Patient treatments and the creation of state-of-the-art pocket-sized CT scanners and precision medicine that cost far less than the machines used in hospitals are just a few examples of innovations that are beginning to change how healthcare is delivered. Benefits the patient, the health system and the economy.
Remote monitoring of patient vital data in mobile apps gives physicians the ability to remotely monitor, evaluate and adjust treatments such as cardiac devices such as pacemakers or defibrillators. And don’t forget, virtual reality that accelerates recovery in rehabilitation and artificial intelligence that has been trained to identify lung tumors from radiological scans.
In the UK, we see tech making game-changing health advances, and UK innovators, academics and the NHS, collaborating to make important life-changing discoveries.
For example, advanced therapy medicinal products, based on genes, tissues or cells, are being used to treat a range of conditions in the UK, including cancer and rare diseases; This novel approach comes from cutting-edge R&D, made possible through forward-thinking science and healthcare strategies and long-term investments. There are more than 130 advanced therapy companies in the UK, including university spinouts such as Orchard Therapeutics, Autolus, Cell Medica, GammaDelta Therapeutics and Quathera.
Chris Bourne, NHS Innovation and Clinical Services Specialist, Healthcare UK
The NHS is facing challenges to meet our evolving healthcare needs, such as the rise of chronic diseases, and is increasingly focused on transforming patient care, outcomes and patient experience. Physicians are incorporating the latest technological advances into their daily practice to achieve continuous health improvements. The rapid pace of biomedical and technological innovation has changed the lives of many. By being an early adopter of innovation, the UK has made great strides in changing the healthcare landscape.
There are several key drivers we see underpinning global healthcare change:
– Need health careA growing aging population, increasing prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases, universal health coverage (UHC), Sustainable Development Goals on good health and well-being, and high-income households.
– Healthcare Innovation Ecosystem: Access to public health initiatives, encouraging innovators, advanced research strategies, healthtech, personalized medicine, improved collaboration, and advanced medicine manufacturing.
There are many phenomenal inventions that we can talk about…
In a trial, a teenage girl’s incurable leukemia is cleared from her body in the first use of a revolutionary new type of drug. Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital used “base editing” to demonstrate a feat of biological engineering and developed a new life-saving drug for him.
Base editing allows scientists to zoom in on a precise part of the genetic code and alter it, thereby reprogramming that section of code with different genetic instructions. A team of doctors and scientists used this tool to engineer T-cells that could attack and kill cancerous T-cells.
The NHS has implemented an AI tool that detects heart disease in 20 seconds when patients are in an MRI scanner. A study funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) concluded that the machine analysis had the highest accuracy compared to three clinicians. It usually takes a doctor 13 minutes or more to manually analyze the images after an MRI scan. The technology is being used on more than 140 patients a week at University College London (UCL) Hospital, Bart’s Heart Center and the Royal Free Hospital.
AI driven TCD ultrasound for open aortic arch surgery
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital recently became the first cardiac center in the UK and EU to receive the world’s first and only fully autonomous AI-powered robotic transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound system for use in open aortic arch surgery. The system monitors the speed of blood flow during aortic surgery, providing safer patient care.
Clinical genomics services for non-chemotherapy treatment
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, together with the Institute of Cancer Research, is one of the largest comprehensive cancer centers in Europe. The Clinical Genomics Service offers a comprehensive repertoire of genomic tests to detect rare genetic alterations in tumors. A range of specialized genomic cancer tests provide a comprehensive overview of the tumor profile to identify diagnostic markers, treatment targets and potential resistance mutations. A finding of FGFR fusion testing means that patients have the opportunity for highly effective non-chemotherapy treatment that can lead to survival of a year or more.
Pioneering bowel surgery by robot at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
The operation to remove a bowel cancer tumor at The Christie’s is the first recorded operation in the UK. There may be only a handful in the world of robotic surgery to remove part of the intestine.
University College Hospital, London Pioneering Gastric Gut Wrap for People at Risk of Oesophageal Cancer
There is now an incisionless option for anti-reflux surgery called TIF – Transoral incisionless fundoplication. TIF uses the ‘EsophyX’ device to reconstruct an ‘anti-reflux valve’ from the patient’s own gullet. Studies have shown that up to five years after the TIF procedure, GERD symptoms are significantly reduced. TIF takes about 30 minutes and does not require surgery and may reduce the risk of oesophageal cancer in those with chronic acid reflux and Barrett’s esophagus.
A pioneering procedure to treat a rare form of pulmonary hypertension performed on the 150th patient
The Royal Papworth Hospital is performing balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA), a successful treatment option for patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), a procedure in which a small balloon is inserted into the blood vessels of the lungs and inflated to its size. A pea, pushing the blockage aside, restoring blood flow to the lung tissue.
Arrhythmia: Diamond used to cool the heart after the new service started
Patients at the Royal Papworth Hospital are benefiting from a new cardiology service that uses diamonds to help correct abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias). Ablation is a procedure that uses heat (radiofrequency ablation) or freezing (cryoablation) to a problem area of the heart that triggers a dangerously fast rhythm. The team at Royal Papworth recently performed their first ablation using a catheter with an industrial-grade diamond on the tip, increasing patient safety and leading to shorter procedure times.
NHS Trust performs 100th DCD heart transplant
In 2015, the Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust became the first hospital in Europe to perform a pioneering type of heart transplant – donation after circulatory death (DCD) – and in 2022 performed its 100th DCD heart transplant, making it the largest and most successful DCD. Heart transplant center in the world. The DCD program increases heart transplants by almost half. They have proctored many centers worldwide, helping to expand the list of countries offering DCD heart transplants.
Connect with the UK on Arab Health 2023 For many years NHS Trusts from across the UK have been working with global healthcare innovators and international partners, to support public and private providers around the world to tackle health challenges. At Arab Health 2023, the Department of International Trade is delighted to bring a delegation of NHS Trusts to the exhibition to share expertise and see ways in which they can work together with international partners. Come and visit us at the UK Pavilions located in Hall 6 and Hall 2 or visit www.discoverhss.co.uk to find out more. References available upon request