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ADVERTORIAL: Profile Micropore Technologies: Tech business goes from strength to strength



Tech business Micropore Technologies Ltd were winners of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Emerging Technologies Competition in 2018.

Here, Chief executive Dai Hayward, outlines what it meant to win the prestigious competition and offers advice for this year’s contestants.

Q. In layman’s terms, describe your business/technology.

Micropore Technologies was spun out of the Loughborough University Chemical Engineering Department. It has developed a scalable technology for manufacturing mono-sized microparticles, micro-capsules and emulsions for use in medicines, nutrition, skincare, farming and construction materials.

This process – microencapsulation – involves surrounding tiny droplets in a coating or a polymer matrix to create small capsules to incorporate food ingredients, enzymes, cells or other materials on a micrometric scale. It can also be used to enclose solids, liquids, or gases inside a wall made of a hard or soft soluble film, in order to reduce dosing frequency and prevent pharmaceuticals from degrading.

Q.What impact has your technology had?

The technology has demonstrated its ability to reduce waste levels from around 50% to near zero, shorten development times by approximately half, reduce energy costs by 40% and, in the case of injectable pharmaceuticals, significantly improve the patient experience.

Q. What kind of commercial milestones have you reached since winning the Emerging Technologies Competition?

We have launched a larger scale device that is capable of processing up to 15,000 tonnes per year and is suitable for high volume applications such as agrochemicals, food and household products, grown our business in both Europe and the Americas, appointed our first “boots on the ground” in India and penetrated deeper into our markets with increased sales as a result.  In the process it has more than doubled its workforce in the last 18 months.

Q. How has your technology developed since you took part?

We continue to develop both our fundamental understanding of the technology of membrane emulsification and to embody that learning in new applications.  Among the most significant are continuous crystallisation and large-scale liposome and lipid nanoparticle manufacture.

Q. What are Micropore’s plans for the future?

The team are hard at work to continue to develop both its fundamental understanding of the technology of membrane emulsification, and to embody that learning in new applications. Micropore is currently using its technology to develop a process for continuous crystallisation of APIs and other products.

Q. What advice does the Micropore team have for future Emerging Technologies Competition finalists?

Do your homework on your fit with the companies judging the competition, so that you can maximise your opportunities for success. You have nothing to lose, but make sure you have a credible commercialisation plan.

For more information about the event go to www.rsc.org/competitions/emerging-technologies/



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