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Alzeimer’s diagnosis up to twelve months earlier VTT has developed a novel approach for measuring the state of the patient reliably and objectively in cooperation with clinicians of University of Eastern Finland and Copenhagen University Hospital Rigs hospitalet. A software tool called PredictAD developed by VTT compares the patient’s measurements with measurements of other patients in large databases and provides an index and a graphical representation reflecting the state of the patient. Alzheimer’s disease currently takes on average 20 months to diagnose in Europe. VTT has shown that the new method could allow as many as half of patients to get a diagnosis approximately a year earlier. Successful early diagnostics combined with new forms of care may reduce suffering and delay the institutionalisation of patients. The method will be tested at several memory clinics in Europe over the next few years. Further information: Jussi Mattila, jussi.mattila@vtt.fi
Award winning bio-oil decreases emissions and costs VTT has collaborated with energy company Fortum, technology specialist Metso and forestry firm UPM to develop a solution for co-generating electricity and heat in parallel with bio-oil production within a single power plant in a cost-efficient and sustainable manner. The new production method connects two technologies, pyrolysis and fluidized bed combustion. Bio-oil use has significant positive environmental impacts. Carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by 70 to 90 per cent. It will also significantly reduce sulphur dioxide emissions. The commercial implementation of the new production method will take place at Fortum’s Joensuu CHP plant in about one year’s time. Last December VTT was awarded the EARTO Innovation Prize 2012 for developing a new bio-oil production method. EARTO is the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations. Further information: Jani Lehto, jani.lehto@vtt.fi