58INNOVATION UK adoption of new technologies and regulations. » » The Bioscience Innovation and Growth Team ( BIGT), Bioscience 2015 report, recommendation 4 outlined a need to establish a strong bioprocessing subsector within UK bioscience. The recent 2009 review and refresh of thisreport have recommended that there be continued support to deliver the bioprocessing agenda original set out. » » National Institute for Health Research Medical Devices Clinical Research Working Group - ensuring the UK environment for clinical investigations for medical devices is attractive to UK and overseas businesses. » » NHS National Innovation Centre - defining un- met clinical need to stimulate demand- led innovation and supporting proof- of- concept projects. » » Joint government Small Business Research Initiative ( SBRI) - the TSB and Department of Health have launched a new programme to stimulate innovation in key clinical areas, covering such topics as hospital-acquired infections. Operationally, the HealthTech & Medicines KTN is active in the following: » » Special Interest Groups ( SIGs) in key clinical or issue-led topics such as Advanced Wound Management, Assistive Technologies, Clinical Trials, Drug Delivery, Orthopaedics, Regenerative Medicine, Biopharmaceutical Formulation, Bioprocessing Advance Therapies and Operational Excellence. These bring interested parties together, across government, industry, academia and the clinical base, to identify issues and opportunities, leading to new partnerships. » » Statement of Clinical Need ( SOCN) - a key part of the innovation cycle is ensuring that technologies are developed that meet a clear clinical need. » » Events - working in collaboration with other KTNs, professional institutions, trade associations and commercial organisations, an annual programme of events ( physical and online) is run to ensure different parts of the community can meet and develop new areas of collaboration or make the right connections to speed up current developments. » » Portal - as with all KTNs there is an active portal which enables share of information and knowledge, as well as tools to share confidential and non-confidential documents, and to run online open and private meetings with colleagues anywhere in the world - www. healthtechktn. com and www. bioprocessuk. org. » » Access to finance - innovation requires finance from the earliest stage to prototyping and initial manufacture and trials. The KTN advises on the various public grant schemes, public contracts and contacts into private venture for later- stage developments. In particular, the KTN supports programmes funded by the Technology Strategy Board ( Collaborative R& D, Innovation Platforms) and the National Institute for Health Research ( Invention of Innovation ( i4i)). For more information, contact: Dr Tony Bradshaw, Co- Director HealthTech & Medicines Knowledge Transfer Network E- mail: bioprocessuk@ bioindustry. org Tel: + 44 ( 0) 20 75657143 Website: www. bioprocessuk. org Sue Dunkerton, Co- Director HealthTech & Medicines Knowledge Transfer Network E- mail: healthtechktn@ twi. co. uk Tel: + 44 ( 0) 1223 899000 Website: www. healthtechktn. com The National Institute for Health Research ( NIHR), Invention for inovation ( i4i) Programme Launched in July 2008, i4i combines two pre- existing Department of Health product development pro-grammes, New and Emerging Applications of Technol-ogy and Health Technology Devices, with additional new funding. This provides new investment to improve the identification of promising healthcare technologies and to accelerate the development of new healthcare products for the 21st century. The KTN supports the NIHR with the i4i programme to support the develop-ment of innovative products so that they are available for procurement by the NHS. The i4i programme funds translational research, extending between basic research and pre- clinical trials or health technology assessments. Activities include: » » Future Product Development ( FPD) - FPD is the main funding activity of i4i and is positioned at the " upstream" part of the innovation process - that is close to " ideas generators". » » Pilot Healthcare Technology Co- operatives ( HTCs) - Based in two NHS Trusts, the pilot HTCs are a new type of NHS- led virtual organisation which bring together a wide spectrum of stakeholders with a common purpose. These include patients, carers, academics, clinicians, nurses and other healthcare providers working in partnership with industry to catalyse the development of innovative healthcare technology products. » » Small Business Research Initiative ( SBRI) - The SBRI funding stream complements FPD. Under SBRI, companies respond to a requirements specification provided by i4i. The aim of the SBRI programme is to provide a route where NHS needs can be met directly. For more information, visit: www. nihr- ccf. org. uk/ site/ programmes/ i4i HealthTech & Medicines Knowledge Transfer Network Healthcare healthtech & medicines ktn

INNOVATION UK59 Improving the health and wealth of the nation through research Every patient deserves access to the best possible evidence- based health and social care. The National Institute for Health Research ( NIHR) was set up in 2006 to build the world- class health research system needed to deliver high- quality research and innovation across the NHS. The NIHR's 12 Biomedical Research Centres ( BRCs) are successfully turning laboratory- based discoveries into cutting- edge new treatments, diagnostic tools and other innovations. These include the world's first successful gene therapy for a rare, inherited form of blindness, developed by a team from the BRC at the University College London ( UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital. The NIHR BRCs are at the heart of all five Academic Health Science Centres ( AHSCs) announced in March 2009. These are partnerships between leading research-ers and frontline NHS staff to improve the transfer of pioneering new treatments into practice. " We are committed to establishing the NHS as an internationally recognised centre of research excel-lence - supporting outstanding individuals, working in world- class facilities, conducting leading- edge research focused on the needs of patients and the public." Professor Dame Sally C. Davies, Director General of Research and Development, Department of Health Revolutionising the treatment of type 1 diabetes Mathematician Dr Roman Hovorka, Principal Research Associate at the Cambridge Comprehensive BRC, is responsible for programming the sophisti-cated mathematical calculations needed to make an artificial pancreas work exactly like a real pancreas. He says: " Being part of a pool of experts at the BRC in Cam-bridge has enabled us to develop a prototype of an artificial pancreas to help people with type 1 diabetes, where the pancreas does not produce insulin needed by the body to control blood sugar. " If successful, this could reduce the need for repeated finger- prick blood tests and insulin injections, help-ing patients to avoid hypoglycaemia ( episodes of low blood sugar), as well as saving NHS costs. " The ' pancreas' consists of a subcutaneous sensor, which detects glucose levels continuously, feeding the results into a computer program that works out how much insulin is needed and delivers it via a small insulin pump. " So far, overnight clinic tests on over 30 children, adults and pregnant women with type 1 diabetes show that the system can control blood glucose bet-ter than standard treatment. We are now working on a home system, which we plan to evaluate in a small pilot." Healthcare national institute for health research