36
technology + innovation awards 2008
Medical & Healthcare
Haemair
Swansea University and Swansea NHS Trust
Respiratory Aids and Prosthetic Lungs
Haemair’s mission is to produce devices ranging from
aids that can support respiration for patients with
deficient lungs to systems that may actually replace
human lungs.
Unlike most conventional treatments the devices do not
use the lungs, thus allowing deficient ones to rest and
recover rather than forcing them to work harder through
mechanically-supported breathing.
The devices allow patients to be taken out of
intensive care into general wards and, ultimately, to
return home.
Haemair’s collaboration with Swansea University
results in a three-way Technology Transfer Partnership
involving clinical research in an NHS laboratory and an
EPSRC Portfolio Partnership in complex fluids and
complex flows.
The directors of Haemair bring extensive senior
chemical engineering R&D experience, manufacture of
control systems and medical experience in treating lung
disease.
Swansea University has expertise in blood rheology and
has developed a unique collaboration with the NHS at
Morriston Hospital. There is a chemical engineering
blood rheology lab in the hospital’s A&E department
under the management of Dr Adrian Evans, who has a
joint position as university reader in haemorheology.This
expertise is essential in developing devices that contact
blood without causing clotting.
The Swansea Centre for Complex Fluids and Complex
Flows is internationally recognised.
Haemair is now running laboratory tests on its first
prototype. Following successful testing procedures, the
integrated control system will be tested with blood
circulation through an oxygenator and a de-oxygenator.
nanoTherics
Keele University
Nanomagnetic gene transfection
nanoTherics is a spin-out company formed to exploit a
novel gene transfection technology arising from
biomedical research conducted at Keele University and
the University of Florida.
The patented technology uses nanoparticles and
magnetic fields to accurately and rapidly deliver foreign
DNA into cells — a process known as transfection.
The company uses this to achieve its aim of providing a
range of novel systems to the market.
These will have international applications. Orders have
already been taken from Florida, the UK and Ireland.
Using such products could have profound societal
benefits, whereby specific genetic disorders such as
cystic fibrosis could be cured without drugs and
therapeutic interventions.
The benefits are already being witnessed with the
equipment now being distributed. The speed and
effectiveness in delivery of the particles far outperforms
existing technologies and represents significant leaps
forward in technology.
The in vitro gene transfection market is growing
rapidly and is estimated to be worth about $850m
(£476m) by 2012.
The nanoTherics management team combines strong,
world-leading scientific acumen with entrepreneurial and
industrial expertise.
Keele has gained international expertise and
recognition for its research into nanomagnetic particles
over the last seven years. More than 10 PhD/postdocs
have been funded during the course of the research and
nanoTherics employs a full-time research assistant
through Keele.
Precision Acoustics
Southampton University
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
Real-time passive acoustic monitoring
of kidney stone therapy
The objective of this work was to develop a passive
acoustic sensor capable of giving real-time information to
a clinician conducting Extracorporeal Shock Wave
Lithotripsy (ESWL) kidney therapy in the operating
theatre. ESWL is the favoured technique for the
treatment of kidney stones, effectively replacing
traditional surgical stone removal. In the US alone,
150,000 of these procedures are undertaken each year.
However, there is a high failure rate, with between
30 and 50 per cent of patients needing re-treatment. As
is evident from this high rate, the clinicians who conduct
ESWL have no effective way of knowing whether the
treatment is fragmenting the stone.
The device (the ‘smart stethoscope’) had to be
designed so that it can be deployed and run by a nurse.
It consists of an acoustic sensor (constructed by
Precision Acoustics), which ‘listens’ to the echoes
reverberating around the human body after each
lithotripter shock.
These echoes are analysed in real-time by software
written by the project team, allowing a laptop
automatically to deliver an easily understandable
verdict on the success of each shock and of the
treatment so far.
The device was only a concept at the start of the
project, but by the end was proven in clinical trials to be
superior to all available in-theatre technology.
the EnGIneeR 15–28 SEPTEMBER 2008
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