This is Exeter -- An Exeter-based IT company is to play a crucial role in an international research project which could lead to a breakthrough in the treatment of a wide variety of bone diseases. Certus Technology is one of 18 partners across Europe who have joined forces for the five-year, £10m study funded by the European Commission. Established in 2000, the company specialises in databases, with a particular focus on healthcare and life sciences. It employs eight people, with an office in Longbrook Street and another in Sheffield. Managing director Ian Bamsey said: "This is a very exciting and data intensive project and we are certainly excited to be supporting it. "The tasks involved are so complex that it's only by having funding at a national or international level that brings together enough resources and enough people to give the project a critical mass and really make progress. "We have a long association with some of the partners in the project. One of the criteria when the European Commission invites bids for funding is that the project must involve SMEs, so that's where we fit in. We are the only SME in the UK involved." Named SYBIL, the project is led by Michael Briggs, Professor of skeletal genetics at Newcastle University. It will look at the genetic causes of hundreds of bone diseases, including arthritis and osteoporosis. Those involved hope the work will lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of these diseases, which affect tens of thousands of people in the UK and across Europe. Certus Technology will be responsible for designing, building and supporting software systems to enable the research partners to share and manage the huge amount of complex data which will be gathered during the course of the project. The work is expected to be worth around £440,000, enabling the company to recruit two or three more people with software engineering skills, which Mr Bamsey said are in short supply in the Exeter area. Among the diseases that will be investigated are osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, which the World Health Organisation estimates affects 25 per cent of adults aged over 65. The team will also focus on osteoporosis, a disease in which the density of bones is reduced, leading to weakness and increased risk of fractures. Professor Briggs said: "This project has great potential to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. If we can identify the genes and study the genetic processes that cause these diseases then we can think about developing treatments which could really help people." Another group of diseases which the researchers hope to help treat are rare skeletal diseases. They are an extremely diverse and complex group of diseases that primarily affect the skeleton as it develops at an early age. Although individually rare, about 225,000 people in the EU suffer from them. It is hoped that by identifying the genetic cause of these diseases, the researchers will take a major step towards finding potential therapies. Professor Briggs added: "SYBIL brings together a group of world-class scientists, systems biologists, disease modellers, information technologists and industrialists that will achieve critical mass to deliver the ambitious objectives of this programme of research."
Reported by This is 11 hours ago.
This is Exeter -- An Exeter-based IT company is to play a crucial role in an international research project which could lead to a breakthrough in the treatment of a wide variety of bone diseases. Certus Technology is one of 18 partners across Europe who have joined forces for the five-year, £10m study funded by the European Commission. Established in 2000, the company specialises in databases, with a particular focus on healthcare and life sciences. It employs eight people, with an office in Longbrook Street and another in Sheffield. Managing director Ian Bamsey said: "This is a very exciting and data intensive project and we are certainly excited to be supporting it. "The tasks involved are so complex that it's only by having funding at a national or international level that brings together enough resources and enough people to give the project a critical mass and really make progress. "We have a long association with some of the partners in the project. One of the criteria when the European Commission invites bids for funding is that the project must involve SMEs, so that's where we fit in. We are the only SME in the UK involved." Named SYBIL, the project is led by Michael Briggs, Professor of skeletal genetics at Newcastle University. It will look at the genetic causes of hundreds of bone diseases, including arthritis and osteoporosis. Those involved hope the work will lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of these diseases, which affect tens of thousands of people in the UK and across Europe. Certus Technology will be responsible for designing, building and supporting software systems to enable the research partners to share and manage the huge amount of complex data which will be gathered during the course of the project. The work is expected to be worth around £440,000, enabling the company to recruit two or three more people with software engineering skills, which Mr Bamsey said are in short supply in the Exeter area. Among the diseases that will be investigated are osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, which the World Health Organisation estimates affects 25 per cent of adults aged over 65. The team will also focus on osteoporosis, a disease in which the density of bones is reduced, leading to weakness and increased risk of fractures. Professor Briggs said: "This project has great potential to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. If we can identify the genes and study the genetic processes that cause these diseases then we can think about developing treatments which could really help people." Another group of diseases which the researchers hope to help treat are rare skeletal diseases. They are an extremely diverse and complex group of diseases that primarily affect the skeleton as it develops at an early age. Although individually rare, about 225,000 people in the EU suffer from them. It is hoped that by identifying the genetic cause of these diseases, the researchers will take a major step towards finding potential therapies. Professor Briggs added: "SYBIL brings together a group of world-class scientists, systems biologists, disease modellers, information technologists and industrialists that will achieve critical mass to deliver the ambitious objectives of this programme of research."
Reported by This is 11 hours ago.