ICURe TopMD Pathway Biomarker Catalogue

In this project, we are developing a catalogue, across diseases and treatments, of new, more powerful and informative biomarkers for use as companion diagnostics to predict treatment response in individual patients and for improving the efficiency of the development and testing of medicines.

Our AI-enhanced technology, TopMD, was developed at the University, innovatively uses known biological pathways as coordinates for measuring the 'shape' of global gene expression, accurately representing both the molecular phenotype as a robust 'pathway biomarker'.

Discussions with pharmaceutical companies and healthcare providers identified routes to market to maximise the value promised by this innovative technology. We were advised by a panel of experts at the Innovate UK ICURe market validation programme options roundabout to 'spin-out' a company, and create a library of TopMD pathway biomarkers as a networked catalogue of biomarker products.

This project will deliver libraries of TopMD pathway biomarkers of disease and treatment-induced gene expression. The accuracy of TopMD classification diagnosis of diseases and disease sub-types will be assessed and published via peer review. The libraries will act as high value catalogues of 'pathway biomarkers', positioning TopMD as a global leader in Precision Medicine and meeting 2/4 of the government grand challenges; AI & Data and Healthy ageing.