Revolymer Ltd announces reaching first milestone on removable chewing gum

Revolymer Ltd (“Revolymer” or “the Company”), a rapidly growing polymer technology company, today announced reaching a key technical milestone in its goal to develop chewing gum which can be removed easily from the streets if discarded irresponsibly.

[ClickPress, Thu Sep 14 2006] Revolymer Ltd (“Revolymer” or “the Company”), a rapidly growing polymer technology company, today announced reaching a key technical milestone in its goal to develop chewing gum which can be removed easily from the streets if discarded irresponsibly.

In laboratory research at The University of Bristol, the Company has developed new gum base formulations based on its proprietary Revolymer polymers, which can be removed easily by spraying with a low pressure of water or with soap and water. These new gum bases also retain the required chewing gum properties which are essential for developing consumer products. The next challenge is to take these gum bases and add the required sweeteners and flavourings to make chewing gum which can then be evaluated for both its chewing characteristics as well as its removal in environmental tests. The Company has developed a quantitative approach to measure the adhesion and has now several formulations where it can “dial in” the required stickiness which will be important in the next phase of product development.

“Gum base is a very complex mixture involving interactions of several components which give rise to the adhesion of gum base to a variety of surfaces. Using our technology, we have managed to change the surface characteristics of the gum base which will allow a stream of water or a mild soap solution to break the adhesion between chewing gum residues and surfaces such as paving stones, furniture, hair etc’ “ explained Professor Terence Cosgrove, Revolymer’s Chief Scientific Officer.

“The research team has worked very hard to reach this technical milestone and we will now focus on the next step which is making Revolymer chewing gum itself,” said Lieven De Smedt, Chief Business Officer. “Our goal now is to make the finished product and begin environmental evaluation and registration of the new removable chewing gum to commercialise the product,” he added.

Revolymer was funded in February 2006 by IP Group plc and SULIS, a University Challenge fund managed by venture capital firm Quester.

For more information, please contact:

Lieven De Smedt, Chief Business Officer

Lieven.De.Smedt@Revolymer.com
+(44) 01745562295

Notes for editors:

Revolymer: www.revolymer.com
Formed in October 2005 as a spin out from The University of Bristol, Revolymer® LTD is a technology company focused on developing new polymers with enhanced physical properties manufactured from existing commodity polymers. These novel materials have the potential to solve a broad range of formulation problems in existing markets as well as creating new commercial opportunities.
Developed by Professor Terence Cosgrove from The University of Bristol, the materials have many potential applications including easily removable environment-friendly chewing gums, medical devices, paints and coatings, textiles and personal care products. The Company will use research funding to extend its portfolio of materials and to develop revenues and a licensing strategy with selected businesses that have expertise in the sales and marketing of specific applications and products.
The cost to develop new polymers and the development work required to secure a marketable product are high. As a result, polymer and consumer companies focus on adapting polymers to try and establish the required performance product. All of the target markets are large and driven by price/performance and hence the cost of goods is also an important consideration.

About IP Group plc

IP Group Plc is an intellectual property (IP) commercialisation company that specialises in commercialising university technology. Founded in 2001, IP Group listed on AiM in October 2003 and moved to the Official List in June 2006. It has made two acquisitions to date - Techtran, a company set up to commercialise university intellectual property under a long term contract with the University of Leeds, in 2005 and Top Technology Ventures, an investment adviser to early stage technology venture capital funds, in 2004.

The group has formed long-term partnerships with nine universities - the University of Oxford, King's College London, CNAP/University of York, the University of Leeds, the University of Bristol, the University of Surrey, the University of Southampton, Queen Mary, University of London and the University of Bath.

As at 30 June 2006, 44 spin-out companies had been created among the group's university partners. Of those, eight have listed on the AiM market of the London Stock Exchange and there have been two trade sales.

For more information, please visit the website at www.ipgroupplc.com.


Sulis

The £9 million Sulis Seedcorn Fund is the largest University Challenge Fund in the country. The Fund, owned by the Universities of Bath, Bristol and Southampton and managed by Quester, provides support for the early stage commercialisation of research generated by the academic communities of the universities through the formation of spin-out companies and the licensing or sale of intellectual property.

The fund has been actively investing since 2000 and now has a portfolio of some 23 spin-out companies and a further 10 University IP investments. See www.bath.ac.uk/sulis-innovation

Contact:
Rona Wagstaffe
Telephone: 01225 388681 e-mail:r.wagstaffe@bath.ac.uk

Quester:

Quester is one of the UK's leading venture capital companies and has been providing equity for growing technology companies for more than 20 years. It manages over £200 million on behalf of major institutional investors, leading UK universities, and three quoted venture capital trusts.

Quester invests in the best technology to create world-leading businesses in the software, electronics and life sciences sectors. As well as capital, it brings a wealth of experience of developing high growth companies from early stage through IPO or trade sale. Quester’s passion is building great companies from small beginnings: its experience blends ambition with the strategic, financial and commercial skills to enable it to maximise returns, both for investors and for portfolio companies.

www.quester.co.uk

ENDS

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