UK Lifescience Magazine Issue14

Issue 14

United Kingdom

Advances in health technology

R O T C E S

INDUSTRY

L A E D

A look at the Life Sciences Sector Deal and what it means for the UK

E C N E I C S E F I L K U FOR Enhancement:

Improving medical technology

Future watch:

Potential healthcare game changers

Going global:

Cracking global markets

Meeting the unmet:

Responding to unmet clinical needs

30 YEARS OF TURNING MEDICAL AND SCIENTIFIC IDEAS INTO COMMERCIAL REALITY

By combining science with practical design we help turn brilliant ideas into commercial reality.

Over the past thirty years we have taken an innovative

MEDICAL DEVICE PRODUCT DESIGN & VA L U E E N G I N E E R I N G

approach to medical and pharmaceutical product design and value engineering. We understand how to harness life science and biotechnology in order to develop practical, commercial products.

www.g xg ro u p.co m +44(0)1291 673437 PRODUCT DESIGN

VA L U E E N G I N E E R I N G

R O T C E S

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A message from the editor

ENCE I C S E K LIF FOR U

This edition

Welcome to Issue 14 of UK Lifescience Industry, launched at Med-Tech Innovation Expo 2018.

This edition begins by looking at the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Deal, how it plans to implement the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy, which was covered in our last edition, and what this Deal means for the UK. Issue 5 a remote In the ‘Enhancement’ section, technologies include monitoring system that is changing the recovery process for patients after orthopaedic surgery and a telehealth system that is reducing hospital admissions from care homes. It also highlights a charity that has been creating life-changing assistive technologies for half a century, plus new high street clinics that are improving the accessibility of diagnostic testing.

The Government’s Life Sciences Sector Deal examined

Enhancement

Going global

10 Re-design improves cancer treatment technology

22 The largest exhibition across the Americas

11 Remote patient monitoring after orthopaedic surgery

23 Nanotech provides unique 2012 ISSUE 4 solution to global crisis

Issue 5 12 Charity celebrates 50 years of creating assistive technologies Issue 5

24 A step closer to global adoption of oxygen firebreaks

2012 ISSUE 4

2012 ISSUE 4

13 Health Technology Hub helping tech happen for healthy futures

25 Silver technology tackles antimicrobial resistance

13 Flexographic printing service launched

26 Award for US success of scalp

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for managing eczema and a significant advancement in the Jess Fisher Editor development of pill-based vaccines.

Future watch

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healthcare infrastructure

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Sophie Davies Editor

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FOR PUBLISHEDPUBLISHED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PUBLISHED FOR

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The Life Sciences Sector Deal and what it means for the UK Following on from the Government’s Life Sciences Industrial Strategy published in August 2017, which was covered in the last edition of UK Lifescience Industry, an agreement has been reached to start implementing it.

The Life Sciences Sector Deal brings together the UK Government with universities, charities and businesses to make a joint commitment to invest in life sciences across all areas of the UK. Through these investments, they intend to create high-quality, well-paid jobs and produce benefits for patients, for example through allowing earlier

diagnosis of conditions and speeding up access to new treatments. During the coming months and years, the partners in the Sector Deal plan to deepen their collaborations and join with new participants in order to help realise the vision that was set out in August 2017.

The Industrial Strategy was built on five foundations: o Ideas

the world’s most innovative economy

o People

good jobs and greater earning power for all

o Infrastructure

a major upgrade to the UK’s infrastructure

o Business environment

the best place to start and grow a business

o Places

prosperous communities across the UK

SECTOR

DEAL

FOR UK LIFESCIENCE

Key Goals

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UK Lifescience Industry Magazine

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The Sector Deal is aligned to the foundations that were set out in the Industrial Strategy.

Some areas have greater focus in the initial Deal, which is intended to be the first in a series.

Ideas The Industrial Strategy set out plans to establish the UK as the world’s most innovative economy. It announced an increase in research and development (R&D) investment of £2.3bn in 2021/22, as well as a commitment to work with industry in order to boost spending on R&D to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027, increasing to 3 per cent in the long term.

The Sector Deal highlights a stream of new commercial investments made, including the announcement of a major investment in discovery science from MSD. It also mentions that measures are being taken to improve the UK’s clinical trials environment, with action underway to streamline approvals processes and industry taking forward cutting-edge novel trial designs.

Meanwhile, it is said that the Health Advanced Research Programme will aim to put the UK at the forefront of work to address the global healthcare challenges of the next 20 years, seizing opportunities in new technologies such as AI and genomics. The Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund ‘Data to early diagnostics and precision medicine’ programme will invest up to £210m in order to enhance the power of health data and technology to diagnose life-changing diseases at the earliest possible stage.

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edicine herapies

People It is important that UK citizens become equipped for jobs of the future, shaped by next generation technology. The Industrial Strategy highlighted, for example, the emerging field of data science and particularly bioinformatics and clinical data analytics.

The Sector Deal sets out how steps can be taken to address this need for people with new skills through apprenticeships, and how industry will work with the Government to monitor uptake and ensure standards that are important to the sector are prioritised.

These actions are intended to support the ambition to reach 20,000 apprenticeships in the science sector by 2020. The Deal also recognises the importance of a streamlined system to enable highly skilled workers to come to the UK.

Business environment £162m has been committed to develop the manufacturing infrastructure for innovative medicines and enable small- and medium-sized businesses to produce advanced therapies. This includes two new national centres, the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre and Vaccines Development and Manufacturing Centre, alongside the existing national centres and three advanced therapy treatment centres that will be co-located in hospitals across the UK. Building on existing infrastructure supporting cell and gene therapy, these investments are designed to make the UK an attractive location for complex medicines manufacturing and support its ambition to become a leading hub for advanced therapy manufacturing.

The Industrial Strategy focused on access to risk capital in order to allow the expansion of highly innovative companies and the scaling of those companies through the use of more patient capital. The Government’s response to the consultation ‘Financing Growth in Innovative Firms’ seeks to address the points raised in the strategy, with a plan to release over £20bn of patient capital investment in order to finance growth in innovative businesses over 10 years.

As the NHS is a key part of the business environment for the life sciences industry, the Government’s response to the Accelerated Access Review includes a proposed streamlined approvals system and an £86m investment to support small- and medium-sized businesses and evidence collection to get the right products to patients. The Sector Deal restates a commitment by the Government, the NHS and industry to collaborate closely, highlights examples of this collaboration in practice, and supports the development of measures to improve the UK’s health data infrastructure.

Places The Sector Deal expresses an aim to strengthen growth and opportunity across the UK, with investments in Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Glasgow and South Wales. A £350m investment programme in the Leeds City Region will build on the opportunities in this leading medtech hub. Measures are also being taken to support leading clusters by developing the infrastructure and transport links they need, for example, through a £215m Housing Deal with Oxfordshire and a £5m commitment to develop proposals for Cambridge South station.

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UK Lifescience Industry Magazine

5

Med-Tech Innovation Expo is the UK and Ireland’s leading showcase for medical design and manufacturing technology.

From 25th to 26th April, Coventry’s Ricoh Arena is the place to find the world’s best medtech designers, manufacturers and providers demonstrating their innovations to ambitious technology users.

More than 2,000 attendees are expected to pass through the doors throughout the two-day show. They’ll be seeking solutions to manufacturing and design challenges, meeting with peers and gaining valuable insight from thoughtleaders on two conference stages.

The Med-Tech Innovation Conference, produced in association with Medilink UK, provides intelligence from a wide range of blue-chip users, government officials and industry experts. With presentations from Deloitte UK, the Academy for Healthcare Science and more, the programme continues to set the agenda for debate in the medical technology sector.

The theme of the 2018 conference programme is ‘Advancing Healthcare: Inform, Educate and Inspire’ - an extension of the Med-Tech Innovation Group’s mission to advance healthcare by facilitating conversation and collaboration.

Debbie Chinn, Director of Solutions Assurance at NHS Digital is taking to the Med-Tech Innovation Conference stage on Day 1 to discuss clinical risk management for health informatics. Later in the day MHRA’s Director of Devices, John Wilkinson, is delivering a presentation on the new Medical Device Regulations (MDR) and In-vitro Diagnostics Regulations (IVDR).

On Day 2, attendees will hear from Dr Ian Campbell, Director of Health and Life Sciences at Innovate UK, who will give an insightful update on industrial strategy and the ISCG (industrial strategy challenge fund). For those seeking a deeper understanding of the mHealth landscape globally, in the UK and the NHS, Liz AshallPayne (CEO and Founder of ORCHA) will offer her wealth of expertise.

Over on the HealthTech Stage, exhibitors are delivering engaging presentations covering all the latest news on hardware, software, materials and services.

This includes Dr James Stern from Albis, Professor Alexander Seifalian of The London BioScience Innovation Centre and Ultrapolymers’ Lorna O’Gara.

Beyond the conference and seminar programme, visitors will experience a range of engaging show features including the brand new GTMA Pavilion where buyers and suppliers will meet to do business, Inspex - a focus on providers of measurement and inspection technologies and services, and the Medilink UK Pavilion where Medilink member businesses will present solutions to industry challenges.

Exhibitors including Carville, the University of Leicester, TLM Laser, Festo, Renfrew Group, Bluefrog Design and Indysoft are showcasing their latest innovations with demonstrations of new products and services live on the show floor.

Med-Tech Innovation Expo 2018 is held at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, UK, from 25th to 26th April.

Find out more at www.med-techexpo.com

6

UK Lifescience Industry Magazine

Medilink UK Healthcare Business Awards The prestigious Medilink UK Healthcare Business Awards, held in association with Med-Tech Innovation, celebrates the outstanding business achievements, international successes and innovative breakthroughs made across the life sciences and healthcare technology sectors in the past year.

Start-up

sponsored by

NuVision Biotherapies Medilink East Midlands Aparito MediWales Roopra Medtech Consulting Medilink West Midlands everyLIFE Technologies SEHTA Deontics MedTech London Attigo CIC Medilink Yorkshire & Humber Seda Pharmaceutical Services Medilink North West Lightox Medilink North East Clinical Design Medilink South West

Export Achievement sponsored by

Sky Medical Technology Medilink North West

Solcom SEHTA

CiteAb Medilink South West

Therapy Box MedTech London

Collaboration with the NHS sponsored by

Tookie Medilink North West Arquer Diagnostics Medilink North East

OCB Media Medilink East Midlands DTR Medical MediWales The Binding Site Medilink West Midlands Hobbs Rehabilitation SEHTA

Brain-in-Hand Medilink South West

Outstanding Achievement sponsored by

Transforming Systems MedTech London InHealthcare Medilink Yorkshire & Humber CardioCity Medilink North West South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust Medilink North East Systems C Medilink South West

Ayva Pharma Medilink East Midlands

Woundchek Laboratories Medilink Yorkshire & Humber

Innovation sponsored by

Promethean Particles Medilink East Midlands Sharp Clinical Services MediWales Physiological Measurements Medilink West Midlands 270 Vision SEHTA Echo MedTech London Sheffield Precision Medilink Yorkshire & Humber

CellPath MediWales THOR Photomedicine SEHTA

Nemaura Pharma Medilink East Midlands

SmartMed Global MedTech London

Creo Medical MediWales

Brandon Medical Medilink Yorkshire & Humber

Salts Healthcare Medilink West Midlands

Elucigiene Medilink North West Ultramed Medilink South West

UK Lifescience Industry Magazine

7

London, May 24th, 2018 The 15th Anglonordic Life Science Conference gives you the opportunity to meet decision makers from established and upcoming R&D, pharma and investment firms.

Attend for close and focused interaction with R&D companies in the biotech and technology sectors.

Investment pitches are interspersed with plenary sessions and panel discussions.

The conference starts the evening before (May 23rd) with a drinks and canapes reception, and is free of charge to all delegates.

Sponsor or exhibit For more information download the All You Need to Know brochure from the conference website, or to express an interest, email the conference team: conference@anglonordiclifescience.com

Partner Meeting MojoTM global partnering software enables participants to select the most suitable potential partners. The online booking system allows you to browse profiles, request meetings, set your own availability and promote your company to best advantage.

Pitch Applications for investment pitches are open to medtech and biotech R&D companies. For information and to apply for a presentation please first apply for an invitation to attend at the website.

To attend, partner, pitch, sponsor or exhibit visit

www.anglonordiclifescience.com

The conference has a “by-invitation-only� policy.

Service suppliers can attend as sponsors or exhibitors.

Investment companies attend free of charge.

R&D delegates can attend for a fee of ÂŁ400+VAT per delegate.

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THIRD ANNUAL CONNEC T S CONFERENCE

Mercure Holland House Hotel

Swansea 20th June 2018 ●

●

Supported by:

Andrew Goodall Director General, Department for Health and Social Services and Chief Executive NHS Wales

1 DAY CO N F E R E N C E

●

P R E S E N TAT I O N S

Bringing together Welsh health boards, trusts and bodies within one place to connect & collaborate.

How can collaboration lead to change?

●

EXHIBITION

●

WORKSHOPS

●

C P D C E R T I F I C AT I O N

Join the only event of its kind in Wales and share ideas, connect with delegates from across Wales & the UK, and enjoy an excellent programme of presentations and interactive workshops.

Conference themes: ● Designing Improvement – human centred design, design thinking, leadership for improvement ● Demonstrating Impact – how communicating evidence can successfully influence change ● Transforming the Frontline – the human approach and the technical approach to transforming frontline care ● NHS People – empowering NHS staff and improving the health and wellbeing of the community Feature zones - Exhibition, technology demonstrations and innovations that are transforming patient care.

Seminars - Interactive training workshops, celebrating and sharing success and exploring challenges.

Industry workshops - Company led training and skills sessions.

As an independent organisation MediWales provides the platform for all health boards, trusts & healthcare organisations to come together to share ideas, best practice & build collaborations.

For further information:

connects-nhs@mediwales.com www.mediwales.com/connects

Enhancement Re-design improves cancer treatment technology In 2016, Ariane Medical developed the Papillon+ X-Ray Brachytherapy system, which delivers a multi treatment radiotherapy boost to tumours for rectal, breast and skin cancers. This functions in place of the traditional post-surgical treatment, where radiotherapy is delivered from outside the body.

The Papillon technique was originally developed to tackle lower rectal tumours in patients who may not be able to have radical surgery. Depending on the size, staging and positioning of the tumour, the treatment can be used on its own or in conjunction with traditional external beam radiotherapy, chemotherapy or local surgical techniques. Hospitals in the UK, France, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland are now treating rectal cancer with the Papillon technique.

At the initial stage of design, the Papillon+ support stand could only be manoeuvred in a limited capacity by clinicians in theatre.

Therefore in 2017, Ariane Medical looked to re-design the system with the help of a product design company. Funding from Medilink East Midlands, awarded through the INSTILS programme funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), allowed the project to be accelerated.

First of all, the system was made more ergonomic. The X-ray generator tube, through which radiotherapy is delivered, is now significantly easier for surgeons to manoeuvre and position.

The re-design has also made the system more portable, meaning that the device can now be moved more easily between

hospital sites, thereby increasing patient access to the technology. This allows the device to be moved off-site for repairs and maintenance, which lowers costs.

In addition, the system’s size and weight has been reduced in order to reduce shipping costs for exports. The mobility, size, weight and lack of expensive shielding needed to house the platform will allow developing or low and middle income countries access to adjuvant radiotherapy via small or mobile clinics.

The new and improved Papillon+ is expected to increase profits for Ariane Medical, both due to improved sales and a reduction in manufacturing and export costs. The company is planning to create more jobs and has acquired new, larger premises in preparation for this.

“This is the year we celebrate 25 years of Papillon at Clatterbridge.

From this year, we hope to be the world leader to radically change the way elderly patients diagnosed with rectal cancer are treated globally. This will be achieved through our innovative, minimally invasive, new technology for nonsurgical treatment using low energy targeted X-rays (with very little collateral damage to surrounding normal tissues), in collaboration with the patients and Ariane, our British industry partners�.

Professor Arthur Sun Myint Lead Clinician (Papillon) The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust

www.arianemedicalsystems.com

10

UK Lifescience Industry Magazine

Remote patient monitoring after orthopaedic surgery 270 Vision is a specialist product design and development company focused on innovative wearable sensor and advanced body data analysis technology for the medical and professional sports sectors. The company recently won the outstanding achievement award at the 2017 SEHTA Healthcare Business Awards.

NHS hospitals are under increasing pressure to reduce waiting times for orthopaedic surgery, improve patient outcomes and deliver more personalised care. BPMpathway is a patient rehabilitation monitoring system, designed and developed by 270 Vision, that can help patients to be discharged early following orthopaedic surgery and undertake an enhanced recovery programme at home. By reducing the length of stay for orthopaedic patients, significant cost savings can be made and patients may feel happier recovering in a more comfortable, familiar environment.

The system consists of a single, high-performance wearable wireless sensor and BPMpathway software.

Prior to discharge, clinicians select tests with specific targets that they want patients to undertake at home. Several times a day, patients undertake their clinician-defined programme of tests and exercises, and the resultant data is transmitted automatically via the Cloud to their clinician.

BPMpathway provides clinicians with an accurate range of motion data, enabling them to remotely monitor and assess a patient’s recovery progress. If necessary, they can use this data to tailor and adjust a patient’s programme so that it meets their individual needs. The system further alerts clinicians when patients

fail to meet their recovery targets so that action can be taken.

The first time that a clinician sees a patient post-discharge is typically at around four weeks following surgery.

During this initial phase of recovery, potential complications may go unnoticed by the patient, resulting in a risk of further hospitalisation and surgery. By examining the remotely gathered data from BPMpathway, clinicians are able to identify (even very subtle) changes in range and quality of motion, which could indicate a developing complication, and intervene swiftly. The system also alerts clinicians when patients fail to meet their recovery targets.

BPMpathway is designed to encourage patient engagement by clearly explaining what they have to do at each stage of their recovery and displaying their progress via easy to understand graphics. The software is intended to take the patient through a defined path of what they need to do throughout

the rehabilitation process. Simple instructions and videos are included to help the patient with the set up and performance of tests and exercises.

A two-way messaging system also allows patients and professionals to stay in touch throughout the recovery period. Should either one have questions or concerns, they can send a message, just like an SMS. This can be a reassuring communication link for patients who find themselves in a situation with which they are unfamiliar.

270 Vision has piloted BPMpathway across the UK and Europe over the past three years in order to optimise the user experience. The company has also signed a global distribution agreement with B. Braun to be their exclusive supplier of wearable healthcare technology, under which B. Braun plan to launch BPMpathway in over 28 countries over the next two years.

www.bpmpathway.com

11

UK Lifescience Industry Magazine

Charity celebrates 50 years of creating assistive technologies Designability, based in Bath, are excited to be celebrating their 50th year in 2018. Their team consists of engineers, designers and clinicians, all with a passion for creating life-changing assistive technologies. They carry out original research and create products that help people who are facing challenges every day.

to achieve greater independence and happiness in their lives – goals that benefit all of society.

The charity was established as the Bath Institute of Medical Engineering in 1968 by inventor and engineer Bevan Horstmann and consultant surgeon Kenneth Lloyd-Williams.

They wanted to create medical equipment that would make a difference to people’s lives.

This ethos has continued to today, with a core aim of helping technology to be more accessible to everyone. The Designability team follow the principles of human-centred design, which means that everything they develop is a direct response to what people say they need.

Assistive technologies support people

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UK Lifescience Industry Magazine

Designability relies on fundraising and grants to pay for the work they do. This creates a responsibility to spend every penny wisely and requires a careful filtering of activities to balance the focus between their areas of expertise and solving new problems where the need is greatest.

Their flagship product is Wizzybug, an innovative powered wheelchair designed specifically for children under five who are unable to walk or can only walk with difficulty. There is often no NHS funding for powered mobility for children under five, so the Designability team fundraise to make Wizzybugs available, free of charge, to children in the UK who would benefit from them. Thanks to the generosity of funders, they have been able to provide over 500 families with Wizzybugs since starting the loan scheme in 2011.

Other products have been developed to support people living with dementia,

such as the Day Clock, One Button Radio and Simple Music Player. These were all designed with users for users and have sold thousands since launch.

Designability has also been involved in numerous applied research projects, which have included understanding the seating needs of children with the more severe forms of dystonic cerebral palsy. This has led to the creation of a dynamic seat that allows greater freedom of movement.

The team are also working on two projects funded by Innovate UK. The first aims to develop autonomous vehicles for the aged and disabled, while the second is exploring the use of robotics for care.

In addition to hosting a 50th birthday party in Bath during 2018, Designability is also launching a Design Prize Competition for students to get involved with the work and develop their skills. The charity was recognised with a special achievement award at the 2018 Medilink South West Awards.

www.designability.org.uk

Enhancement

Health Technology Hub helping tech happen for healthy futures The Health Tech Hub located in the University of the West of England’s Enterprise Zone will support the development, evaluating and trialling of new products and innovations relating to independent living and home-based diagnostics.

Through its new, bespoke facilities, the Health Tech Hub aims to support businesses in developing new products associated with health and wellbeing. It will provide free support for SMEs with significant business activity in the West of

England Region and bespoke laboratory testing and product development, accompanied by specialist support and accelerated commercialisation and adoption into healthcare environments.

testing and validation, and have a large network of companies and support organisations which they can introduce companies as potential partners.

The facilities include a Wet lab, electronics lab, prototyping design and testing, sensor design suite and a Living Lab test bed.

They can also provide expert advice and support on product design, development,

www.healthtechhub.co.uk

Flexographic printing service launched Granton Medical Ltd has a manufacturing history in Sheffield dating back to 1601 and has generations of experience in the sterile packing of medical devices – recently becoming the UK’s largest volume manufacturer of Self Seal Sterilisation Pouches. Alongside sterilisation pouch manufacture, Granton Medical also offers the Cleanline sub-contract medical device packing service by which customers send their devices to Granton for cleanroom packing and sterilisation.

Following a significant investment in additional plant and equipment over the last 12 months, Granton Medical has now launched a medical packaging flexographic printing service whereby the company is now able to supply printed, sterilisable medical packaging in rollstock form to the medical device industry.

“With our new 6-colour flexographic printing press, we can provide our customers with high quality printed sterile barrier materials in rollstock form quickly and on time. With the addition of flexographic printing to our existing portfolio, we are now able to offer our customers an end to end packaging service - from printed rollstock materials, to Sterilisation Pouches, to Cleanline sub-contract packing, we can assist our customers with the sterile packing of pretty much any medical device.”

Katie Kirby Director Granton Medical

For further information about Granton Medical’s flexographic printing service, or its other medical device packaging options, please contact Neil McGovern, Commercial Director, on +44 (0)114 275 7290.

www.granton-medical.co.uk

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High street clinics bring diagnostic testing closer to home

Diagnostic testing is an integral part of the healthcare system and it is estimated that 75 per cent of clinical decisions are based on a diagnostic test.

Improving the efficiency of testing and patient access to these services can provide substantial cost efficiencies to the NHS. Physiological Measurements Ltd (PML) is an innovative NHS partner working with a large and growing number of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG).

Working under Any Qualified Provider and block contracts, PML provides diagnostic investigations, specifically non-invasive cardiology and general ultrasound examinations in community settings.

The company was awarded prime provider status by NHS Dartford, Gravesham and Swanley Clinical CCG through a competitive tender for their entire ultrasound service in 2017 covering a population of 256,000. PML has set up a number of traditional ultrasound clinics in partnership

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with local GP practices, all of which are running successfully. However, PML is always looking for innovative, patient centred improvements that can challenge the current service delivery for diagnostic tests. They wished to offer patients appointments in central and accessible high street locations, seven days a week, providing a more convenient and flexible service.

PML has turned this vision into a reality by establishing a high street NHS diagnostic clinic in St George’s Shopping Centre, situated at the heart of the Gravesend community, working alongside the council’s own regeneration plans.

PML won the outstanding achievement award at the 2017 Medilink West Midlands Medical and Healthcare Business Awards for their work, bringing diagnostic testing closer to home and thinking beyond the current delivery model for ultrasound services.

Access to timely diagnostics has been identified as the biggest bottleneck in the patient journey. PML has been able to provide patients with easier and quicker access to NHS ultrasound testing, thus significantly reducing waiting times and seeing urgent patients either the same day or the following day and routine requests in 10-14 days.

The company has joined other NHS The clinic offers a unique daily service, partners such as Boots, Lloyds and including Saturdays and Sundays, Specsavers in working with the NHS implementing a patient centred to challenge the status quo of where approach to appointment availability. healthcare services can be delivered.

The clinic also offers an NHS drop-in service for patients requiring urgent ultrasound scans. This is the first of its kind for PML and NHS ultrasound services. www.physiologicalmeasurements.com

Enhancement

Telehealth system reduces hospital admissions from care homes Whzan, developed by Solcom, is a tablet-based remote health monitoring system. It is in extensive use for patients with chronic conditions living at home and for residents in care homes, empowering care workers to assess a resident’s health condition and then pass on the information to clinicians. Since first being deployed in 2011, Whzan is now being used to monitor over 8,000 care home residents in the UK. The system comprises a cased kit of equipment that enables health to be checked by measuring vital signs, capturing images, and performing assessments and questionnaires. It calculates the National Early Warning Score, which is used to track health changes and can reliably notice deterioration indicating the onset of illness. Whzan has a suite of extra facilities to help with residential care encompassing falls, aggression, dementia, hydration and nutrition tracking, pressure sore risk assessments and wound image history.

Since adopting Whzan, care home workers have seen notable improvements to the lives of residents, including a 35 per cent reduction in unplanned GP visits, a 71 per cent reduction in A&E visits and a 22 per cent reduction in ambulance requests. These changes also result in significant cost savings for the NHS. NHS data has shown that Whzan’s payback time is often less than a week.

It received the award for Best Value in Telehealth at the 2016 HSJ Awards and went on to win the Innovation Award at the 2017 SEHTA Healthcare Business Awards.

The deputy manager of a care home using the telehealth system said: “It has been easy to teach staff how to use the equipment and Whzan has given them a better understanding of signs to look for. This has proved useful, as instead of calling a GP to say that someone

looks unwell, staff are able to give a full reading of all vital signs including urine analysis. By using a traffic light system, problems are identified and a GP can be contacted.”

A Chesterfield care home using the system is now reporting a reduction in GP callouts and patient admissions, as well as a noticeable increase in patient wellbeing. One of their residents was previously being admitted twice a month, but with Whzan they can now be effectively monitored and treated in the care home. The NHS resource savings for this single resident equate to over £1,000 per week.

Solcom developed Whzan in partnership with NHS South Central and the company continues to work with many NHS regions in order to develop new features.

It also supports a wide range of wireless instruments, customisable questionnaires, assessment tools, urinalysis input charts, multi-media help, video conferencing, messaging and telecare devices.

Care workers can allocate any combination of actions, schedules and events to residents so that almost every condition can be monitored.

Results are sent to the Whzan triaging portal, which runs on Microsoft Azure Cloud. The portal highlights those in most need of care, with full history and automatic alerting.

www.solcom.com www.whzan.com

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Future watch The trends dominating medtech A fundamental aspect of ensuring cybersecurity of devices is data encryption and ensuring software uses up-to-date algorithms to reduce the risk of devices being compromised. But it’s not just the device itself using algorithms for security; batteries can use it too.

Device manufacturers must take responsibility and follow the FDA’s regulations and ensure that this could not happen in their device by working with experienced suppliers.

At Accutronics, we offer algorithmic security based on a secure hashing algorithm (SHA-1) which allows devices to integrate their installed battery and alert the user if a counterfeit battery is being used.

For the past 20 years, medical technology has been the largest category of patent applications to the European Patent Office. The industry shows no sign of slowing down either, with innovation addressing challenges such as the aging population and increased long-term disease management. Here, Neil Oliver, technical marketing manager at medical battery manufacturer Accutronics, looks at the three trends dominating the current healthcare market.

New medical device regulations practitioners to monitor conditions over a long period of time without regular testing.

However, as the devices get smaller, the components need to work just as effectively, but must take up less room in the device. When battery manufacturers are involved from the start of the design process, they can work with the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to create a battery that fits the power requirements of the device, whether these are in terms of overall lifespan and cycle life, energy density or any additional security requirements for medical devices.

Security

Miniaturisation

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Every year, more vitals become measurable with wearables, such as a person’s pulse, arterial oxygen saturation, heart rate variability, respiratory rates, vascular stiffness and blood pressure. These help with diagnostics, reducing the time that people need to spend in hospital and allowing patients and medical

UK Lifescience Industry Magazine

With recent high profile cyber-attacks across the world, device manufacturers are waking up to the recommendations of the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The organisation argues that medtech manufacturers are responsible for identifying risks and hazards involved with their medical devices, including those related to cybersecurity, and must put appropriate mitigation in place to address these risks.

One of the key challenges facing medtech manufacturers in coming years is the introduction of the new EU regulations for medical devices.

Regulation (EU) 2017/745 for medical devices and Regulation (EU) 2017/746 for in vitro diagnostic medical devices will replace all preceding directives and come into force in spring 2020 and spring 2022 respectively.

Manufacturers have some years to perfect their approach to these new regulations before they come into play, but it is essential that they devote time and expertise to ensuring that they are prepared for them. In the medical device market, it is always best to follow good practice.

As the medical device market continues to grow in both size and complexity, OEMs must work with experienced suppliers who can advise on issues such as device design, cybersecurity and new regulations. In doing this, they can ensure that they will produce a device that is compliant and successful in meeting the needs of the market.

www.accutronics.co.uk

Future watch

Collaboration provides development candidates Operating from state-of-the-art research facilities in Loughborough and BioCity, Nottingham, Charnwood Molecular is a leading Contract Research Organisation serving the global pharmaceutical, biotechnology and fine chemical industries.

Over recent years, Charnwood Molecular has emerged as a leading provider of high-tech, high value research capability, with significant investment having taken place into people, equipment and facilities.

The company offers a range of research services which include: drug discovery and development, the bespoke preparation of chemical tool compounds, and larger scale chemical development and process research chemistry led by a team of ex-Big Pharma scientists.

identified at Forendo Pharma. Multicentred lead optimisation efforts led to the identification of a development candidate, for which Charnwood Molecular’s pre-clinical Process Development group scouted various routes for larger-scale synthesis.

Studied processes initially delivered multi-gram quantities within the collaboration, before being used by Forendo Pharma to access multikilogram quantities of the compound they are now progressing into development.

“Charnwood Molecular is being increasingly engaged by small companies looking to quickly progress pre-clinical assets into drug development. The infrastructure and partnerships we have developed over the past few years now allow us to do that. We have thoroughly enjoyed working alongside such an excellent collaborator as Forendo Pharma, who we wish every success in taking their development candidates forward.”

Dr Robin Wilkes Director of Business Development Charnwood Molecular

They believe that the cornerstone of their success is built upon regular and open communication with clients, the highest integrity in their business relationships, high quality yet costeffective service solutions, and the flexibility to meet clients’ demands.

Their mission is to support their clients in producing excellence in outsourced research projects, achieving milestones and business objectives on time and to budget.

Charnwood Molecular’s expertise and capability in this arena is evident from their recent work with Forendo Pharma. This two-year-long discovery chemistry collaboration has now seen compounds move from discovery to pre-clinical development.

The two companies have been collaborating since September 2015, with Charnwood Molecular synthesising challenging steroidal analogues of a hit compound initially

www.charnwood-molecular.com

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New natural approach for managing eczema Cardiff-based skincare company Curapel has developed and recently launched pellamex, a daily food supplement containing natural ingredients, which offers a new way of managing eczema and dry or sensitive skin.

The outer surface of the skin, known as the epidermis, consists of multiple layers. In the deepest layer of the epidermis, new skin cells are made and then gradually move up towards the surface where they are shed off. This is how the skin regenerates.

In one of the highest layers of the epidermis, skin cells produce a protein called filaggrin. This vital protein helps to bundle up the tough keratin filaments in the top layer of the epidermis that provide a strong, protective skin barrier.

After aggregating keratin filaments, the filaggrin breaks down naturally into free amino acids, which are major components of the skin’s Natural Moisturising Factor (NMF). The NMF keeps skin hydrated and maintains the essential acidity of the outermost layer of the epidermis, which provides another line of defence against bacteria and other microorganisms.

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Some people are unable to produce enough filaggrin, which means that they have a weaker skin barrier and are more likely to suffer from dry and sensitive skin conditions such as eczema, xerosis and ichthyosis. In addition to their skin barrier not functioning as well as it should do, their NMF is insufficient, further impacting their skin’s natural protection. pellamex, developed and patented

by Curapel, presents a new way of managing dry, sensitive and eczemaprone skin. As opposed to a cream or an ointment, pellamex is a food supplement which comes in 25ml sachets to be taken daily.

Made using naturally occurring ingredients, including a crucial building block of filaggrin, the supplement is designed to strengthen the epidermis from the inside, making it less susceptible to dryness, reddening and cracking on the surface. Therefore it targets the root of the skin problem rather than simply firefighting the symptoms. Published clinical testing showed that pellamex reduced eczema symptoms by 40 per cent in just one month, which is equivalent to the effect of a mid-potency steroid cream but with none of the side effects associated with corticosteroid use.

The main active ingredient in the supplement is an amino acid that is necessary for the skin to produce

filaggrin. This ingredient enables a strong skin barrier to be restored, for better preservation of moisture and protection against microorganisms, irritants and pollutants. The amino acid in the supplement is also part of the NMF, so it keeps the skin hydrated when it reaches the uppermost layers. Additionally the supplement contains Vitamins B2, B3, B7, Vitamin E and zinc, which are known to help maintain healthy skin.

Levels of filaggrin decrease as people get older, resulting in a less effective skin barrier and a higher risk of dry or sensitive skin. However, for the elderly, it can be difficult to use creams and ointments on hard-to-reach areas of the skin. Since pellamex is a food supplement, this issue can be avoided and the elderly can more easily manage their skin problems.

The new food supplement was recently launched, under the Curapella brand, at the Royal Society of Medicine in London.

The product has been very well received and initial feedback from customers suggests that using pellamex reduces steroid cream use by an average of 33 per cent. The company is now developing further scientifically researched and clinically tested skincare products based on natural ingredients. A cream for psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin condition, and a children’s version of pellamex are set to be launched later in 2018.

www.curapella.com

Future watch

Platform to digitise care management Care has evolved from family care, through residential care, to the growth of homecare and a combination of all three.

Now care is evolving once more, driven by heightened consumer expectation, increased demand due to an aging population, and the advancement of mobile technology solutions such as The PASSsystem, created by Surrey-based company everyLIFE Technologies.

The PASSsystem is a digital care management platform designed to keep care staff equipped with the latest data about their care receivers. It is eliminating time-consuming paperwork and reducing the risk of medicines mismanagement through the real-time delivery and analysis of digital care notes. Consequently it is improving quality of care, while also delivering breakthrough efficiencies and service compliance.

As the only digital care management system that is NICE compliant, referenced in CQC and Care Inspectorate reports and recommended

by NHS England, the PASSsystem has become the industry standard for the UK and is now being used by thousands of people.

Using the digital platform, care workers can manage and view all care records in one place, meaning there is less reliance on handwritten notes and less time needed for administration. Care workers are notified of medication and task changes in real time and have access to the system on their mobile devices. When carers are visiting care receivers around their local community, they can use the system to input and access information on the go, wherever they are. Other carers can then look at this information and will know what to do when it is their turn to visit the care receiver.

The system is able to link homecare, supported living, live-in, and residential services to community-based supervisors and staff, to pharmacies for the provision of medication, and to other care stakeholders including social services and healthcare professionals. openPASS, a component of The PASSsystem, enables verified individuals such as family members to gain access to care notes for complete transparency of care. The openPASS app is helping people feel more

“My supervisors no longer spend 65 per cent of their time in the office typing up notes taken at assessment meetings – they do it once with the care receiver and get it right from the outset. They now spend 90 per cent of their time out in the community – better care, improved support for care workers, and more assessments.”

Care Supervisor in Chichester

in control and connected to their relatives who are receiving homecare or are in a care home. everyLIFE Technologies won the start-up award at the 2017 SEHTA Healthcare Business Awards and was also selected to join Tech City UK’s 2017 Upscale Programme.

www.everylifetechnologies.com

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UK Lifescience Industry Magazine

Innovative smart walking stick for Parkinson’s Walk to Beat is a Bristol-based startup focused on designing assisted living products to empower an aging population with degenerative conditions.

Their first product is a Smart Stick designed for Parkinson’s sufferers to help them overcome freezing and walking problems.

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological condition that slows down all body movements. One person in every 500 has Parkinson’s – about 127,000 people in the UK, with the majority being aged 50 or over, and this number is set to rise. It is a growing problem with no cure.

One symptom of Parkinson’s can be ‘freezing’ which is when someone stops suddenly while walking and feels as if their feet are glued to the ground. It can happen anytime, anywhere, without warning and this can lead to falls. During a freezing episode, research has shown that a rhythm or prompt can help them to start walking again, and physiotherapists often recommend listening to music.

Walk to Beat’s Smart Stick looks like an ordinary walking stick from the outside, but has integrated technology installed in its handle that detects walking patterns and provides a stimulatory cue during freezing episodes or abnormal gait, giving the user a rhythm to continue walking.

During primary research, many Parkinson’s sufferers complained that they do not like to use ‘medical looking’ products and that some have given up on their social lives to avoid embarrassment in public. The Smart Stick is designed

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Neha Chaudhry who designed the Walk to Beat Smart Stick to be discrete by giving a vibratory cue which is only felt by the user, helping to detach the stigma of being disabled and give users more confidence to go out.

Parkinson’s sufferers are currently taught cues like counting numbers or tapping the floor to provide them with a sequence and help them get out of a freezing episode. However, these measures often fail when they are out and about. The Smart Stick offers a new approach to the problem and fills a gap in the market.

Initial prototypes have been informally tested with users at Parkinson’s UK branch meetings, drop-in sessions and a group consultation session at Derby Teaching Hospitals. The cue was found to encourage patients to walk. Clinicians from Southmead Hospital Bristol also gave a positive response.

Currently, Walk to Beat is refining their software to improve the efficiency of detecting walking pattern or states and

exploring manufacturers and suppliers for production of the Smart Stick. Safety measures have also been designed to test the product for reliability before placing it on the market and for CE marking. It is established that the Smart Stick is a Class 1 medical device and can be self-certified.

The device is Bluetooth enabled and has the capability to collect data in future, which would allow clinicians to monitor the patient’s activity outside the clinical environment.

The basic Smart Stick is planned to launch in 2018, with private retail (online shops and mobility shops) as the initial target market. Further potential markets are expected to include the NHS, care homes and charity organisations. Walk to Beat has already won several awards including the Entrepreneurship Award at the European Robotics Forum 2017 and the TechSpark - Future Spark Award 2017.

www.walktobeat.co.uk

Future watch

First step in development of pill-based vaccines Researchers from Cardiff University have created the world’s first synthetic, non-biologic vaccine, which could herald a revolution in vaccine delivery.

The new type of influenza vaccine can be delivered orally and could be given to patients in pill form. Stable at room temperature, it does not require refrigeration – a process that can account for most of the cost of delivery of many current vaccines. Vaccines that do not require refrigeration can be transported more easily and are more suitable for developing countries where it can be difficult to keep things cool.

“There are many benefits to oral vaccines. Not only would they be great news for people who have a fear of needles but they can also be much easier to store and transport, making them far more suitable for use in remote locations where current vaccine delivery systems can be problematic.”

Professor Andrew Sewell School of Medicine Cardiff University

As the first synthetic and stable vaccine, the new form of preparation was made in a very novel way, by using ‘mirror images’ of the protein molecules that make up life.

Standard vaccines usually work by introducing a safe form of a germ, or a harmless part of that germ (often proteins) into our bodies. These foreign proteins stimulate our immune cells which then remember it and launch a stronger attack if they encounter it again. Normal germs or proteins would usually be digested if eaten. The new work shows that stable ‘mirror image’ forms of parts of such proteins can also induce a protective immune response.

These ‘mirror image’ molecules cannot be digested, opening up the possibility for stable non-biologic vaccines to be supplied in pill form.

and do not last long in nature. The unnatural, right-handed forms of these molecules are vastly more stable.

“Our demonstration that unnatural molecules, like these mirror image molecules, can be successfully used for vaccination opens up possibilities to explore the use of other unnatural, stable molecular ‘drugs’ as vaccines in the future.”

This new work provides proof-ofconcept in a laboratory setting. More research will be required to develop such approaches for the entire population and other diseases. It is likely to take several years before a non-biologic vaccine could be tested in humans.

Professor Sewell explained: “The carbon molecules that form all proteins on Earth are left-handed molecules, but they also have a non-biologic, right-handed form. Even though these two forms of a molecule look identical at first glance they are actually mirror images of each other, just like our right and left hands, and cannot be superimposed on each other. The left-handed forms of proteins are easily digested

www.cardiff.ac.uk

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Going global The largest exhibition across the Americas FIME 2018, in collaboration with MEDLAB, is the premier exhibition covering Latin and South America along with the Southern USA. This year’s exhibition will be held in Orlando, USA, on 17th-19th July.

Last year’s exhibition hosted a recordbreaking 21,723 attendees from 102 different countries, with 91 per cent of visitors coming from the Americas.

Attendees gathered to meet with 1,202 exhibitors showcasing over 500 product categories, from surgical and medical equipment to disposables, medical devices and more.

FIME is the largest exhibition for companies interested in expanding throughout the Americas and it attracts leading manufacturers and buyers seeking the latest healthcare

trends. More than 25,000 attendees are expected at the 2018 event and exhibition space has been made 25 per cent bigger for 2018 to accommodate this demand.

Last year, FIME introduced eight conferences focusing on the healthcare industry’s current challenges and innovative breakthroughs, in order to attract more clinicians with purchasing power authority. Running concurrently were two business seminars offering up-to-the-minute regulatory information for the medical device trade professionals.

Also new to FIME last year was the launch of MEDLAB Americas, a dedicated ‘Laboratory Zone’, which in 2018 will host over 200 exhibitors showcasing state-of-the-art lab equipment and services. This zone helps to bridge the gap between the patient-facing healthcare industry and the all-important laboratory industry.

FIME 2018 is set to introduce additional educational opportunities to attract an improved quality and quantity of attendees. Topics of conferences and seminars will be in line with the healthcare industry’s current challenges, demands and trends. £2,500 of funding grants are available for eligibile companies that book to attend FIME 2018 as part of the Medilink UK pavilion.

When booking with Medilink, companies will benefit from: l Full pre-event and in-

market support from Medilink’s healthcare and event specialists. l Competitive travel and

accommodation rates through experienced providers. l Cost-effective consolidated

freight solutions. l Support from DIT Life

Sciences Specialist inmarket. l Access to national and

regional funding where available.

To find out more, contact the Medilink international team on: 0114 232 9292 International@medilink.co.uk

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Going global

Nanotech provides unique solution to global crisis AGA Nanotech has created a potentially life changing technology that aims to overcome the global crisis of antibiotic resistance. Researchers from the company have worked in collaboration with University College London (UCL) to develop a unique alternative to antibiotics.

They have enabled the safe and effective delivery of antimicrobials which do not give rise to resistance. Borrowing approaches used in oncology, they have identified a means of delivering high energy oxidative molecules to the site of infection without harming the patient.

By loading particles produced by a Thermally Induced Phase Separation (TIPS) technique developed by Dr Richard Day at UCL, the researchers have been able to use microparticles to direct the controlled delivery of antimicrobial agents straight to the site of infection.

The use of nanoplatforms allows the delivery of highly oxidative biocides directly to infecting bacteria without being toxic to the body. Unlike antibiotics, its unique properties allow it to overcome any antibiotic resistance the bacteria may have.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health. It can affect anyone, of any age, in any country. It can also lead to infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, blood poisoning, gonorrhoea and foodborne diseases, becoming difficult and sometimes impossible to treat as antibiotics become less effective.

conditions and also avoids the issue of continually bringing new expensive antibiotics to market.

“We can engineer biodegradable nanoparticles that have a broad range of physical and biological properties that can specifically target an organ or infection site. This is both novel and transformative. Our research demonstrates that we can load precursor compounds, release them in a controlled way and convert them into oxidative species.�

AGA Nanotech was set up with the ultimate aim of overcoming the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance. Their current technology incorporates precursors for hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid within nanoparticles and microparticles. This approach is preferred because the inert precursors deliver highly reactive oxidative biocides, and hence do not give rise to resistance, but have low systemic toxicity and breakdown to give benign residues.

Adrian Fellows AGA Nanotech

The AGA Nanotech precursor loaded TIPS particles provide an innovative antimicrobial alternative to classic antibiotic agents and could serve as adjunctive or replacement therapy. The first application from the company will be in the field of wound care, but the technology can also be adapted for pulmonary, oral or systemic delivery.

It offers potential for the creation of bespoke approaches to different clinical

www.agananotech.com

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A step closer to global adoption of oxygen firebreaks In the event of a fire, a small device costing a few dollars can be all that stands in the way of the death of a patient using medical oxygen, the complete destruction of their home, and even the loss of a relative or neighbour’s life.

BPR Medical’s Firesafe cannula valve, which can limit the extent of a patient’s injuries and prevent oxygen fires from spreading, first became mandatory on oxygen concentrators in England and Wales in 2006. It is now required on all oxygen devices, including concentrators, gaseous cylinders and liquid oxygen devices, across the European Union.

Now, in two further important developments, the oxygen firebreak is being adopted in other major markets around the world.

In March, the United States Veterans Health Administration (VA) issued a Patient Safety Alert requiring thermal fuses to be installed on every stationary and portable oxygen system used by its 85,000 home oxygen patients.

“Up to half of home oxygen patients continue to smoke despite warnings and advice about the inherent dangers. Everyday household items, such as birthday candles, gas ovens and electrical devices, can also pose a risk to patients on oxygen therapy.

Thousands of patients, who rely on oxygen to alleviate the symptoms of respiratory diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), are killed or injured every year in oxygen fires. BPR Medical, which specialises in medical gas control systems, responded by developing the Firesafe, which is inserted into the patients’ cannula or oxygen tubing and lasts for up to four years. When it comes into contact with fire, a built-in thermal valve inside the Firesafe is activated, automatically stopping the flow of oxygen spreading down the tubing.

“The UK led the way by making the use of firebreaks mandatory twelve years ago. Since then, recognition of the potential life-saving benefits of these devices in other parts of the world has grown and firebreaks are increasingly seen as a standard requirement on all medical oxygen installations.

“The VA’s new policy and the Japan licence are both major steps forward in ensuring oxygen patients across the globe are afforded the same protection from fire as those in Europe. We expect more national and international authorities to follow suit by making firebreaks mandatory.”

Richard Radford Managing Director BPR Medical

Separately, in partnership with its distributor, Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation, BPR Medical has achieved marketing authorisation for the Firesafe cannula valve in Japan, licensing it as a Class II device for use among the country’s 160,000 home oxygen patients.

www.bprmedical.com

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Going global

Silver technology tackles antimicrobial resistance Crawford Healthcare is a rapidly growing international company based in Knutsford, Cheshire, dedicated to developing innovative wound care and dermatology treatments.

In 2009, the Group was a small dermatology business with a handful of employees. Today it is a multinational business, with subsidiaries in Germany and the US, which exports its North West-manufactured products to over 20 global markets.

With antimicrobial resistance (AMR) presenting a global healthcare crisis, Crawford recognised the need for a disruptive new technology to quickly and effectively treat infected chronic wounds – 2 million patients are treated for wounds every year at a cost of more than £5 billion.

AMR is causing a rise in drug-resistant infections, which have been estimated to kill some 700,000 people worldwide. In the UK alone, it results in approximately 3,000 deaths a year, with an estimated cost to the NHS in excess of £180 million a year. Without global action, AMR could kill another 10 million people annually by 2050.

While silver had been used to treat infections for thousands of years, its popularity waned significantly with the advent of antibiotics. However, with AMR now a global threat, silver is proving a

powerful asset in this battle. In 2013, Crawford secured exclusive access to Oxysalt, a silver technology clinically proven to be faster and more effective in healing chronically infected wounds.

Incorporating the technology into its

Perhaps the Group’s most significant milestone came from a case over in Indianapolis, USA. A mother of two developed a severely infected diabetic foot ulcer, and was told amputation was the only option. After literally escaping from hospital to seek alternative

portfolio of wound dressings, Crawford anticipates its pipeline of associated products to be the cornerstone of modern wound care for decades to come.

In the past two years alone, its portfolio has secured major international contracts, including a deal with the US government’s Department for Veteran Affairs, making it a supplier of choice to over nine million patients in North America.

In the last six months, the Group has secured collaborations with multiple international partners to further deliver its revolutionary wound care portfolio into new global markets. A partnership with EBOS Healthcare allowed Crawford to enter New Zealand for the first time.

Elsewhere, its US business, Crawford Healthcare Inc., won a significant Innovative Technology contract from Vizient Inc., the largest member driven healthcare performance improvement company in the United States.

treatment at a local wound care clinic, Crawford’s FDA-cleared KerraCel Ag was applied on a trial basis. Within two months, the wound was almost completely healed, with the patient back on both feet.

Closer to home, Crawford’s products have also saved limbs from near-certain amputation. Its portfolio is estimated to be capable of saving the NHS £125 million annually by relieving the strain brought about by antimicrobial resistance.

www.crawfordhealthcare.com

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Award for US success of scalp cooling product UK scalp cooling expert Paxman, based in Huddersfield, has been awarded the Small Gold Export Award by the BritishAmerican Business TransAtlantic Growth (TAG) Awards.

In less than a year since gaining official clearance by the Food and Drug Administration, Paxman has installed or signed delivery agreements in the US for 250 of its pioneering scalp cooling system at 121 cancer clinics.

Hair loss is consistently ranked as one of the most feared and common side effects of chemotherapy treatment.

Some people even refuse chemotherapy because they do not want to lose their hair. The damage that chemotherapy causes to hair follicles can be alleviated by using Paxman’s scalp cooling treatment, also known as a ‘cold cap’. It works by reducing the temperature of the scalp by a few degrees immediately before, during and after the administration of chemotherapy.

Paxman works directly with the NHS and private healthcare providers in the UK, including those who offer patients the opportunity to receive their chemotherapy treatment at home.

In the US, the company has developed a unique sales approach which involves pay-per-treatment and personal cap to ensure a more affordable scalp cooling option for patients. This approach has involved setting up a HQ in Houston, a call centre, pharmacy and logistics (collectively the Paxman Hub), technical services and US training specialists who support providers and patients throughout their scalp cooling journey from start to finish.

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“The US market is the largest in the world, so we are incredibly proud of the progress we have had in our first year since receiving FDA clearance. Our success in the US market, which is key to our global expansion, is also testimony to the growing understanding of the importance of scalp cooling as a way of improving quality of life and giving patients increased control during chemotherapy treatment.”

Richard Paxman CEO Paxman

Paxman places scalp cooling systems on a low-cost lease with healthcare providers, but directly bills the patient through the Paxman Hub for their scalp cooling cap and pay-per-use tokens. It is the only scalp cooler in the world to offer a single patient use cooling cap to each user.

Currently the Paxman Scalp Cooling System has received market clearance for use during chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. The company has also filed an application for use of its scalp cooling system during treatment of patients with solid tumours. The expanded FDA clearance will substantially increase the company’s accessible market in the US. Paxman has already reached its initial target set for the US market – a total of 250 scalp cooling systems that are either installed or covered by signed delivery agreements – during the first year following FDA clearance.

www.paxmanscalpcooling.com

Going global

Increasing global access to facial prostheses Maxillofacial prosthetics involves providing facial prostheses to people with defects or disabilities that they have either had since birth or have developed due to disease or trauma.

The three areas that most commonly require facial prostheses are the ear, the nose and the eye.

Technovent is the UK’s leading manufacturer and supplier of maxillofacial prosthetic materials, supplying every NHS maxillofacial clinic in the UK. It began in 2003 as a collaboration between Professor Mark Waters of Cardiff University’s Dental School and Leo Basil of Newport-based company Principality Medical, developing silicone materials for the medical prosthetics market. The company soon grew to become a one-stop-shop for prosthetics and is now based in Bridgend, South Wales, with 13 members of staff.

A long-standing relationship with maxillofacial materials company Factor II has enabled Technovent products to be distributed throughout the US. They also have distributors in Germany, Russia, Saudi Arabia, India and Jordan and now export their products to over 78 countries worldwide.

prosthetists, many participants have gone on to become practitioners and/or distributors in their own countries.

Until recently, many countries have not had access to prosthetic materials and trained maxillofacial practitioners.

This means that patients with severe facial disfigurements have not been prosthetically restored, often resulting in poor quality of life. By targeting these emerging markets through training courses and new collaborations, Technovent has opened up new overseas territories and increased worldwide access to maxillofacial materials and practitioners.

The Welsh company also regularly attends international conferences and has run training courses in countries including Russia, Jordan, UAE, India, Argentina and Brazil. This increased presence overseas has led to increased sales and greater worldwide knowledge of patient rehabilitation.

Participants from around the world have received training in the construction of facial prostheses at the company’s training centres in Bridgend and Arizona.

After completing courses, which are run

by NHS trained consultant maxillofacial

Technovent has been able to export successfully to countries such as Yemen, Iran and Iraq, where the need for patient materials and rehabilitation in areas of conflict is vital.

In the last 10 years, Technovent’s export business has grown over 390 per cent.

Currently their primary focus is to enable every country to obtain the basic materials to create maxillofacial prostheses and ultimately provide a high level of patient rehabilitation. Their ultimate aim is that every patient with a severe facial disfigurement should be able to receive prosthetic restoration, no matter where they live.

www.technovent.com

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Meeting the unmet Investment in Manchester’s healthcare infrastructure Cheshire-based company Aptus Clinical is one of twelve partners receiving government funding to ensure that more patients benefit from a new generation of disease-fighting medicines for cancer and non-cancer illnesses.

Nearly £7 million has been awarded to the Innovate Manchester Advanced Therapy Centre Hub (iMATCH) by Innovate UK from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Competition.

Manchester is one of only three centres that will be established to support the national strategy to scale-up the development of advanced therapies for a range of debilitating conditions within the NHS.

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Aptus will provide clinical operations support to the iMATCH consortium and develop innovative solutions for clinical data capture and presentation, incorporating novel areas such as sample tracking and predictive modelling.

Alongside Aptus, the iMATCH consortium consists of The Christie, The University of Manchester, the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, AgenTus Therapeutics, AstraZeneca (iDecide Programme), Asymptote (part of GE Healthcare), Chaucer Life Sciences, Cellular Therapeutics, The Christie Pathology Partnership, Datatrial and Formedix.

Advanced therapies use patients’ own cells to treat disease, and currently clinical trials for these advanced therapies are highly complex and logistically very challenging and expensive to run.

However, during the three-year project, the iMATCH consortium will invest in systems, processes and integration infrastructure to help make the process of running these trials as efficient as possible, enabling larger clinical trials to be available to more patients.

The consortium aims to recruit 260 patients to clinical trials in advanced therapies. By 2021, the project end date, five times more patients than currently should be treated with this type of personalised medicine each year in Manchester.

“We’re delighted to have received this funding, and to also get the chance to work with some fantastic local partners. We’re confident that together we can build a world leading centre of excellence delivering cell and gene therapy studies and so help develop life changing therapies for patients in Manchester and beyond.

Steve McConchie CEO Aptus Clinical

www.aptusclinical.com

Breathtaking project develops diagnostic device Wales is setting an important milestone in the progress of RTI (respiratory tract infection) diagnostics, with Abercynonbased company IMSPEX Diagnostics Ltd receiving national recognition for its innovative diagnostic device, BreathSpec.

Using a combination of gas chromatography and ion mobility spectrometry, BreathSpec is the first spectrometer of its kind that can monitor the volatile organic compounds present in a person’s exhaled breath at the bedside. Research into the viability of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as a valid marker to diagnose infection has been already demonstrated in various studies, but there is still a need for accurate and rapid diagnosis of RTI infections that can be performed locally at a primary care level. BreathSpec aims to provide exactly this kind of assistance, thanks to a

product that will be accurate, rapid, disposable and easy to use.

The Welsh company is currently undertaking a project centred around its BreathSpec device, proposing a viable solution to the global problem of antimicrobial resistance. The project is finalising the developmental stages of BreathSpec, which will allow a quick, binary decision to be made on the need for antibiotic treatment, and with suitable optimisation will allow further differentiation and stratification to take place. The project includes technical developments to optimise the device’s function, data acquisition for the

for proposals to programmes such as Horizon 2020. RedKnight are also providing project management support for the duration of the project.

“We have a vision of providing primary healthcare with a reliable, fast and simple solution for identifying bacterial or viral infection, optimising patient care and minimising antibiotic consumption. As a result of this project, we hope to be able to assist GPs and healthcare providers on a global scale.”

Santi Dominguez Chief Executive IMSPEX Diagnostics

Thanks to the European funding, 16 prototypes have been built and are ready to be dispatched to six clinical sites. These sites will conduct a nationwide trial that is expected to involve more than 2,000 patients from Liverpool to Leicester, Coventry and Cardiff. The trial is due to start September 2018 and will be preceded by a recruiting and training period throughout the summer.

development of the decision making analytical function and clinical validation.

In 2017, IMSPEX was awarded a grant of €2.37m from Horizon 2020, the European Commission’s Research and Innovation Programme. Other partners involved in the project include the University of Warwick, StatisticaMedica and Gesellschaft für analytische Sensorsysteme G.A.S. The funding application was developed with grants and funding specialists RedKnight Consultancy, also based in Abercynon, who provide expert bid-writing services

www.imspex.com

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Life-saving baby medical device born out of collaboration

Three companies who are members of Medilink East Midlands (EM) have joined together in the creation of an innovative approach to heart rate monitoring.

SurePulse VS has the potential to become the new standard of care globally for newborn babies needing resuscitation.

SurePulse Medical Ltd is a joint venture between the University of Nottingham and Tioga Ltd, a contract electronics manufacturer based in Derby. Established in September 2014, SurePulse Medical Ltd has developed an innovative technology for monitoring heart rate in newborn babies, supported by the Medilink EM INSTILS support programme, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The SurePulse VS (Vital Sign) device comprises an innovative optical sensor mounted in a single-use and easy-to-fit soft cap with a wireless module that transmits data from the newborn baby to a lightweight, portable display monitor.

It allows the delivery team to see an accurate and reliable heart rate, and pulse waveform, in real-time. This is in contrast to current routine practice, where heart rate measurement in the all-important first few minutes of a baby’s life is intermittent and the stethoscope, electrocardiogram (ECG) and wrist-mounted pulse oximeter all have disadvantages.

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The cap, which has been purposedesigned to be rapidly applied to the baby, is manufactured by Capatex Ltd, a Nottingham company which manufactures and supplies technical textiles to a wide range of industries.

Many stakeholders have been involved throughout product development, leading to a product that suits the needs of patients, clinicians and the NHS. Post-launch, SurePulse Medical Ltd is optimistic about rapid adoption across the NHS as the potential clinical impact aligns well with the UK Government’s 5 Year Forward View (Next Steps) commitments

Approximately 10 per cent of newborn babies require some form of resuscitation at birth, which amounts to 80,000 babies born each year in the UK and approximately 14 million per year globally. Newborn babies who do not receive the necessary interventions quickly and efficiently are at risk of harm including death, damage to the brain or blindness.

“It’s great to see our members coming together and creating groundbreaking advances in newborn resuscitation, particularly as this is an area which has seen little improvement in recent years. The success of this product and the innovative collaboration between organisations demonstrates once again that Medilink EM remains at the heart of the region’s Life Sciences sector.”

Dr Darren Clark Chief Executive Medilink EM

to reduce neonatal deaths, improve child health, improve diagnostics and ‘Get it Right First Time’ – an NHS initiative to improve quality and reduce unwarranted variations in care. The innovation may also ultimately help in reducing NHS litigation payouts, which cost the NHS £1.7 billion in 2016.

www.surepulsemedical.com

Meeting the unmet

Project for earlier diagnosis of a common blood cancer Binding Site is dedicated to improving patient lives by delivering innovative medical solutions that improve the diagnosis and management of blood cancers and immune system disorders.

Founded by researchers at the University of Birmingham, they have been supporting research and development within their field and responding to the changing needs of patients, researchers and clinicians for over 25 years.

A ‘multiple myeloma early diagnosis’ project has involved Binding Site collaborating with the NIHR Oxford DEC and Churchill Hospital Immunology and Haematology Departments. For this project, the company won the award for partnership with the NHS at the 2017 Medilink West Midlands Medical and Healthcare Business Awards.

Multiple myeloma is the second most common blood cancer and has the longest time to diagnosis, from presentation with initial symptoms, of all such cancers. Increasing time to diagnosis is associated with increased development of complications, poorer patient outcomes and thus increased costs to the NHS.

A key factor resulting in delayed diagnoses is the well-documented inadequacy of urine analysis as part of the laboratory investigation of patients suspected of having myeloma.

Binding Site’s NHS collaboration aimed to determine if replacement of urine analysis with the Binding Site Freelite test would improve the detection rates and thus decrease diagnostic delays.

The hypothesis was tested in myeloma investigation requests sent to Oxford Churchill Immunology laboratory.

The data from this study indicates that the change from urine analysis to Freelite analysis reduces the potential for myeloma patients to be ‘missed’ by the laboratory investigation and thus reduces diagnostic delays, as hypothesised. It is predicted that the patients earlier detected using Freelite would therefore have earlier stage, more treatable disease, reduced complications and better outcomes than if urine analysis were used.

In financial terms, the effect of simplifying and increasing the sensitivity of this diagnostic investigation using Freelite is an expected reduction in overall costs to the NHS, primarily

through a reduction in the treatment of myeloma complications.

This project was initiated and agreed in full collaboration with Myeloma UK, the key patient group in the UK for this cancer. Outside of the laboratory project discussed above, Binding Site also worked with Myeloma UK to improve the recognition of myeloma symptoms by clinicians such as GPs, to further help reduce diagnostic delays that occur through lack of symptom recognition.

As part of this education programme, they have placed an advert on the Pulse website for GPs in collaboration with Myeloma UK, highlighting the symptoms of myeloma that require further investigation.

Binding Site’s commitment to reducing diagnostic delays in myeloma continues, through improving both the laboratory investigation for myeloma and the education of clinicians to recognise the symptoms of myeloma. They are developing new and more effective diagnostic tests, such as Hevylite, and continuously improving and promoting clinical education programmes.

www.bindingsite.com

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Simulator provides colposcopytraining DTR Medical is a multi-award winning manufacturer of sterile single-use surgical instruments that provide patient and clinical benefits of time, life or cost savings. The Swansea-based company won the award for partnership with the NHS at the 2017 MediWales Innovation Awards.

The award-winning project involved DTR Medical collaborating with Consultant Gynaecologist Miss Theresa FreemanWang and Nurse Colposcopist Anna Barbour of NHS Whittington Hospital, London, on the development of the LLETZlearn Training Simulator, which addresses the need for practical training in colposcopy.

The LLETZlearn Training Simulator is a unique, hands-on, reusable device that mimics clinical procedures such as the LLETZ (Large Loop Excision of the Transformation Zone) technique to remove cancer cells. It can also be used to practise taking cervical, vaginal and vulval biopsies.

It allows use of the same electro-surgical tools that are actually going to be used in treatment, making the training highly realistic.

result in more confident, competent and prepared clinicians, as well as an improved patient experience with fewer preventable errors.

Dr Theodora Pepera, NHS Consultant Gynaecologist and accredited Colposcopist & Colposcopy trainer, has used the LLETZlearn Training Simulator around the world. She recently introduced it to nurses in Battor, Ghana, as part of her efforts to develop their national cervical cancer screening programme. Following an inaugural colposcopy workshop with the LLETZLearn device, Dr Pepera trained nurse colposcopists to perform colposcopy procedures, thereby helping to reduce the burden on the few doctors and facilities available in Ghana’s cervical cancer screening and prevention programme.

The simulator has been demonstrated at several major events and has received praise from a global gynaecology community, with commendations for its pioneering efforts in offering an innovative way to train. Key institutions in countries including the UK, Ireland,

“The LLETZlearn Training Simulator improves confidence and skill as there is no risk to the patient. You can try different techniques and hand positions safely. I would personally recommend it to all trainees and also to qualified colposcopists who wish to learn a different or alternative procedure.”

Dr Theodora Pepera NHS Consultant Gynaecologist

the USA and Australia are now using the simulator successfully, and practical training courses are being set up so that colposcopy trainees can fine-tune their technique.

The device enables trainee colposcopists, seeking BSCCP/RCOG accreditation, to perfect their skills, troubleshoot and gain experience with a range of procedures and tools. This means they can practise without the risks or the potential difficulties of working with real, conscious patients. Training novice colposcopists with the simulator can

www.dtrmedical.com

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Meeting the unmet

Newtechnology for improved venous access in chemotherapy Medical devices company Green Cross Medico has developed Air-Glove, a unique air warming system for improved venous access. The aim of the technology is to enable access to a patient’s veins for the delivery of intravenous drugs such as in chemotherapy.

The Air-Glove system works in just three minutes by gently heating the patient’s arm to the selected temperature. The nurse or practitioner simply places the patient’s arm in the single-use double walled glove, selects the chosen temperature (31.5c, 35.5c, 38.5c) according to the patient’s skin type and selects start. The patient will feel the warm air fill up the glove, hugging around their arm and venting away. After three minutes the machine automatically stops with an alert sound.

Many patients with extended courses of treatment such as chemotherapy require repeated cannulation. They often suffer from fragile or hidden veins, but by gently warming the arm up, it gently dilates the veins allowing for an easy insertion of the cannula.

This reduces time taken, costs and number of attempts required and makes the experience more comfortable for both the nurse/practitioner and the patient.

The technology was originally developed by Green Cross Medico in conjunction with NHS Innovations and The Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. During 2017, prototypes and preproduction models of Air-Glove were

used in patient service evaluations at The Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. The successful results from these evaluations showed an 87.5 per cent success rate in cannulating their most difficult to cannulate patients on first attempt. Currently there are patient service evaluations taking place in Royal Marsden, UCLH, Royal Stoke and the Beatson Glasgow.

Air-Glove was Highly Commended for industry collaboration in the 2017 WMAHSN Celebration of Innovation Awards, as well as Runner Up for partnership with the NHS in the 2017 Medilink West Midlands Medical and Healthcare Business Awards. Air-Glove will be officially launched in the UK and European markets in May 2018 and is CE medical device certified, delivering precise thermal regulation in three minutes.

“We no longer use buckets of warm water in oncology at Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust because our patients request Air-Glove now as they prefer it.

With a 87.5 per cent success rate in our patient service evaluation I can see the results which make our lives so much easier too.”

Keli Tomlin Macmillan Chemotherapy Unit Manager MTW “Air-Glove is so comfortable for our patients who can be difficult to cannulate with continual chemotherapy cycles. It is so efficient, as in just three minutes the patient is ready for cannulation and then their treatment can begin.”

Charlotte Wadey Macmillan Lead Chemotherapy Nurse MTW

www.greencrossmedico.com

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Supported Events BioPartner UK has negotiated exceptional discounts to some of the world’s highest quality biopharma partnering events. In partnership with United Life Sciences, we manage the UK presence at key overseas conferences.

BIO Convention 2018 4th-7th June, Boston UK Delegation, discount $600/400*, hotel MediWales Connects 20th June, Cardiff 54th DIA Meeting 24th-28th June, Boston CCRA Delegation MedFIT 26th-27th June, Strasbourg

ON Helix 10th-11th July, Cambridge BioPharm America 2018 5th-6th September, Boston Biospain 2018 25th-27th September, Seville BIO-Europe 2018 5th-7th November, Copenhagen UK Delegation, discount €350/€250*, hotel

Opportunities BioPartner UK recommends a number of investor conferences and internationally focused events:

International Conference on Cancer Therapy and Oncology 21st-22nd June, Osaka*

2nd International Conference on Oncology and Cancer Science (ICOCS 2018) 6th-8th August, Berlin*

18th European Congress on Biotechnology 1st-2nd July, Geneva*

International Conference on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing 16th-18th August, Copenhagen*

New York Venture Summit 10th-11th July, New York* 29th Euro-Global Summit on Cancer Therapy & Radiation Oncology 23rd-25th July, Rome* World Cancer Conference 23rd-25th July, Moscow*

22nd Global Biotechnology Congress 10th-11th September, Stockholm* Nordic Life Sciences Days 10th-12th September, Stockholm* Life Sciences Baltics 26th-27th September, Vilnius*

* BioPartner discounts apply. See our website for details of these and other opportunities.

Join the BioPartnership Programme and be kept up to date! www.biopartner.co.uk/events.php

UK LIFESCIENCE INDUSTRY World Advanced Therapies & Regenerative Medicine Congress London, UK 16-18 May

MedTech Innovation Expo Coventry, UK 25-26 April

25-26

16-18

April BIA and MHRA Conference London, UK 5 July

5 July BIO-Europe Copenhagen, Denmark 5-7 November

5-7 November

BioDundee Dundee, UK 22-23 May

22-23

ON Helix Cambridge, UK 10-11 July

MEDICA Dusseldorf, Germany 12-15 November

12-15

24

May

FIME Florida, USA 17-19 July

10-11

Anglonordic Life Science Conference London, UK 24 May

17-19

Health and Care Innovation Expo Manchester, UK 5-6 September

5-6

July 15th Annual bioProcessUK Conference Edinburgh, UK 20-22 November

20-22 November

One Nucleus: Genesis London, UK 13 December

13 December

EVENT CALENDAR Africa Health Johannesburg, South Africa 29-31 May

29-31

Medilink East Midlands Innovation Day Nottingham, UK 13 June

BIO International Convention Boston, USA 4-7 June

13

4-7

May BioPharm America Boston, USA 5-6 September

5-6 September

10-12

SEHTA AGM & Annual Conference: Accessing the NHS – a guide for SMEs London, UK 13 June

13

June

Nordic Life Science Days Stockholm, Sweden 10-12 September

MediWales Connects: NHS Collaboration Conference Cardiff, UK 20 June

20 June

Global Health Exhibition Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 10-12 September

Rehacare Dusseldorf, Germany 26-29 September

26-29

10-12 September

2018

Respiratory diagnostics PulmonIR Ltd was established in February 2016 as a spin-out from Swansea University to develop low-cost, handheld medical devices that are capable of diagnosing and monitoring lung disease. The company’s first commercial target is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The company has recently completed preliminary clinical studies in collaboration with Cwm Taf University Health Board and is backed financially

by IP Group, the Development Bank of Wales and the Swansea University Innovation Fund.

In December 2016, the company was named as Start-up of the Year at the MediWales Innovation Awards.

During 2018, the company will shift its focus towards further product development and regulatory approval.

Contact: Dr Mark Bowman CEO Email: mark.bowman@pulmonir.com

www.pulmonir.com

We innovate healthcare At Roche our aim is to improve the health, quality of life and well-being of people around the world by providing an innovative range of diagnostic solutions and medicines. Roche is a global, research-focused healthcare company with Group Headquarters in Basel, Switzerland.

Our strategy is clear - the patient lies at the heart of everything we do and our focus is fitting the treatment to the patient through prescription pharmaceuticals and in-vitro diagnostics.

What makes Roche distinctive is our pursuit of excellence in science as we deliver the best solutions for healthcare professionals and improve patient outcomes; this is achieved through our unique combination of Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics.

Everyday, our products help patients and the healthcare professionals who care for them by detecting, preventing, diagnosing, treating and monitoring diseases.

We are proud to have played a pioneering role in UK healthcare since 1908.

Today, we are the leading in-vitro diagnostics company in the UK and the leading provider of pharmaceutical treatments for cancer and viral diseases.

We are also a major supplier of medicines for the treatment of transplantation, virology, bone and rheumatology and renal anaemia. In total, our UK pharmaceutical and diagnostics businesses employ nearly 2,000 people.

Personalised Healthcare We combine our strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics to better fit treatments to patients. When genetic differences can be identified, the efficacy and safety of medicines can be improved enormously. To this end we have a companion diagnostic strategy for every molecule we develop.

Diagnostics As the UK leader in diagnostics solutions, we offer a uniquely broad and innovative portfolio of products to patients, physicians, researchers, hospitals, laboratories and universities.

Our UK Diagnostics business, headquartered in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, employs approximately 500 highly skilled individuals.

Diagnostics is set to play an increasingly important role in the future of healthcare as genetic knowledge presents new and exciting opportunities. Our desire is to provide clinicians and patients with Actionable Health Information - information that reduces the uncertainty in the medical decision making process, enabling them to choose between available alternatives to prevent or treat disease.

Tel: +44 (0)1444 256000 www.roche.co.uk At Roche we focus on developing medicines and diagnostics that will help patients live longer, better lives

CARDIFF DECEMBER 2018

Embrace the best of the UK’s health technology sector

CONFERENCE 2018

M ed i ca l Tech n ol ogy

Bi o Ph a rma Devel opmen t

Over 250 delegates come together to understand critical strategic trends that will impact on their businesses. The event oers the latest insights from key opinion leaders as well as a unique opportunity to engage with industry, UK regulatory, the clinical community, procurement and funding bodies. Attracting delegates from 20 countries and four continents, this valuable day of brieďŹ ngs and networking has global impact and excellent export opportunities.

H ea l t h ca re

With 35 exhibitor spaces, UK HealthTech provides an excellent opportunity to showcase the strength and innovation of the life science and healthcare communities. During the day, you will be able to visit the exhibition to meet leading companies and key opinion leaders from the academic and clinical communities, specialising in medical technology, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, across research, manufacturing and healthcare delivery.

Listen to expert speakers, explore the exhibition and embrace excellent networking opportunities at UK HealthTech 2018

For more information visit www.ukhealthtech.com or contact isabelle.ford@mediwales.com, +44 (0)29 2047 3456

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MedilinkUK

Promoting growth in United Kingdom life science

UK Lifescience Industry Magazine Partners Medilink UK Member Organisations Medilink East Midlands BioCity Nottingham Pennyfoot Street Nottingham NG1 1GF Tel: +44 (0)115 822 3154 info@medilinkem.com www.medilinkem.com

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Medilink North West Workplace 4th Floor Churchgate House 56 Oxford St Manchester M1 6EU Tel: 07734 383 407 connect@medilink.co.uk www.medilinknorthwest.co.uk

Medilink Yorkshire and Humber 3 Smithy Wood Drive Smithy Wood Business Park Sheffield S35 1QN Tel: +44 (0)114 232 9292 connect@medilink.co.uk www.medilink.co.uk South East Health Technologies Alliance Tanglewood, Well Street Loose, Maidstone Kent ME15 0QF Tel: +44 (0)7905 201857 info@sehta.co.uk www.sehta.co.uk

Medilink South West c/o Institute of Bio-Sensing Technology University of the West of England Coldharbour Lane Bristol BS16 1QY info@medilinksw.com www.medilinksw.co.uk Medilink West Midlands 4 Greenfield Crescent Edgbaston Birmingham B15 3BE Tel: +44 (0)121 452 5630 enquiries@medilinkwm.co.uk

Partner Organisations BioPartner UK 16 Old Queen Street London SW1H 9HP Tel: +44 (0)20 7193 7815 info@biopartner.co.uk

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