Dr Fiona Lyng of Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) has won the Enterprise Ireland ‘One to Watch’ award for the new system she and her team are developing to diagnose cervical cancer.
Minister for Research and Innovation Sean Sherlock, TD, presented the award to Lyng at the Enterprise Ireland Applied Research Forum in front of 250 academic researchers.
Lyng is developing the new system together with her colleagues at the Radiation and Environmental Science Centre at the Focas Institute in DIT and collaborators at the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital in Dublin, with support from Enterprise Ireland.
“Dr Lyng’s system has the potential to revolutionise the diagnosis of cervical cancer. With the support of Enterprise Ireland and DIT Hothouse, plans are in place to commercialise this important technology through a spin-out company,” said Sherlock.
“The work is an excellent example of the positive social and economic impact of research outputs.”
Ramon Diagnostics to be spun out
Having funded the this technology for five years, Enterprise Ireland is now working closely with DIT and the team who, together with business partner Paul Hands, are planning to establish the spin-out company, Raman Diagnostics, to commercialise the technology.
Some 63 such spin-out companies have emerged from Irish third-level colleges in the past three years with Enterprise Ireland support.
DIT Hothouse is the Innovation and Technology Transfer Centre at Dublin Institute of Technology. Its venture programme for knowledge-intensive start-up companies has assisted more than new 300 firms that have created 1,000 jobs in the Dublin region.
Photo: Dr Fiona Lyng, Dublin Institute of Technology, (right) who was presented with the Enterprise Ireland ‘One to Watch Award 2011’, by The Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock T.D (centre) and Feargal O’Morain, director of research, innovation and commercialisation, Enterprise Ireland at the Applied Research Forum in Dublin
