Technology
Image: Quanta Fluid Solutions
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HOME DIALYSIS
It’s the Nespresso of dialysis – Quanta Fluid Solutions is developing a compact, portable dialysis machine that people can use themselves. This could be a significant money-saver for the NHS, as people could have dialysis treatment in the comfort of their home. “A percentage of patients are suited for home dialysis once they’ve been trained. We know that would save the NHS about £15,000 a year per patient,” says Martin Hunt, a Director at the NHS’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Hunt heads the NIHR Invention for Innovation programme, a funding scheme aimed at advancing healthcare technologies. The NIHR, whose funds only go to companies with proof of concept after robust screening, has funded Quanta twice. “Research teams need to take into account not just the medical impact, but also how new devices can provide value for money,” says Hunt. “If you get better patient outcomes, generally speaking there should be some associated cost saving along the clinical pathway.”
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NANOTECHNOLOGY TARGETING TREATMENTS
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3D-PRINTED BODY PARTS
Earlier this year, 3D printing technology from Stanmore Implants was used to create a replacement pelvis for a patient who’d lost his to cancer. The new part could be made more precisely with a 3D printer than standard methods. Another UK company using 3D printing to create body parts is Fripp Design and Research, whose technology can create soft tissue organs such as eyeballs, noses and ears – all based on scans from the patient. “3D printing now allows us to create body parts. The technology is actually no longer the problem,” says EY’s John Farenden. “The challenge is how we make best use of it and improve the outcome and experience for patients, as well keeping an eye on cost.” In an effort to make the product more commercially viable, Fripp has become the first company to use 3D technology to print directly in medical-grade silicone.
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Image: Manchester Metropolitan University/Fripp Design and Research
Sending microscopic devices into the body to treat illness in a non-invasive manner is a science fiction dream that’s quickly becoming real. Earlier this year, researchers at the University of California successfully delivered treatment projectiles into the stomach of mice, in an effort to explore whether this can be done in humans to treat stomach problems such as ulcers or gastritis. A similar principle is behind antibody-drug conjugates, which are already being used to treat patients – a molecule-scale payload of cancer drugs is delivered directly to tumour sites, leaving the surrounding tissue undisturbed.
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