Translate in Action 2018

Translate in Action 2018

Translate in Action 2018 Translate is a partnership between the universities of Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Leeds Beckett and York that works to improve health and wealth by translating early-stage ideas into new medical technologies. Funded by HEFCE, the programme provides researchers at the partner universities with access to a dedicated innovation team experienced in progressing technologies to market. It also provides a model for successful innovation, innovation training and development, and collaboration within the higher education sector.

Translate aims to: – identify and progress technology opportunities – increase innovation capability among Leeds City Region academics – foster and facilitate research that is better aligned to clinical, patient and public drivers.

Contents 03

Translate in context

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Collaboration and openness

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Progressing technologies 08 T homas Krauss

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Embedding medtech innovation skills 16 S areen Galbraith 17 Elena Mancuso 18 Viswadeep Serangi 19 Nathaniel Milton 20 Fiona Walker 21 Stephen Smith

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Dissemination and engagement 23 T ranslate in Action 24 E ngaging with funders and

09 Mel Cooper

10 Joe Sweeney 11 Anne Hurren and Naomi de Graff 12 Helen Petrie

innovation support agencies

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25 I nnovation Bootcamp

Meet the team

Translate in context

Translate in context

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Translate does not work in isolation. Its strength is drawn from its position within a wider initiative to develop the medtech economy in the Leeds City Region.

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he Science Innovation Audit (SIA), carried out last year and led by the University of Leeds for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, highlighted how important medtech is for the region. Leeds City Region has the largest workforce in medtech related industries outside the South East and 22 per cent of digital health jobs in the UK.

The Leeds City Region can rightly aspire to deliver successful innovation in a single geography, through the concentration of resources, convergence of technologies and smart specialisation. But it must do this by aligning with national centres of excellence in science and technology and drawing on an established, but growing, UK-wide network of academic, clinical and industrial collaboration.

Key to all of this is investment – and the SIA identified five target areas where the region needs to draw in and focus resources.

Translate works directly in two of these five areas, providing continuous innovation support and developing high-level multidisciplinary skills. But its role as a broker between the region’s universities, the healthcare system and industry is also fundamental. These are the three cornerstones of the sector and they must work together if the opportunities for medtech in the region are to be realised.

Professor John Fisher CBE Academic Director, Translate translate-medtech.ac.uk

Medtech is a sector that’s set to grow. The global market, worth over $370bn in 2015, is forecast to increase to over $520bn by 2022. This growth will be coupled with transformation in the sector, as healthcare adapts to address the demands and needs of an ageing population. Increasingly, the sector is also seeing technologies converge, with digital innovations enabling the development of other technologies. In the following pages, you can see how many of the projects supported by Translate follow this pattern.

So how can the region take advantage of this projected growth in global medtech markets and help to increase UK economic output, productivity and exports?

The SIA has provided a roadmap, highlighting weaknesses to be addressed as well as strengths to be leveraged.

Collaboration and openness

Collaboration and openness Creating a community has been one of the true successes of the Translate programme. Translate has enabled new connections to be made, cementing trust between the university partners across the region, as well as with health innovation organisations and industry.

The culture of this community is one of collaboration and openness, with members genuinely interested and excited about the potential of working together, and this shines through in our case studies.

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Our role is to create an environment that enables medtech innovation and development. Through training, mentoring, secondments and on-project learning, we have been equipping the Translate community with the knowledge, skills and collaborations needed to progress their technologies.

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The range of expertise that can be accessed through the Translate programme provides a compelling reason to be involved. But we’ve also employed innovative ways of engaging with our partners and building relationships, as you’ll see on pages 22–25.

Academic researchers often tell us there are too many complexities involved in the medtech innovation process, and too many options for them to choose from when they want to take a technology forward – they simply don’t know where to go or how to start. With broad knowledge and understanding of the sector and the innovation pathway, our Technology Innovation Managers (TIMs) can help academics to navigate these complexities. More than that, they add value by providing advice on intellectual property strategy and commercial exploitation, creating opportunities for clinical and industry engagement, identifying funding opportunities, and helping to write compelling bids.

Our approach is to be both proactive and strategic. Rather than simply responding to what opportunities come through the door, our TIMs create opportunities and make the most of them. We design every event and activity with clear outcomes in mind and work hard before, during and afterwards to make sure these outcomes are achieved.

Our many grant successes – unusual for such a young project – are testament to this approach. Of course, we did not have a standing start, drawing on extensive expertise within the Medical Technologies Innovation and Knowledge Centre.

By connecting engaged academics across the Leeds City Region with other stakeholders, Translate has ensured the region is ready to take advantage of new opportunities that arise in medtech. This, we hope, will be Translate’s legacy.

Dr Josephine Dixon-Hardy, Director of Medical Technologies Innovation, University of Leeds Dr Lisa Hill, Innovation Development Manager, Translate

“

Through training, mentoring, secondments and on-project learning, we have been equipping the Translate community with the knowledge, skills and collaborations needed to progress their technologies.

”

Collaboration and openness

Dr Josephine Dixon-Hardy and Dr Lisa Hill 7

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Clinicians actively participating

Funding pursued

Companies actively participating

115 Academics involved in Translate projects

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ÂŁ15.7m

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We have an expansive, in-depth knowledge of the medtech sector and wider healthcare landscape.

Progressing technologies

Progressing technologies Our approach to supporting and progressing projects relies on ensuring that innovative ideas are validated in the market place at the earliest possible stage. This process enables us to focus on developing technologies with the greatest potential and make sure they meet the needs of end users.

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e have an expansive, in-depth knowledge of the medtech sector and wider healthcare landscape. We can also identify specific regional and national challenges and unmet needs within the NHS and its commissioning system, enabling us to recognise opportunities for innovation that have high potential for success.

By using this expertise we can guide and shape our growing portfolio of new technologies so they are addressing genuine unmet needs – often spotting opportunities ahead of the researchers themselves. This means we can help guide research planning and work in partnership with Technology Transfer Offices to maximise the potential for commercial impact.

The workshops are delivered in partnership with regional and national clinical organisations, and bring together diverse groups of people – including academics, industry, patients, clinicians and commissioners – to discuss specific unmet clinical needs and develop potential solutions. Partnerships developed at the workshops have been supported afterwards by Translate’s Technology Innovation Managers, leading to some truly innovative projects.

We’re developing capability in other ways too. For example, our roadshows and surgeries held in our partner institutions have enabled us to engage with academics from different disciplines. We also offer support packages, awarded via a competitive process, to further encourage academics to access our support and expertise.

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Project opportunities identified

£6.9m Public sector income generated

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Funding applications supported

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In practice, this approach ensures we talk to academics right at the start of their project development. Patients, carers and clinical professionals who might ultimately use the products are also consulted early in the process and this input helps influence the direction taken. We introduce academics to the right people too, forming longer term partnerships with commercial organisations, academic collaborators or clinical and patient representatives.

Getting this right puts our research teams in great shape to apply for funding and move forwards along the translational pipeline.

Translate workshops are one of the ways we often kick-start this process. At the start of the programme we mapped out academic expertise across the region, and identified areas of the healthcare system where this could be best applied.

This enabled us to develop a range of workshop themes, such as assistive technology, wound care and long term health conditions.

Progressing technologies

Thomas Krauss

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Silicon photonic biosensors, used to detect disease biomarkers, are already in use in biomedical laboratories. But they require bulky, expensive instrumentation to process the information they provide and this means they can’t be used directly with patients. Professor Thomas Krauss and his team at the University of York are developing a highly sensitive alternative that can be read by a simple camera.

The technology would enable low cost, reliable hand-held devices to be used to get read outs from his sensors. Enabling tests to be conducted at patient bedsides would reduce delays in diagnosis, and potentially transform the marketplace for point of care diagnostics.

Professor Krauss will be using this funding to improve the sensitivity of his biosensors to the detection levels of more expensive sensors. The grant will also enable him to carry out proof of concept work using human urine samples – a crucial step towards commercialisation.

The potential applications for this innovation are very broad, but Translate has been providing Professor Krauss with the commercial and clinical knowledge needed to focus on the right market sector.

In addition, Translate has acted as a conduit between Professor Krauss and a technology transfer company, which is interested in either forming a spin-out company or licensing the technology. The aim has been to move the technology forward as fast as possible towards commercialisation. And, says Professor Krauss, they’ve made the process very enjoyable as well.

“As an academic, I like playing with ideas and trying out new things, but that’s not the best way to bring a product to market,” says Professor Krauss. “Translate understands the market and the clinical context, which helps to keep a focus on the real problem you’re looking to tackle.”

Translate carried out an initial market assessment and used this to help Professor Krauss draft a pathways to impact statement for a successful £1.1m bid to the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

“I look forward to the meetings with Translate – the Technology Innovation Managers are very positive and encouraging which bolsters your enthusiasm,” he says. “With their understanding of suppliers, users and clinicians, they really help you to see beyond the academic ivory tower.”

Progressing technologies

Mel Cooper Dr Mel Cooper from the University of Bradford’s Faculty of Health Studies was almost ready to give up on her research idea to improve the post-natal hospital discharge process, but then she was put in touch with Translate.

I’d hit a real block when a grant bid was rejected, but working with Translate got the project moving again.

The issue we want to tackle is the excess of information given to women when they leave hospital after giving birth, mostly leaflets but some verbal. The reality is, women just don’t take it all in, especially if there are any language issues as well. Our idea, developed with Professor Mohammed Mohammed, is a digital animation to show women at discharge, to convey the most important information they need to retain.

On Translate’s advice, we broke down the project into smaller sections, to open up more funding options and allow us to focus.

Because advice on the mother’s risk of sepsis was very patchy, we chose this first.

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We found a suitable funder but the deadline was really tight – just ten days – plus we had to find a partner company. Without Translate, that would have been impossible.

Through their strong regional links they recommended HMA in Barnsley, set up and attended the first meeting, and supported us to prepare the funding bid. With the findings and evidence from the focus groups, it was successful!

We’re now working on a prototype animation and app and Translate is supporting us to run more consultations with stakeholders.

The prototype and additional user feedback will help us get more funding to develop the final version and build the evidence base to support adoption into the NHS. Translate has already suggested larger pots of money we can bid for. Their support has been brilliant, helping to keep me motivated. translate-medtech.ac.uk

Translate’s suggestion – and funding – for focus groups to strengthen our case was really key. We ran three to ensure a wide demographic: with student midwives about to qualify, with migrant women and with women who’d paid for antenatal education through the NCT.

They all said the same thing: with midwives over-stretched and women keen to get home, there’s too much information at discharge, advice is not consistent and it’s too rushed. They agreed an animation would be better.

Progressing technologies

Joe Sweeney

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Support from Translate has helped Professor Joe Sweeney from the University of Huddersfield to develop several potential clinical applications for his early stage technology: a simple chemical process to create fluorescent compounds.

The first application – using dyes for fluorescent image-guided surgery – was spotted by Translate Technology Innovation Manager, Dr Danielle Miles, following a preliminary market opportunity analysis which looked at where florescent dyes are currently used in the medtech and healthcare sectors. Translate put Professor Sweeney in touch with Professor David Jayne from the University of Leeds, who is interested in applying this technology in colorectal cancer surgery, to see if the fluorescent compounds could be used to precisely map the boundary of a tumour during surgery, to ensure complete resection.

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Professor Jayne then introduced Professor Sweeney to a collaboration, led by the University of Glasgow, developing capsule endoscopy – a pill that is swallowed and then enables a patient’s bowels to be imaged. And a further contact has been made, through Translate, with medical technology firm Neotherix, who are interested in the dyes as part of their work on wound scaffolds for oral infections.

Professor Sweeney’s compounds have a number of attributes that differentiate them from fluorescent dyes already in use, in terms of their colours, what they are made from and how easily they penetrate membranes.

To help Professor Sweeney and the University of Huddersfield decide if this constituted enough to warrant a patent, Dr Miles did a preliminary analysis, to assess what intellectual property already existed and how much novelty the technology offered. This work enabled a patent on the technology to be filed in February 2017.

“It’s very difficult to assess the market and potential impact of a product that doesn’t yet exist, so Translate’s support in this has been really helpful,” says Professor Sweeney, who is now at Lancaster University. “I’ve been impressed not only with the quality of the work they’ve done for us, but the speed at which they’ve done it, which has been key to moving our project forward.”

Progressing technologies

Anne Hurren and Naomi de Graff

Using Skype seemed a great way to provide more clinical experience for students on Leeds Beckett University’s speech and language therapy course. But researchers Anne Hurren and Naomi de Graff soon saw there was an opportunity to work together to develop a more comprehensive tool that could benefit clients – and reduce pressure on busy speech and language therapy (SLT) services.

N: T here’s a national shortfall of SLT placements for students. Our idea was that students could be based at the University, and take part in a ‘virtual clinic’ via Skype, which we would supervise. Telehealth is a growth area in the UK and we soon realised that it could have huge potential in our field.

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A: I ’d also been looking at developing a biofeedback device specifically for patients with Parkinson’s: you plug it into a computer, do your voice exercises, and data is collected and fed back to a therapist. Through conversations with Translate, we realised there was an opportunity to use both these ideas to create an innovative online platform for SLT. N: T ranslate provided great examples of other NHS services being delivered via telehealth. We successfully won a technology accelerator package from Translate which has supported us to pilot online conversations between students and people with communication difficulties. We have used the results from the pilot to approach NHS partners to develop a plan for introducing SLT telehealth more widely.

A: T ranslate had a much ‘bigger picture’ view of what we could achieve and who we might work with to get there and provided great networking opportunities to bring staff together. We’re working with Joy Tasker, in the School of Film, Music and Performing Arts, and Dorothy Monekosso, in the School of Computing, Creative Technologies & Engineering to develop the biofeedback device. Our ideas have expanded so that our aim is now to build a telehealth platform through which SLTs can work comprehensively and interactively with speech and language therapy clients.

N: W e’ll be developing the platform for Leeds Beckett students. As telehealth becomes increasingly important to speech and language therapy, our students will be at the forefront of that expertise. translate-medtech.ac.uk

Progressing technologies

Helen Petrie

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Scanning technology that can reveal bacteria in wounds and help monitor the healing process could enable nurses to make better treatment decisions for patients.

A partnership between 3D-scanning specialists, Cadscan, the University of York and the NIHR Wound Prevention and Treatment Healthcare Technology Cooperative (WoundTEC HTC) is working to develop software that can deliver objective information about wounds via an app.

A workshop organised jointly by Translate and the WoundTEC HTC provided the springboard for the project, which has since been awarded funding by Innovate UK. The workshop brought together researchers and industry partners who have the technical expertise, with clinicians working in the field of wound care.

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Helen Petrie, Professor of Computer Science at the University of York, who is designing a user interface for the software, says: “New technology is often developed without enough attention to how people are actually going to use it, so being able to discuss this early on from a clinical point of view was really important.”

Dr Alastair Buchanan, Managing Director of Cadscan agrees: “The value of the Translate workshop was in being able to get together with clinicians who really know their stuff and can clearly articulate the challenge that needs to be addressed.”

The system the team is developing could be used in the clinic or by community nurses carrying out home visits. They would take a picture of the wound using a specialist camera which uses multi-spectral imaging to locate any bacteria.

The team is also developing methods of extracting and analysing complex visual information from the images. This will enable the images to be further processed via an app on a tablet to give objective information about the severity or the type of infection and, over time, assess how well and how rapidly the wound is healing.

The app will also link to guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, providing recommended treatment options.

“Our aim is to give community nurses rapid access to good quality guidance based on objective measures of the wound, making wound diagnosis and treatment more accurate and more efficient,” says Professor Petrie.

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Translate had a much ‘bigger picture’ view of what we could achieve and who we might work with to get there.

Embedding medtech innovation skills

Embedding medtech innovation skills Increasing medtech innovation capability within the Leeds City Region partner universities is one of Translate’s main aims.

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he medtech development pathway is very complex compared to other forms of translation, covering areas such as identification and validation of clinical needs, regulation, clinical trials and health economics, as well as the standard innovation challenges of intellectual property. This complexity highlighted the need for more specific training to fulfil Translate’s purpose and so Translate: Me was launched.

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Translate: Me uses various routes to help university researchers – academics and postgraduate students – and support staff learn practical innovation skills, share their experience and build new contacts. One route is the Translate: Me courses, offered in a flexible, pick-and-mix format, which are all interactive and involve working on a real life challenge.

Translate: Me secondments offer another route to learn new skills, broaden experience and build new contacts. Like the courses, secondments are open to postgraduate researchers and staff from all the participating universities, with placements in hospitals, healthcare providers, in industry or innovation teams. They can be outgoing or incoming – university staff can also host an external partner if they wish.

So far, a wide range of secondments have taken place in both directions, as the following pages indicate.

Courses

Mentoring

Courses cover areas such as regulation, public and patient involvement, NHS adoption and market assessments and communicating research. These are delivered in partnership with different organisations, including patient charities, device design companies or NHS innovation hubs.

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Secondments

The third route is mentoring, enabling peer-to-peer guidance on medtech innovation in an informal setting.

These can be short or long-term, with mentors including academic entrepreneurs and experienced industrialists and clinicians.

One of the aims of HEFCE’s Catalyst Fund, through which Translate is funded, is to ensure long-term sustainability. Through Translate: Me, dedicated medtech innovation training and development is now available for all staff at the Leeds City Region partner universities.

The benefits of this can already be seen in technology progression from these institutions, and Translate’s goal is to ensure this continues.

Embedding medtech innovation skills 17

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Mentors

Secondments

People trained through courses

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To watch a video about the secondment scheme, scan code:

Embedding medtech innovation skills

Sareen Galbraith

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Dr Sareen Galbraith, a molecular virologist who leads the Neurological Infections and Disease Group at Leeds Beckett University, is developing glove sensors to monitor patients with neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.

“From viruses to Parkinson’s disease may seem quite a leap, but there is a strong connection.

Viruses that infect the brain cause neurological symptoms very similar to Parkinson’s disease,” says Dr Galbraith.

“Although disease progression is inevitable, patients have six-monthly or annual neurology assessments to monitor their symptoms and adjust their treatments. This regime can be frustrating for patients and clinicians, because disease progression fluctuates and can be different in each patient.

“Neurologists use motor skill tests for patient assessment, such as moving objects and drawing shapes. I realised these skills could be measured regularly and remotely in the patient’s home using glove sensors, allowing clinicians to respond to patients’ needs more quickly.”

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To watch a video on Sareen’s secondment, scan code:

Through Translate, Dr Galbraith contacted Dr Walied Mowafi, a consultant neurologist at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. A Translate secondment brought him to Leeds to identify movement tasks to measure with glove sensors that could chart disease progression.

“To have dedicated time with Dr Mowafi, rather than chasing spare moments in his schedule, is invaluable” says Dr Galbraith.

“It also means that the Trust is happy to request ethical approval for patient testing when the glove sensors are ready.”

A second Translate secondment brought Mr Sumit Sharma, Chief Medical Technology Officer at Axxonet System Technologies, India, to Leeds to further develop the glove sensors. The company, which has a satellite base in Bradford, has manufactured the prototype ‘Clasp’ glove and is confident the resulting device could be manufactured inexpensively in the UK. “Without Translate, I wouldn’t have been able to get so far this quickly. Funding for collaborator secondments absolutely made the difference,” says Dr Galbraith.

“I’ve worked at universities in the UK, Europe and America, and I’ve found that generally, they have one or two big strengths, such as great clinical, industry or academic links, but it’s rare to find all three. Translate has all three elements and this is crucial for effective research translation.”

Elena Mancuso

Embedding medtech innovation skills

Biomedical engineer Dr Elena Mancuso, is a Medical Research Fellow at the University of Leeds. She has been mentored through the Translate: Me programme and completed a threemonth secondment to NHS healthcare innovation hub, Medipex in 2017.

Q: Tell us about your medical device research E: I’ve been developing an implantable device to treat female patients with incontinence and related problems caused by pelvic organ prolapse.

The polypropylene mesh devices currently used to treat this condition can cut into the tissues causing great pain and distress for some patients, so there is a real clinical need for improvement.

I’ve created a different, softer textured material using electrospinning technology, with structural and biomechanical properties that should integrate into host tissues better. We can also alter the fibre distribution to tailor the mesh for different clinical uses and incorporate antibacterial agents.

Q: Why was your secondment to Medipex so relevant?

E: I realised my research would generate intellectual property and I wanted to learn more about IP protection. I knew of Medipex’s reputation and track record in commercialisation and thought that Medipex’s network of partners from industry, academia and the NHS could provide really useful collaboration opportunities and contacts.

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Q: What did your secondment consist of?

E: I worked part time with the Medipex team and shadowed a senior innovation manager. I attended meetings with industry and NHS clinical teams and helped to review and evaluate new product ideas.

It was a unique opportunity to see the commercialisation of research and clinical practice from different perspectives. I learned a great deal and made valuable new contacts.

Q: W ould you recommend taking a secondment opportunity to other researchers?

E: Absolutely! I’ve gained insights into commercialisation and have new skills that I can apply not just to translating this research into a commercial product, but throughout my research career.

To watch a video on Elena’s secondment, scan code:

Q: What’s next for your device development?

E: We’re testing and evaluating the structural, mechanical and physical properties of the device in vitro, before beginning tests with animal models. It’s a very long road to reach the clinic for implantable medical devices – and rightly so. We’re at an early stage, but thanks to the secondment, I’ve learned to look at my research with different eyes, in terms of what I need to do at each stage to progress ideas from concept development to market readiness. translate-medtech.ac.uk

Embedding medtech innovation skills

Viswadeep Sarangi

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Viswadeep Sarangi is a PhD student in the Electronic Engineering Department at the University of York.

He is developing a medtech device which uses artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality to enhance and evaluate the rehabilitation of patients with impaired mobility caused by diseases such as Parkinson’s, osteoarthritis and stroke.

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To watch a video on Viswadeep’s secondment, scan code:

“Patients affected by these diseases show certain subtle differences in the way they walk that can only be spotted by highly trained clinicians who are experts in analysing gait. These changes can be used to both diagnose the patient and monitor their treatment.

“Mobility problems can sometimes be reversed if addressed early enough, but there are not enough experts in clinical gait analysis.

My AI system aims to emulate how clinicians diagnose and assess their patients, by enabling it to ‘see’ their movement in 3D as a human clinician would, and provide it with the knowledge that the experts have gained over years of experience.

“The outcome from the first Translate event I attended was amazing – I was put in touch with a neurologist, a neuroscientist and other clinicians who work in exactly the right field and could help me progress my research.

“Without Translate, my research would never have progressed so quickly. I had the AI skills but without the contacts and exposure to medical experts or the insights gained from observing patients first hand, I would not have been able to accomplish nearly as much in the first year of my PhD.

“Since then, Translate has funded a secondment to a gait analysis clinic at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, as well as training visits to a clinic in the USA and a hospital in India, who have since become research and clinical collaborators. Feedback from clinical experts has been fantastic, and I’m so motivated to drive the project forward. I feel very privileged to have had these opportunities so early in my research career, and to see how my research could impact on clinical outcomes and the lives of real people is amazing.

“My device is still in its early stages, but I know that with the help of the Translate team, I will be able to access the right people and resources as and when I need them.”

A test for Alzheimer’s disease that measures chemical compounds in saliva is being developed in a collaboration between researchers at two Translate partner institutions.

Embedding medtech innovation skills

Nathaniel Milton

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Funding from the Translate: Me secondment programme enabled Dr Nat Milton, an expert in Alzheimer’s drug discovery at Leeds Beckett University, to work with Dr Farideh Javid, a pharmacologist at the University of Huddersfield to explore ways to develop the test, including working with patient groups to guide its development.

The partnership, which emerged from a chance meeting at a conference, has enabled Dr Milton and Dr Javid to draw on the research skills of each institution.

In a further link between the two universities, Dr Milton is working with colleagues at Huddersfield and St James’ University Hospital in Leeds to find out if the compound could also be used to develop a more accurate test for ovarian cancer that would enable clinicians to target treatment more precisely.

“The process of translating research is far more successful if we can work together as a region, rather than staying within our institutions and not sharing ideas,” says Dr Milton. “The collaborative work, the involvement of NHS partners and patient groups will also be hugely helpful in getting the projects ready for further funding applications.”

Dr Milton is applying these principles in Translate: Me’s mentoring scheme too. Not only is he offering advice to researchers looking for guidance in translating their research, he has applied to Translate for his own mentor, to help guide the medical aspects of his research.

“The mentor scheme is distinctive because it’s not confined to junior researchers learning from those with more experience. In fact all of Translate’s workshops and training programmes are open to researchers at any career stage.

The commercial environment is constantly changing and I find it really useful to find out the latest ideas and update my skills.”

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“I had a patent granted for a particular compound that we wanted to measure in Alzheimer’s patients,” explained Dr Milton.

“I met with colleagues from Huddersfield at a conference and discovered they had skills in particular measurement techniques.

Translate funded some partnership

working to help us develop the collaboration, and also involve patient groups to make sure we are developing something that will work in the clinic – not just in the lab.”

Embedding medtech innovation skills

The secondment scheme devised by Translate: Me offers medtech researchers the opportunity to develop innovation skills and translational capability. Fiona Walker, Senior Research Technician in the Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (iMBE) at the University of Leeds, applied to the fund to work with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) Tissue and Eye Services.

Fiona Walker

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Q: How did you find out about Translate: Me secondments?

F: I attended a Public and Patient Involvement workshop run by Translate.

I wanted to learn more about patient and public involvement relating to biomedical research and how it can be of benefit for both researchers and the public. After talking to the Translate team, I realised I could also apply for a secondment to develop specific translational skills.

Q: What will the secondment with NHSBT Tissue and Eye Services involve?

F: I’ll undertake short placements over 10 days within different areas of the organisation, including the clinical development, donation and tissue production teams. I’ll also work with the national referral team, customer care and sales and marketing, to gain insight into what is required to obtain consent and how NHSBT Tissue and Eye Services works with its customers.

Q: How will this opportunity benefit your work?

F: I perform research into tissue engineering approaches for tissue replacement and regeneration, so my aim is to gain knowledge about best practice in tissue retrieval. The staff at NHSBT Tissue and Eye Services are real experts in this field. I’m also looking forward to finding out more about the regulations surrounding the use of human tissues in research, as well as getting practical experience of working within a clinical laboratory environment.

Q: Will the experience also help your career development?

F: Definitely! As a research technician, I might not otherwise have been offered this type of secondment. It’s an opportunity to step outside my current role and gain new experience and skills in technology translation that will be valuable as my career progresses.

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Q: How will the secondment strengthen links with the host organisation?

F: The University of Leeds already has a very close relationship with NHSBT Tissue and Eye Services. I’ll be blogging and sharing my experience via presentations to the Tissue Engineering group – that will increase the visibility of the research collaboration, as well as raising awareness of the role of NHSBT Tissue and Eye Services to new graduates and early career researchers within the Institute.

Embedding medtech innovation skills

Stephen Smith Stephen Smith is a professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering at the University of York. His spin-out company, ClearSky Medical Diagnostics, has developed a monitoring system that tracks the movement of people with Parkinson’s, using the information to fine tune patients’ treatment regimes.

To watch a video on Stephen’s secondment, scan code:

“Our system, called LID-Monitor, has already been adopted by hospitals in Leeds and Harrogate and, through Translate, we’ve also been able to develop a partnership with Rui Jin Hospital in Shanghai, China.

“Translate funded an incoming secondment for Dr Shengdi Chen, a consultant neurologist at the hospital to visit the UK and explore how the LID-Monitor can be developed for the Chinese market.

Dr Chen met the consultants that we are working with at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust and saw how we use the technology within our healthcare system. The potential market in China is huge and it was really valuable to spend time with Dr Chen discussing approaches to getting the system adopted within Chinese clinical practices and culture.

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“The five hospitals are using the system as part of a large scale trial looking at statins as a potential Parkinson’s treatment and through the secondment I was able to install the equipment and train clinicians in its use.

“If it proves successful we could see it adopted in routine assessments of patients with suspected Parkinson’s symptoms.

Because the system is both objective and fast, clinicians can use more of the consultation time to focus on other issues important to patients such as managing treatment and side effects.

“The partnerships I developed through the secondments would have been difficult without Translate’s support, and have really helped to progress and accelerate the commercialisation and adoption of my technology.”

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“Following the secondment I also visited Shanghai, along with Dr Stuart Jamieson, a Leeds-based consultant neurologist who is helping us trial the device in the UK. It was clear the technology could be of enormous benefit to patients in China. Most are cared for at home, so there’s a real need to find ways to deliver appropriate medication and manage dyskinesia to help carers cope.

“A second Translate secondment – this time an outgoing one – enabled me to work with five UK hospitals, trialling a second device which we developed to help clinicians diagnose and monitor the progression of Parkinson’s.

Patients wear sensors on their forefinger and thumb and are monitored while performing routine finger-tapping exercises.

Dissemination and engagement

Dissemination and engagement

Effective communications draw the Translate community and its wider networks together.

By harnessing digital and social media, Translate has succeeded in encouraging more people to engage with the programme and with the opportunities it offers.

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The Translate community:

335 Academics

121 translate-medtech.ac.uk

Industrialists

79 Clinicians

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ace-to-face contacts – through roadshows and project surgeries at partner universities, and exhibits at partner events – have provided the bedrock for Translate’s dissemination and engagement activities. But as well as a physical presence in the region, the programme’s website and social media accounts have created a strong digital presence, both regionally and nationally.

Case studies, blog posts and videos highlight the impact Translate has had on individuals, on projects, and on the technologies that it has helped take forward. LinkedIn and Twitter push this content out to the wider network, coupled with marketing campaigns targeting regional medtech researchers with details of events and opportunities.

Collaboration with existing intermediaries and partners, such as medtech research and innovation

organisations, has widened the network further. Sponsorship activity, including the 2018 Medilink Healthcare Business awards, has also ensured Translate’s name is known in the right circles.

The strategy has paid off: Translate now sends its quarterly newsletter and regular e-shots to over 500 individuals, from academia, industry and clinical practice.

But it doesn’t end there: Translate events are also designed to maximise engagement, helping to create that all important sense of community. And – alongside other University of Leeds-led medtech initiatives, the Medical Technologies IKC and MeDe Innovation – Translate plays its part at national events, such as Innovate 2017 and Trauma Innovation, raising the profile of the region as a place for medtech innovation.

Dissemination and engagement 25

Translate in Action Translate’s annual event – Translate in Action – provides an opportunity to bring together everyone who has been involved with the programme, to celebrate success and the region’s growing reputation for medtech innovation.

“This was much more effective as an engagement tool than a standard Q&A, because everyone could have their say,” says Communications and Engagement Manager, Rowan Grant. “It was also really useful for the SIA to gauge responses from the community and this fed back into the final report.”

The 2018 Translate in Action event will take this a step further, using social media to open the debate to interested parties unable to attend on the day and feeding their contributions live into the discussion.

For those who do attend, another digital innovation ensures the networking opportunities don’t have to be left to chance. Using an online tool, delegates can see in advance who is attending and book a one-to-one slot over the lunchtime network session.

This structured approach ensures the right connections can be made at the event, further helping to build and strengthen the Translate community.

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To watch a video about Translate in Action, scan code

It also provides a further opportunity for engagement, with the 2017 event including live voting from the audience on key questions during a panel discussion on the Science and Innovation Audit (SIA) for the Leeds City Region.

Dissemination and engagement 26

Engaging with funders and innovation support agencies Translate has teamed up with regional and national innovation funders and innovation enablers, to access financial support for technology development involving Leeds City Region academics.

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he Access Innovation Programme, run by the Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) provides funding to companies looking to partner with research organisations to develop a new product or process.

The new Digital Health Technology Catalyst Fund, run by Innovate UK, is making £8 million available for industrial research and experimental development projects in digital health.

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Bids to both funds must be led by a SME, in collaboration with a research partner, but many small companies struggle to create that partnership.

Translate is helping tackle this challenge through joint events with the Leeds City Region LEP, Innovate UK, and the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN). These events allow companies to talk about themselves and their needs,

and academics or clinicians to pitch their expertise. The events involve both self-selected and facilitated networking – and where the right partnerships can’t be made on the day, Translate’s Technology Innovation Managers (TIMs) follow up after the event, to fill any gaps from the wider Translate community.

“We know that many smaller companies don’t have all the in-house expertise they need to progress their projects closer to market, however they struggle to access academic and clinical collaborators through existing channels. By helping companies to make links with academics and clinicians from across the region we’re assisting their R&D activities, as well as opening up funding streams to our partner universities,” says TIM Dr Sean Clarkson.

“As one of our main aims is to support academic-commercial collaborations, the companies also gain access to help and expertise in those early stages that they’d otherwise have to pay for.”

TIM Dr Danielle Miles agrees.

“By enabling companies to quickly find relevant academic partners, we’re helping to make the funding opportunities a more attractive proposition, ensuring more companies are encouraged to invest in research and development.

Industry collaborations are more attractive to academics as well when there’s money on the table.

Overall, it’s good for both the universities and the wider medtech economy in the Leeds City Region.”

Dissemination and engagement

Innovation Bootcamp Translate has been successful from the start in engaging senior level researchers at its partner universities, but to strengthen the culture of innovation at each institution, a bespoke event was run for those at an earlier stage in their careers.

The Innovation Bootcamp, an intensive, three-day residential event, brought together 25 early career researchers from the Leeds City Region. Competition for the places was fierce, but delegates were chosen to ensure a spread of disciplines from across all the partner universities.

The winning team

Bootcamp:

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The researchers were formed into multidisciplinary, cross-institution teams and allotted a technology to work with. Following lectures on different aspects of medtech innovation and commercialisation, the teams worked up a business plan to present to a ‘dragons’ den’ style panel.

Attendees 27

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“The teams worked really hard, well into the early hours of the final day, to ensure their business plans were ready to pitch,” said Technology Innovation Manager, Dr Danielle Miles. “The researchers gained lots of transferable skills. Team-working under pressure, to a deadline and both written and spoken communications were all put to the test.”

Teams

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Dragons

The teams ‘pitched’ their business plans to a panel of ‘dragons’, made up of mentors from different backgrounds from the Translate: Me programme (see page 14). The panel picked which technology they wished to ‘invest’ in, and the winning team members were each given a prize worth £200.

“The researchers really lived and breathed their technologies over the three days,” says Dr Miles. “It may have been a crash course in medtech innovation, but because the Bootcamp was so intensive and immersive, the knowledge they gained was really embedded.”

£1,250 Prize money

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Team-working under pressure, to a deadline and both written and spoken communications were all put to the test.

Meet the team 28

Meet the team We work alongside Technology Transfer Offices and Business Development Managers in our partner universities to: – increase collaborations and develop partnerships – progress technology opportunities – support innovation skills development.

Top row (l–r) Dr Sean Clarkson Technology Innovation Manager

Claire Perry Communications and Engagement Assistant

Rowan Grant Communications and Engagement Manager

Dr Josephine Dixon-Hardy Director of Medical Technologies Innovation

Beverley Croft Team Secretary

translate-medtech.ac.uk

Bottom row (l–r) Dr Danielle Miles Technology Innovation Manager

Dr Lisa Hill Innovation Development Manager

Our work would not be possible without the support of our External Advisory Board. Their academic, clinical and industrial insights help to shape and steer the strategic direction of the Translate programme.

Email hello@translate-medtech.ac.uk Phone + 44 (0)113 343 0933 translate-medtech.ac.uk translate-medtech.ac.uk /translate-me @TranslateMedTec