the Irish context and are relevant to both commercially and socially oriented ventures.

The cases focus on organisations and individuals from diverse industry sectors and are authored by teaching staff, experts and mentors involved with growing commercially viable ventures.

The management and

staff of the Regional

Development Centre would

like to wish all our clients,

colleagues and partners a

very Happy Christmas and a

prosperous New Year.

Getting a helping hand with succession plansThe Success Through Succession (STS) programme is proving to be a winner with family businesses in the six southern border counties, providing them with individual succession plans for the future of their businesses.

Eleven companies from diverse industry sectors including engineering, medical devices, construction, crafts, transport, food manufacturing and textiles were selected to receive 12 months of support to explore the issues involved and then develop and implement their succession plan. They were: AmRay Medical, Crowes Quality Meats, Dunview Ltd, Ferm Engineering, Glenmore Linen, Matthews Coach Hire, Parkes Garage, Silverstream Gardeners World, Wakely Engineering, Ward Automation and Wright Quarry Products.

A series of events and workshops has already taken place since the Irish launch of the programme in March 2010. One recent workshop held in Cavan Crystal provided participants with five interactive sessions relating to the topic “Family Business: Sell or Keep?” The workshop focused on the financial aspects of family business succession, specifically tax issues/implications and strategic and financial development plans. Psychological considerations such as family business values, ownership readiness and emotional adjustment models were also covered.

The workshop was delivered by the STS expert team, the family business unit at BDO Simpson Xavier and family business practitioners in the border region. The next workshop will take place in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh and will focus on preparing the succession process, focusing in particular on ‘reactive’ and ‘proactive’ transitions.

Recruitment for the next programme will begin in spring 2011. If you are interested in applying for the programme please contact: Dr Cecilia Hegarty, STS Programme Manager, by email to: cecilia.hegarty@dkit.ie or Tel: + 353 42 9370422.