Ancon Technologies

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by Ancon Technologies's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from Ancon Technologies is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett, MP

Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles, MP

35ANCON TECHNOLOGIES |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2018

Inventor Dr Gorbunov

Chemical and second-generation

explosive detection

Across the globe, the news broadcasts a seemingly endless

parade of emerging new threats that compromise

both safety and peace of mind. From terror attacks to

pandemic diseases, the world has never seemed more insecure,

challenged by hazards that look unrecognisable, unpredictable

or unstoppable. Whether the threat is from an explosive

device, a deadly disease or an illegal narcotic, early detection

has always been the first line of defence. Many of the current

systems designed to provide early warning rely on technology

that is decades old, with slow reaction times and high costs.

ANCON Technologies is now entering a period which will see its

developments in detection equipment for security and medical

applications change the market fundamentally.

An innovative early detection technology

Now, we are using the emerging field of nanotechnology to bring about a

fundamental transformation in the science supporting early warning sensors. The

Canterbury-based, privately owned company is developing breakthrough chemical

detection technology, a new level of detection that will disrupt the traditional

security industry marketplace.

Nanotechnology molecular tagging (NMT) offers the most sensitive detection of

trace chemicals in the atmosphere to date. The applications are broad reaching,

providing accurate detection of explosive materials, quick warning of radioactivity

and early diagnosis of disease infection.

FACTS ABOUT

ANCON TECHNOLOGIES

»CEO (UK): Dr Robert Muir

»Development director (UK)

and CEO (US): Wesley Baker

»Technical director:

DrBorisGorbunov

»Established in 2003

»Based in Canterbury, Kent,

and Bloomington, Minnesota

»Services: Medical, security

and aerosol technology

development

»No. of employees: 15

»www.ancontechnologies.com

www.anconmedical.com

ANCON Technologies

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

36 | ANCON TECHNOLOGIES

A timely solution to an urgent

chemical problem

As threats of chemical attack continue

to mount, government officials are

pushing for better security standards,

with regulations requiring upgraded

equipment in some transportation

systems and the implementation of

mass screening of venues.

The need for early detection methods

has never been more evident. The

chemical attack this year in Salisbury

showed the danger that chemicals

continue to pose to the public.

We offer a state-of-the-art security

device that can swiftly and reliably

detect the presence of explosives,

chemicals or other compounds

through precise atmospheric readings,

which are accurate down to the

molecular level. This advantage makes

our security products a thousand times

more sensitive than market leaders.

Disruptive breakthrough in

screening, diagnosis and

disease management

We have developed a “once-in-

a-generation technology” known

as nanoparticle biomarker tagging

(NBT). The mission is to bring this

technology to the medical screening

and diagnostic market. NBT will have

a similar impact in today’s healthcare

market as the MRI and x-ray created in

the past and will generate very-early-

stage screening and diagnosis via a

non-invasive breath test.

This technique uses biomarker disease

profiling and the latest artificial

intelligence software, so every patient

increases the knowledge stored in

the cloud database and the screening

process becomes ever more accurate.

Nanoparticle biomarker tagging:

non-invasive, quick and precise

NBT screening and diagnosis systems

will be in every medical clinic, hospital,

pharmacy and public health setting,

providing real-time early-stage

screening and diagnosis for cancers

and other diseases, leading to effective,

personalised treatments that will save

lives, improve quality of life and reduce

the cost of long-term medical care.

The NBT will also be used as a disease

management tool, monitoring the effects

of treatments such as chemotherapy

and radiotherapy in a live data setting.

Nanoparticle biomarker tagging is the

only technology that directly detects

concentration, through an inventive

process that tags and counts the

elemental unit of mass – the single

molecule through breath. This non-

invasive, versatile technology is truly at

the cutting edge of innovation in the

medical device industry.

How nanoparticle biomarker

tagging works

Nanoparticle biomarker tagging

can be utilised as the foundation of

a device that serves as a portable

micro-laboratory. The process is similar

to gas chromatography with mass

spectrometry detection; however, the

latter requires a high vacuum that

makes it expensive, slow and suitable

only for laboratory study. Conversely,

nanoparticle biomarker tagging

technology ionises a breath sample, tags

the ions with specially generated nano-

objects and then uses a laser to count

the molecules, to identify the biomarker

chemicals and to gauge concentrations.

The nano-objects serve to increase

the physical volume of each targeted

Non-invasive lung cancer

screening and diagnosis

Environmental

monitoring

Once-in-a-

generation

technology

“

37ANCON TECHNOLOGIES |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2018

molecule by more than one billion times,

making it visible to optical lasers for

counting. It is cheap and cost-effective

to operate.

Once the results are received via the

NBT, the device creates a specific

unique profile of the patient’s breath

and, using artificial machine learning

technology in the cloud, builds a matrix

for screening the patient. This is, in

effect, Star Trek technology. The patient

breathes into the device for one minute

and a result is provided in under ten

minutes for the medical professional.

This approach leads to many advantages,

including:

»Unprecedented sensitivities to be

able to screen and diagnose disease;

»Simplicity of use allowing for

professionals to be utilised elsewhere

while test is ongoing;

»Cheap and cost-effective to deliver;

»Non-invasive and quick allowing for

mass screening capability that is easy

to implement;

»Results generated in a short time

frame saving time and money for the

medical industry.

The result is a real-time, non-invasive

screening detection device that outpaces

current technology in many qualities,

including costs, sensitivity and portability.

Versatile applications, limitless

potential

With its advance research programme,

we are targeting our product

development towards the new

generation of detection devices.

For security providers, the technology

is programmed for accurate, sensitive

detection of trace elements of explosive

material, but it can be adapted to

detect radiation or illegal narcotics.

In the healthcare industry, the technology

provides a method for rapid early

screening and diagnosis of infectious

diseases like tuberculosis and influenza,

and also lung cancer, simply by

checking a subject’s breath for chemical

biomarkers that indicate the disease.

The same medical applications can also

be extended to veterinary medicine,

with further uses for petrochemical and

food safety functions also in the works.

The path to market

This is only our beginning; we

seek to build a revenue model on

manufacturing in the medical device

industry and licensing within the

security industry and supplying key

components to “prime” defence

and security suppliers. Furthermore,

we are looking to develop long-term

partnerships with numerous civil bodies

across the UK and the US including the

NHS and Homeland Security.

As threats continue to develop, so

must the means by which to combat

them, be this in explosives, chemicals

or weaponised disease. Without

fundamental improvements in

technology, many of these vulnerabilities

remain a threat every day to Britons and

citizens the world over. We are poised

to revolutionise both security detection

and medical diagnosis worldwide with

advanced products and technology that

stand to disrupt the current marketplace

while making the world a safer place.

Non-invasive

and quick

allowing for

mass

screening

“

Nanoparticle biomarker

tagging (NBT) is quick

and easy to use

The Parliamentary Review Publication, in which this article originally appeared, contained the following foreword from the prime minister.

The Rt Hon Theresa May MP's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By The Rt Hon Theresa May MP

British politics provides ample material for analysis in the pages of The Parliamentary Review. For Her Majesty’s Government, our task in the year ahead is clear: to achieve the best Brexit deal for Britain and to carry on our work to build a more prosperous and united country – one that truly works for everyone.

The right Brexit deal will not be sufficient on its own to secure a more prosperous future for Britain. We also need to ensure that our economy is ready for what tomorrow will bring. Our Modern Industrial Strategy is our plan to do that. It means Government stepping up to secure the foundations of our productivity: providing an education system that delivers the skills our economy needs, improving school standards and transforming technical education; delivering infrastructure for growth; ensuring people have the homes they need in the places they want to live. It is all about taking action for the long-term that will pay dividends in the future.

But it also goes beyond that. Government, the private sector and academia working together as strategic partners achieve far more than we could separately. That is why we have set an ambitious goal of lifting UK public and private research and development investment to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027. It is why we are developing four Grand Challenges, the big drivers of social and economic change in the world today: harnessing artificial intelligence and the data revolution; leading in changes to the future of mobility; meeting the challenges of our ageing society; and driving ahead the revolution in clean growth. By focusing our efforts on making the most of these areas of enormous potential, we can develop new exports, grow new industries and create more good jobs in every part of our country.

Years of hard work and sacrifice from the British people have got our deficit down by over three quarters. We are building on this success by taking a balanced approach to public spending. We are continuing to deal with our debts, so that our economy can remain strong and we can protect people’s jobs, and at the same time we are investing in vital public services, like our NHS. We have set out plans to increase NHS funding annually by an average by 3.4 percent in real terms: that is £394 million a week more. In return, the NHS will produce a ten-year plan, led by doctors and nurses, to eliminate waste and improve patient care.

I believe that Britain can look to the future with confidence. We are leaving the EU and setting a new course for prosperity as a global trading nation. We have a Modern Industrial Strategy that is strengthening the foundations of our economy and helping us to seize the opportunities of the future. We are investing in the public services we all rely on and helping them to grow and improve. Building on our country’s great strengths – our world-class universities and researchers, our excellent services sector, our cutting edge manufacturers, our vibrant creative industries, our dedicated public servants – we can look towards a new decade that is ripe with possibility. The government I lead is doing all it can to make that brighter future a reality for everyone in our country.

British politics provides ample material for analysis in the pages of The Parliamentary Review

The Rt Hon Theresa May MP
Prime Minister