Brian Bellhouse
| Brian Bellhouse | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1937 |
| Died |
12 June 2017 (age 80) Guestling, East Sussex, England |
| Cause of death | trampled to death by a herd of cows |
| Alma mater | Magdalen College, Oxford |
| Occupation | academic, engineer and entrepreneur |
| Known for | founder of PowderJect |
| Relatives | Paul Drayson, Baron Drayson |
Brian Bellhouse (c. 1937 – 12 June 2017) was a British academic, engineer and entrepreneur, the inventor of PowderJect, a device that delivers drugs and vaccines without using needles.[1] He was also a professor at the University of Oxford.[2][3]
Early life
Bellhouse received a degree in Mathematics from Magdalen College, Oxford, followed by a DPhil in Engineering Science in 1964.[4]
Academic career
He was appointed a lecturer and elected a tutorial fellow at Magdalen College in 1966.[1] In 1998, he became a professor of engineering science.[1] In 2004, he retired and was appointed an Emeritus Fellow of Magdalen College.[1]
PowderJect
In 1992, Bellhouse was at work on a "powdered injector to deliver genetic material into plant cells" when he wondered if he could use the same method on people. A few hours after injecting himself with finely ground salt, the skin began to bleed. As he explained, "Salt bursts the red blood cells. This proved that it had worked. And it was utterly painless. It felt like a puff of air."[3]
Bellhouse developed the needle-free and pain-free injection system which shoots fine powder at supersonic speed into the skin, and his son-in-law Paul Drayson brought along the finance needed to turn it into a commercial reality.[5]
PowderJect became a public company in 1997, was later sold to Chiron Vaccines for £542 million, and has been called "one of the most successful companies ever to be spun out of Oxford [University]".[1]
Philanthropy
Bellhouse was a major donor to Oxford University, including a "substantial gift" towards the building of the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, and the endowment of the Oxford-Bellhouse Graduate Scholarship in Biomedical Engineering at Magdalen College.[1]
Personal life
He was the father-in-law of the Labour peer and former Minister of Science, Paul Drayson, Baron Drayson.[6]
He lived in Winchelsea, East Sussex.[6]
Death
On 12 June 2017, he was trampled to death by a herd of cows in a field at Church Lane, Guestling, East Sussex.[7][2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Tributes paid to pioneering Oxford engineer Professor Brian Bellhouse | University of Oxford". Ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
- 1 2 "Former Oxford professor Brian Bellhouse 'trampled to death by cows' (From Oxford Mail)". Oxfordmail.co.uk. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
- 1 2 "Professor Brian Bellhouse | Register | The Times & The Sunday Times". Thetimes.co.uk. 15 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
- ↑ Discover Magdalen (13 June 2017). "Professor Brian Bellhouse | Magdalen College Oxford". Magd.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
- ↑ Adamson, Colin (19 April 2002). "How Drayson made his millions". Evening Standard. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- 1 2 Kenza Bryan. "Multimillionaire Oxford academic Brian Bellhouse trampled to death by cows". The Independent. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
- ↑ 14 June 2017 at (14 June 2017). "Tributes to Oxford Professor who was trampled by herd of cows | Meridian - ITV News". Itv.com. Retrieved 27 June 2017.