A FORMER Halesowen schoolboy’s company has won £400k funding as part of a £2.2m project to produce a lifesaving diagnostic device which could be in doctors surgeries across the country in five years.

Arron Tolley’s firm Aptamer Solutions will develop a hand held device to detect respiratory diseases such as asthma, tuberculosis and lung cancer.

Arron and his colleague David Bunka, who founded the Leeds based firm together in 2008, have won a prestigious Technology Strategy Board’s Grand Challenge award enabling them to enter into a £2.2 million project with Sharp electronics, Oxford Instruments Ltd and the University of Southampton to develop and produce the device over the next three years.

The pair are looking forward to setting up their own laboratory in York.

Arron, aged 34, grew up in Halesowen and attended the Earls High School, but now lives in Leeds.

He said: “At the moment we are waiting to move into our laboratory premises and for the technology strategy board funding to arrive – David and I are both very excited about working in collaboration with Sharp electronics and are keen to start work on the project – this opportunity opens up great things for Aptamer Solutions.”

And Arron has another reason to celebrate - Aptamer Solutions also won the investment competition at Venturefest 2012, which means they will get £29k worth of services including £3k worth of accountancy services, £2.5k worth of legal advice and Human Resources support worth £4.2k.

To scoop the award Arron, who has a PhD from University of Leeds in Biophysics and Structural Biology, and David had to present a ten minute Dragon’s Den style pitch to a panel of business experts.

Arron said the services will be invaluable in helping patent their work and grow the business.

Arron believes their pioneering technology can be used at the forefront of medical research to aid in the development of cancer treatments which target only the cancerous cells – as opposed to chemotherapy which attacks all the body’s cells.