Centre for Process Innovation grasps the healthcare opportunity
The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI – stand 47) will be discussing a range of emerging and enabling technologies including printable electronics, sensors, photonics, nanotechnologies, formulation science, new materials and biotechnology.
The global healthcare and life sciences sectors are in the midst of significant change, presenting both opportunities and challenges for the companies operating within them.
The UK’s population is predicted to grow and the demographics of the population will also change significantly. People are living longer, placing increasing pressure on our health and social care systems to deliver a higher standard of care to more patients.
By closely integrating universities, the clinical research base, industry and the NHS, there is an opportunity to alleviate these pressures through harnessing new technology, innovation and service models, CPI says. Emerging technologies such as bio-technology, nano-technologies, novel materials, photonics, big data and the internet of things can be utilised to address these challenges.
CPI has extensive experience of working with these collaborative models and emerging technologies, and can provide companies with the facilities and expertise required to commercialise medical devices.
In wearables monitoring and diagnostics CPI is working with industrial, academic, and clinical partners to develop novel monitoring devices and systems that measure parameters such as blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, breathing rate and hydration levels to provide an assessment of patient condition.
CPI also has expertise in biological and biochemical sensors, which have a wide range of potential applications within the healthcare sector. Biosensors can be utilised in in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) devices to test samples from the human body for infection, and to diagnose medical conditions and monitor drug therapies.
Using CPI’s capabilities in printed electronics, where the flexible nature of the technology allows for conformable electronics and sensors, non-invasive methods of screening can be developed to make the experience much more comfortable for patients.
The group also has experience in working with companies to develop and commercialise photonic medical devices which treat a targeted range of life threatening diseases.
In terms of packaging, the centre says it can help companies create smart solutions for medical products which monitor supply chain traceability and counterfeiting, and prove compliance and authenticity. Printed sensors embedded within packaging have the ability to monitor indicators such as oxygen levels to identify product tampering and whether a drug is fit for consumption.