A cutting-edge medical device which purifies and concentrates urine could be game-changing in the research and diagnosis of health conditions including cancer.

With the support of Bangor University, Caernarfon-based Bee Robotics Ltd has developed a prototype which purifies urine to leave a concentrated sample for biological analysis.

Spearheaded by coordinator Osborn Jones, the company worked with the university to analyse and evaluate the automated process, having successfully been awarded a Skills and Innovation Voucher (SIV), redeemable against academic support.

Osborn said they are in the “early stages” of their journey but thanked Edgar Hartsuiker, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science at the North Wales Medical School Cancer Research Unit and Fab Lab Manager, John Story – both based at Bangor University – for their “innovation and guidance”.

“We were able to get a much more reliable test by concentrating and purifying the urine samples,” said Osborn.

“What sets this apart from other sample analysis is automation; it means we can undertake the process much more quickly.

“However, it was very important we understood the science behind the process, which is where the support we received from the university was critical.

“We will continue testing, will keep working on this and with the prototype we can take a sample and concentrate it, while reducing the number of inhibitors to allow more sensitive diagnostic tests.

“I have never seen anything like this with automation for analysis. There is no human interference at all, so it could be a game changer in diagnosing and researching different medical conditions.”

Having collaborated with Bee Robotics previously, John was pleased to help Osborn with this latest invention.

“Osborn had identified a relatively recent and novel technique and wanted to explore it, so we created a machine that would allow him to pursue that idea,” he said.