Diagnostic breath-test analysis developed

Oxford Medical Diagnostics (OMD), which was formed in August 2010, has developed a unique technology that enables rapid, accurate and low-cost diagnostics for various illnesses, including diabetes, through breath analysis.

The company is currently prototyping a non-invasive point-of-care (at patient) diagnostic instrument to detect diabetes types 1 and 2, through identifying acetone in the breath. There are currently no major direct competitors in this area, while alternative methods include blood analysis which can be both painful and inconvenient.

The company's management team includes the CEO, Dr Tony Marchington, who founded Oxford Molecular, which reached an FTSE 250 valuation of £475m. This spin-off counts as one of the most successful entities linked to the University of Oxford and its intellectual property company, Isis Innovation.

OMD maintains close links with the University of Oxford and academics around the world, while it holds three important patents in plasma emission spectroscopy (PES – spectral analysis of light generated from a gaseous sample through which a small electric arc is passed) and exclusive licences to two further major patents through the University of Oxford.