Press Notices

Embargoed for 12pm, Thursday 4th October 2007

Space technology targets tuberculosis

Instrumentation developed for the Beagle 2 and Rosetta space missions is being adapted into a cost-effective, rapid and accurate tool for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB). The project was unveiled today at the University of Manchester’s Jodrell Bank Observatory as part of celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik.

The Wellcome Trust has awarded scientists at The Open University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) a £1.34 million award to develop a mass spectrometer capable of detecting TB. The disease, which is caused by the M. tuberculosis bacterium, is thought to kill two million people every year, primarily in the developing world. The mass spectrometer, designed for analysing samples of Martian soil and cometary ice, will be capable of detecting TB in samples of sputum much quicker and with a much greater sensitivity than current methods.

Professor Keith Mason, CEO of the Science and Technology Facilities Council said: "This provides a clear demonstration of how investment in space can lead to advances in technologies which have direct benefit to humankind. It is fantastic to think that technologies that are currently on their way to a distant comet will be helping people here on Earth."

The research team is led by Dr Geraint "Taff" Morgan and Professor Colin Pillinger at the Open University, who developed the instrumentation for the Beagle 2 mission and the Rosetta lander, together with Dr Liz Corbett from the LSHTM.

Dr Morgan said: "The thing with developing technology for space missions is that if forces you to push boundaries and think outside the box when you're looking for new solutions to challenging problems. Many of the technical challenges we have overcome in designing our space instruments are the same as we face with this issue."

At present, TB in resource-poor settings relies mainly on the use of smear microscopy of sputum samples, a very labour-intensive process with low sensitivity

Dr Morgan said: "Smear microscopy is not a very accurate way of diagnosing TB and only detects a third of all positive cases. That means seven out of ten patients will effectively need to get worse before they can be diagnosed and treated. Clearly, we need a new solution to this problem.”

Dr Morgan believes that the answer lies with a shoe-box sized gas chromatograph mass spectrometer (GC-MS), known as Ptolemy, carried by the Rosetta lander. The European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft will land on comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014, where it will analyse the chemical composition of samples from the comet’s nucleus.

"Chemicals have their own unique 'signature'," says Dr Morgan. "The bacterium that causes TB has a special coating and it is the pattern of chemicals in this coating that the mass spectrometer will be 'searching' for."

The GC-MS is fully automated, so does not require skilled laboratory technicians or special laboratory facilities. This means that the technology will be more widely available in the places that need it most.

The Wellcome Trust, the UK’s largest medical research charity, funded development of the original mass spectrometer on the Beagle 2 mission to Mars. Professor Colin Pillinger, the driving force behind the mission, has praised the Trust's vision.

"The Wellcome Trust had the foresight to see that the miniaturisation process needed to develop a mass spectrometer capable of fitting onto a spacecraft could have applications far closer to home," says Professor Pillinger. "It is very rewarding to see such vision paying off in clinical research."

NOTES FOR EDITORS

For the full Wellcome Trust press release, see: http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/

1. Space 50: 4th October 2007 is the fiftieth anniversary of the launch of Sputnik and the dawn of the Space Age. “Space 50” celebrates the advances that have been made in astronomy, space science and technology over the last 50 years and the achievements of UK scientists and engineers in furthering our knowledge of the Universe.
For information on Space 50 and events to celebrate a half-century of spaceflight, see: http://www.space50.net

2. The Science and Technology Facilities Council ensures the UK retains its leading place on the world stage by delivering world-class science; accessing and hosting international facilities; developing innovative technologies; and increasing the socio-economic impact of its research through effective knowledge exchange partnerships.

The Council has a broad science portfolio including Astronomy, Particle Physics, Particle Astrophysics, Nuclear Physics, Space Science, Synchrotron Radiation, Neutron Sources and High Power Lasers. In addition the Council manages and operates three internationally renowned laboratories:

The Council gives researchers access to world-class facilities and funds the UK membership of international bodies such as the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the Institute Laue Langevin (ILL), European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), the European organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO) and the European Space Agency (ESA). It also contributes money for the UK telescopesoverseas on La Palma, Hawaii, Australia and in Chile, and the MERLIN/VLBI National Facility, which includes the Lovell Telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory. The Council distributes public money from the Government to support scientific research. Between 2007 and 2008 we will invest approximately £678 million. The Council is a partner in the UK space programme, coordinated by the British National Space Centre. http://www.scitech.ac.uk/

3. The Wellcome Trust is the leading UK funder of translation research, seeking to maximise the impact of research innovation on health by facilitating the development of early-stage technologies to a point at which they are attractive for follow-on investment or partnering. Through Translation Awards, applied research projects are funded at an early stage where there is an unmet need in healthcare, a potential new solution, and a realistic expectation that the innovation will be developed further by the market. Strategic Translation Awards support research projects that are viewed as strategically important to the Wellcome Trust's mission. http://www3.open.ac.uk

5. The PSSRI is one of the highest profile research groups in the UK scientific community having been instrumental in the development of the Beagle 2, and Cassini-Huygens missions. The group searches for answers to basic questions about our Universe, studying all aspects of planetary and space science including the evolution of planets and moons in our solar system, near Earth objects, the early solar system, interstellar dust particles, impact phenomena on all scales and astrobiology. As well as a heritage in space exploration spanning Giotto (1986), which intercepted comet Halley, through Beagle 2 to Cassini-Huygens, PSSRI has involvement in ongoing missions including NASA’s Genesis, and Stardust missions and ESA’s Rosetta mission, which will place hardware on the surface of a comet in 2014. http://www.open.ac.uk/science

6. The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is Britain's national graduate school of public health and one of the world's leading postgraduate institutions for public health and tropical medicine. Part of the University of London, the London School is an internationally recognized centre of excellence in public health, international health and tropical medicine. It is one of the highest-rated research institutions in the UK. http://www.lshtm.ac.uk

Media enquiries

Gill Ormrod
Science and Technology Facilities Coucil
Tel: +44 1793 442012
Mobile: +44 781 8013509
Email: gill.ormrod@stfc.ac.uk

Craig Brierley
Media Officer
The Wellcome Trust
T: 020 7611 7329
E: c.brierley@wellcome.ac.uk

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