SiriusXT Ltd, an Irish technology Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME), unveiled the inaugural commercial implementation of their groundbreaking SXT-100, a table-top Soft X-Ray Microscope.
Pictured (l-r) at the UCD Conway Institute are; Dr Dimitri Scholz, Director of Biological Imaging, UCD Conway Institute; Professor Jeremy Simpson, Dean of Science and Principal, UCD College of Science and Dr Kenneth Fahy, co-founder & Vice-President for Product Management, SiriusXT. Image Credit: Vincent Hoban, University College Dublin.
This innovative technology finds its primary applications in disease research and drug discovery. It is now operational at the UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, situated at University College Dublin (UCD).
Soft X-Ray microscopy (SXM) stands out as the sole 3D imaging technique with nanometer-level precision, enabling the comprehensive exploration of the internal structure of intact biological cells.
In disease research and therapeutic development, SXM plays a pivotal role in enhancing the comprehension of disease origins and transmission mechanisms. Additionally, it assists in confirming the efficacy of therapeutic approaches during the drug discovery process.
Until this point, SXM has exclusively been accessible at a mere six global synchrotron facilities located in the UK, Germany, Spain, the USA, China, and Taiwan. These facilities, often spanning the size of multiple football fields, possess the essential capacity to generate the soft X-Ray illumination required for achieving nanoscale 3D imaging.
After years of research by the company’s co-founders at UCD, SiriusXT has achieved a groundbreaking innovation. They have successfully reduced the size of the soft X-Ray illumination source, transforming it into a compact chamber, which, in turn, facilitates the creation of a table-top microscope.
This patented technological leap forward paves the way for the global deployment of SXM in countless disease and therapeutic research laboratories worldwide.
The deployment of the SXT-100 at the UCD Conway Institute is an outstanding example of the University’s research and innovation intensive focus and on the emphasis, we place on translating fundamental research outputs into innovative products, such as the SXT-100 microscope, which will lead to a greater understanding of health and disease, with the ultimate aim of informing novel drug discoveries.
Jeremy Simpson, Professor and Dean, Science and Principal, College of Science, University College Dublin
Simpson added, “The SXT-100 will now complement other cell imaging resources at the UCD Conway Institute and across the UCD College of Science and it will help UCD-based scientists to progress their research as well as to strengthen collaboration with their peers and industry partners, nationally and internationally.”
“We are really excited to be the world’s first imaging laboratory to have a SXT-100. This will enable researchers in academia and industry to close the resolution gap between light and electron microscopy as well as to run multiple correlative microscopy projects using combinations of light, soft X-Ray and electron microscopy,’’ stated Dr Dimitri Scholz, Director of Biological Imaging, UCD Conway Institute.
SiriusXT, an award-winning company headquartered in Dublin, was co-founded by Tony McEnroe, Dr. Fergal O’Reilly, Dr. Kenneth Fahy and Dr. Paul Sheridan, as a UCD spin-out company.
Today’s announcement is a major milestone for the company. We are delighted that the UCD Conway Institute is the location of our first commercial deployment, ushering in a new era of soft X-Ray microscopy at UCD.
Dr. Kenneth Fahy, Co-Founder and Vice-President, Product Management, SiriusXT, University College Dublin
Fahy added, “It is especially pleasing since the technology that underpins the compact soft X-Ray illumination source was first developed by the company’s co-founders within the spectroscopy group at the UCD School of Physics.”
Presently, more than twenty organizations from Europe and the United States are in the process of assessing the SXT-100, exploring its suitability across a diverse spectrum of disease research and drug discovery applications. Initial international orders are anticipated in the upcoming months.
SiriusXT, a company receiving support from NovaUCD and recognized as a High-Potential Start-Up (HPSU) by Enterprise Ireland, currently maintains a workforce of 20 individuals. To date, they have successfully secured over €13 million in grant and equity funding. Notably, NovaUCD serves as the central hub for innovation and the initiation of start-up endeavors at University College Dublin.
The formal unveiling of the SXT-100 is scheduled for an event taking place at the UCD Conway Institute on November 7th, 2023.