UK team to pioneer next-gen health tech for better patient outcomes

Medical devices fail to account for growth, movement, and tissue regeneration or degeneration, leading to compromised functionality and shortened lifespan. Examples include paediatric implants do not grow with the child and must be regularly changed, stoma bags that leak because they do not fully conform to skin folds, and bone implants that do not predictably degrade as surrounding tissues regenerate. 

Backed by £1.2m of UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funding, the three-year Network Plus will focus on delivering improved patient outcomes, reducing healthcare costs, and driving more UK innovation in the medical device sector. 

Funded as part of a wider £10m investment responding to the national report ‘Tomorrow's Engineering Research Challenges’, the project will create a network connecting academics, businesses, clinicians, patients and policymakers. This collaboration will serve as a springboard to create bigger, longer-term research projects. 

In a statement, project lead Birmingham University’s Dr Sophie Cox said: “Our bodies change over time as we grow, move and regenerate, but products designed to replace or repair our bodies typically neglect the dimension of time, compromising their function and lifespan. 

“We believe that this groundbreaking initiative will position the UK at the forefront of healthcare innovation – as well as helping to improve patient outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and foster innovation in the medical device sector. 

“Our vision is to transform the way we engineer medical devices. Fostering connections across the supply chain will create a new culture of 4D Health Tech embedding innovative thinking, patient perspective and diversity - ensuring this new age of medical devices offers improved healthcare outcomes for everyone.” 

According to the team, the project aims to promote the use of innovative materials that degrade predictably and promote faster healing and combine this with expertise in automated design, advanced manufacturing processes and patient specific pre-clinical testing to create better medical devices that cater to diverse populations. 

Jane Nicholson, executive director for research at EPSRC said: “Engineering is the cornerstone to a more sustainable, successful and thriving future for the UK. From developing renewable energy solutions to creating smart cities, engineering innovations are driving progress in every sector.  

“These new networks will address the strategic challenges outlined by the TERC report. Together, these researchers present a hugely ambitious, thoughtful response to the economic, environmental and social challenges we all face.”