InterAct Projects and Technology

The InterAct Partners carry out research and development for applications in a variety of sectors including: food and agriculture; animal health; human health; environmental protection; and defence. The partners work across a wide range of disciplines in order to serve such sectors, and have particularly complementary strengths in technology areas including:

• New validated diagnostic kits (e.g. lateral flow, PCR, arrays etc) in food safety, plant, veterinary and human health fields
• New detection technology platforms in food safety and veterinary and human health fields
• Novel vaccines for human and animal health uses
• Vaccine delivery technologies for oral and nasal delivery
• Proficiency testing across food, environment, medical and veterinary sectors
• Biotechnology expression tools and microbial expression services
• Microbial process development and purification
• Probiotics for animal and human health
• Microencapsulation services
• Regulatory support services in human and animal health
• Biocides testing services in human and animal health

InterAct combines partner technologies from these areas to develop projects to address a variety of market needs. InterAct actively markets such projects to bring them to market through licensing, venturing and other exploitation routes. Examples of projects that InterAct is promoting include the following:

Biochips for Serotyping

This project is utilizing know-how and materials developed at VLA and HPA, coupled with a commercial biochip platform to develop a rapid and accurate method of determining Salmonella and E. coli serotypes. The current methods for serotyping of Salmonella and E. coli have been in use for over 70 years: the biochip developed under this project will have significant operating advantages over existing methods.

Ultrasound for Sample Preparation

A spin out company from Dstl developing patented ultrasound technology for use in the preparation of samples in clinical, food and veterinary diagnostics. The company has combined Dstl technology with the know-how of VLA and Fera, and expertise provided under InterAct, to develop a series of commercial applications for the business.

Dual Vaccine

This project is developing a dual vaccine for poultry against two economically important diseases: Salmonella and necrotic enteritis. The project utilises patented technology from Dstl and expertise and know-how from VLA to create a single live vaccine strain capable of delivering immunity against two unrelated poultry diseases.

Rapid Diagnostics for Poultry Diseases

This project utilizes the expertise at Fera in the development and marketing of rapid lateral flow diagnostics, coupled with VLA know-how and materials relating to a variety of avian viral diseases. The new diagnostics will be suitable for on-site detection of disease during outbreaks, allowing much more timely responses to outbreaks.

Please click here to download a brochure with more information on lateral flow testing and validation services available from the partners in the animal health field

Proficiency Testing Services

Three of the InterAct partners offer comprehensive proficiency testing (PT) services across food and water microbiology, GMO analysis, food/water/effluent chemistry, parasitology, veterinary laboratory diagnosis, public health and equipment monitoring. This project is aimed at leveraging the marketing resources of the three PT teams in order to maximise their income potentials.

Please click here to download a brochure with more information on the partner's proficiency testing services.

InterAct welcomes approaches from companies interested in acquiring new technologies in the areas described or interested in collaborating in any of the InterAct development projects. Please get in contact if you would like further details or would like to discuss specific opportunities or projects.