Mission
IBST’s mission can be summarised as “Sensing for Biology and Biology for Sensing”. IBST develops sensors for biological testing in the sectors of healthcare, agriculture and food technology, and uses biological principles to develop novel sensors for environmental, security and engineering applications.
About the Institute
The Institute of Biosensing Technology, launched in 2008 and based at the University of the West of England, is the first of its kind in the UK. Within our laboratories we design complex biological tests and incorporate those tests into prototype devices using microfluidics and bespoke electronics. We are a “one stop shop” working on all aspects of the product simultaneously. Our focus is on the growing market sectors of healthcare, agri-food, environmental monitoring and security. We aim to form collaborative teams across industry, the public sector and academia to address market driven challenges. We support the development of networks of interested parties both locally in the Bristol & Bath area but also building links with specific partners across the globe.
Through this kind of collaborative working, the Institute is well placed to take an idea from conception, through fundamental research and development to preproduction prototype, in preparation for exploitation.
Who we are
IBST is led by academics from both the Faculty of Environment and Technology and the Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences bringing together the skills of engineers with those of chemists and biologist to address complex challenges. As well as accessing facilities and equipment across UWE, IBST have opened a 900 sq meter state of the art facility, funded by the ERDF, the LEP and UWE, that brings together under one roof all the skills required to design and build sensor systems.
This technology includes
• Novel Biomarkers for cancer and dementia
• Whole cell systems
• DNA amplification and sequencing
• Raman Spectroscopy
• Atomic force microscopy
• Rapid detection and point of care technologies
• Paramagnetic particle-based immunoassay
• Impedance spectroscopy
• Screen printed technology
• Printed sensors/electronics
• Volatile sensing
• Hyperspectral imaging
IBST has a proven track record of securing funding from government organisations (Research Councils, Innovate UK, National Institute for Health Research and the European Community through European Regional Development Fund grants) and have an enviable record of running successful research and innovation projects such as the Health Tech Hub, Health Tech Accelerator Programme, Centre for Alternative Testing and In-Vitro Monitoring (CATIM), Innovation Networks and the new HTH- South West Programme.
Sharing good practice
The Institute works closely with research associations and industry networks, and hosts a variety of national and international biotech conferences and coordinates networking and research events. The Insitute’s main showcase event is the International Bio-sensing Technology Conference. Launched in 2009 in Bristol, this has now become a major international conference with global attendance, underwritten by Elsevier. The conference provides a forum for accessing the most up-to-date developments in bio-sensing technology, sharing authoritative knowledge from both commercial and academic worlds, sharing best practice in the field as well as hearing about case studies of successfully integrated bio-sensing technologies and seeks to promote industrial research.
