Planes, pains and a welcome draught

Technology which identifies genetic variations which cause common diseases and tailors the treatment to the patient and the disease; a company which has developed more comfortable economy-class seats for aircraft and a system which allows you to have draught Guinness in a bottle are among the nine finalists shortlisted in the National Innovation Awards for 2000.

The awards, sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers, The Irish Times and the Government's Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Awareness Programme, will be announced in Dublin on September 14th, when one overall winner will be chosen from four category winners.

The chairman of the judging panel, Dr Patrick Galvin, says each finalist will be assessed on how well it has progressed towards establishing a pattern of successful innovation and whether that innovative activity can be maintained.

as, says this year's awards attracted entries from a wide spread of businesses. The awards, he says, recognise and acknowledges the efforts of companies, at whatever their stage of development or whatever sector of industry, which show an ability and willingness to invest in innovation in order to keep pace with market trends, remain competitive and increase profitability.

HiberGen Ireland Ltd is a start-up biotechnology company and the first indigenous Irish genomics company, now in existence for 18 months, and based at the Enterprise Ireland Technology House in Glasnevin, Dublin. Dr Maurice Treacy, a pharmacologist who worked for 11 years in the US, formed the company with Dr Pat Vaughan, who's specialisation is genomics.

He explains that HiberGen's SNaPIT (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Identification Technology) has two programmes: one will identify genetic variations based on samples which will be provided with the consent of patients through various doctors and hospitals around the State; the other is a programme of pharmagenomics which individualises or personalises medicine both to the patient and the disease, whether pathogen-based, viral or bacterial.

HiberGen will work with different companies, patient groups and research organisations to identify genetic profiles of individuals and match a profile to drug treatments available. "It's really individualised medicine," he says.

"The human genome is a great achievement. However, it's just a bunch of data. We are just adding value to that and creating knowledge for new diagnostics and new drugs. That knowledge will be sold to drug and diagnostic companies.

Anyone who has travelled on a long-haul flight in economy class will know how uncomfortable aircraft seats become after a few hours. But it is the challenge of health problems like stroke and thrombosis that prompted Vita Cortex Holdings in Cork, through its LongHaul subsidiary, to develop a new type of seat base that is both safe and comfortable. "Unless the cushioning recognises the contours of what's sitting on it, you will not solve the health problem," explains Mr Morgan Connolly, managing director of Avanti Consultants, the engineering firm which provided the technology transfer which developed what is described as "third-generation" cushions.

Work started two years ago and has involved a huge amount of research, including the simulation of accidents at 30 m.p.h., he says. The cushion, he explains, "uses technologies based on trapped air and polyeurethane technology foams developed by Vita Cortex, open cell foams, which means that air can travel though it. The main cushioning is done by air, whereas second-generation foam compresses when you sit on it."

The breakthrough is coming now, Mr Connolly says, because airlines are starting to take notice. "We're talking to the innovating airlines," he says but will not give names. "By the start of 2001, we hope to have it starting to go on aircraft seat bottoms."

For a company like Guinness Ireland Group, innovation is what keeps it ahead of competitors and the new draught stout in a bottle is reaping the rewards, with 70 per cent of consumers, in research, rating it as good, if not better, than real draught. "We wanted to get it into the high-energy occasions where people switch from drinking draught stout and into a more suitable form for these occasions," Mr Kevin Carbery, the development technologist with Guinness, explains. "It's basically occasions where draught is not particularly suitable - night clubs, parties, at-home use. This was seen as a more suitable format, the technology was semi-developed within R&D in Dublin but the widget technology and bringing it further on came in line with that.

"It was one of the most successful test-markets that Guinness has had and since the launch late last year it's been very, very positive," Mr Carbery says.

As to taste, he responds: "It's draught Guinness so it tastes exactly the same".

There are plans to export the product. "We're currently doing research in the States and working to get it into other markets. The technology would transfer very easily if the market demand and logistics and distribution were suitable. . . the States and Australia definitely." he says.