Founder Journey: Michael Tanner – From Discovery to Commercialisation

Every innovation starts with a challenge

In 2009, Professor Michael Tanner and Professor Robert Thomson met at Heriot-Watt University, bringing together expertise in quantum technologies and laser fabrication. Several years later, they joined a multidisciplinary medical research collaboration with clinicians, scientists and engineers from Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh to develop advanced fibre optic imaging and sensing technologies.

During the project, the clinical team posed an additional question: could they accurately identify where a blindly inserted optical fibre had reached inside the lung?

That conversation marked the beginning of what would become OptoLoc.

"The concept of using light emitted from an inserted medical device to track its location wasn't new," Michael explains. "What was different was applying advances in time-resolved photon counting, developed through quantum technologies, to solve a practical clinical challenge."

As the collaboration evolved, clinicians helped refine the technology towards a more pressing healthcare need: improving the placement of feeding tubes. What began as an academic research challenge gradually became a technology with clear commercial potential and the opportunity to improve patient care.

Building the foundations

As OptoLoc developed, the team recognised that scientific innovation alone would not be enough to bring the technology into clinical practice.

Early-stage funding from a range of sources, including the Medical Research Council's Confidence in Concept Fund, enabled the team to explore the commercial opportunity alongside the science. This support provided the resources to engage external experts, assess the market, understand intellectual property requirements and begin developing a robust business case.

Working alongside Heriot-Watt's commercialisation team, the project secured intellectual property protection and began navigating the complex process of building worldwide patent coverage.

The team also progressed through Scottish Enterprise's High Growth Spinout Programme, receiving support to refine the commercial proposition, validate the market opportunity and develop an investor-ready strategy.

Rather than simply developing the technology, commercial insight helped shape it.

"Understanding the market and unmet clinical need has influenced the direction of the technology itself," Michael says. "It has highlighted the features that will ultimately make the greatest difference to patients, clinicians and future investors."

Preparing for the next stage

Today, OptoLoc has reached a significant milestone.

The technology is being evaluated through an MHRA-approved clinical study involving healthy volunteers and patients at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, supported through Medical Research Council funding and the University of Edinburgh.

Alongside clinical validation, the team has continued preparing for commercial growth through investor engagement, market positioning and pitching competitions, including success in the Converge Challenge.

The next step is clear: using clinical evidence to support the formation of a spinout company and position OptoLoc within the wider MedTech ecosystem.

For Michael, this represents the point where years of research begin the transition towards delivering real-world healthcare impact.

The value of commercialisation support

Throughout the journey, Heriot-Watt's commercialisation ecosystem has provided expertise extending far beyond intellectual property.

Access to commercial advisors, including the University's Entrepreneurs in Residence, has helped the team understand how to develop a technology that responds to genuine market needs while preparing for investment and company creation.

Support has also included intellectual property management, guidance through the patenting process and introductions to investment and pitching opportunities.

"Commercial expertise has helped us understand not only how to protect the technology, but how to position it for the future," Michael explains.

This combination of technical, commercial and entrepreneurial support has enabled the team to move confidently from academic research towards commercial readiness.

Why researchers should explore commercialisation

For Michael, engaging with commercialisation early has fundamentally strengthened the research itself.

"OptoLoc has progressed from basic research through technology development and into clinical implementation," he says. "Without a commercial pathway, however, that journey would ultimately stop before the technology reached the people who need it."

Commercialisation has informed funding applications, shaped technology development and provided a clearer understanding of what is required to translate research into practical healthcare solutions.

"If we want research to create real impact, at some point it has to move beyond the university environment," Michael says. "For medical devices, that means becoming a commercial product that can reach patients. Without engaging with commercialisation support, OptoLoc would have remained an interesting concept demonstration—and nothing more."

For researchers considering commercialisation, Michael's advice is simple: engage early.

Commercial thinking should not be viewed as something that happens once research is complete, but as an integral part of shaping innovation that is capable of making a lasting difference.

Because when multidisciplinary research is combined with clinical collaboration, commercial expertise and entrepreneurial support, discoveries can become technologies that improve healthcare and transform lives.