Platform launches to speed up patient treatment in North East
A new initiative designed to help develop new technologies for improving patient health has been launched.
Diagnostics North East brings together diagnostic resources and expertise to position the region at the forefront of technology and innovation in medical diagnostics.
The initiative aims to support both industry and academia and addresses the need for robust research, development, evaluation and adoption when it comes to the introduction of new patient diagnostic tests and devices.
Over 200 industry representatives and healthcare professionals attended the platform’s launch to hear about the initiative, which includes a range of the region’s healthcare and academic organisations to provide expertise across key elements of the diagnostics pathway.
The platform is built upon strong collaborations and access to clinical facilities in the North East to potentially result in better diagnostics tests being more rapidly available to patient.
These include the Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria (AHSN NENC), Newcastle University, and the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Professor John Simpson, dean of Translational Research & professor of Respiratory Medicine at Newcastle University, said: “The unique diagnostics infrastructure in the region allows us to address every requirement in bringing better diagnostic tests to patients more rapidly. Our joined-up approach in a single region provides industry and academia with unrivalled access to diagnostics expertise tailored to their individual needs.
“Our strong collaboration, allied to first class clinical facilities and a strong culture of clinical research, is ideally placed to accelerate the pathway from innovation through to patient benefit.”
The launch provided industry representatives and health care professionals with opportunities to meet key experts and to discuss how they can support the development, evaluation and adoption of technologies into healthcare systems.
Dr. Michael Wright, deputy medical director of Newcastle Hospitals, said: “We welcome this very exciting initiative which will help us to provide even better services for patients in the North East and across the whole of the NHS. This will help us to develop even stronger collaborations with colleagues in Newcastle University, the AHSN NENC and industry.”
Professor Julia Newton, medical director at the Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria (AHSN NENC), said: “Diagnostics North East represents the effective partnership between NHS, academia and the Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria. I am delighted that our enthusiasm for this collaborative work was recognised at the launch of Diagnostics North East.”