Highlights

The Covid-19 pandemic has made people more conscious of their personal health than ever before and has created awareness of the devastating impact that infections can have. Indeed, those living with supressed immune systems may have already been far more aware of the fatal risks posed by infection. We have all now witnessed how our individual actions can impact the…

US research director appointed first chief executive of Advanced Research and Invention Agency Dr Peter Highnam to head up the Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) as its first CEO Backed by £800 million, it will empower exceptional scientists to focus on high-risk projects at the frontier of discovery and innovation that could transform people’s lives for the better, maintaining…

A lateral flow test digital reader has been given special use authorisation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and aims to act as a tool to improve remote diagnostics for a range of health conditions. The product has been produced using UnifAI Technology and the project co-funded by Innovate UK. It uses advanced AI to turn “otherwise…

Nearly £10 million in funding is to be provided to eight new projects in cancer diagnostic innovation. These projects cover blood tests, artificial intelligence, mobile phone technologies, diagnostic software and are set to transform cancer diagnoses into the future. All of these projects are being fast-tracked into the NHS in order to maximise the efficient diagnosis of cancers in UK…

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a new combined methods and processes manual and a topic selection manual for its health technology evaluation programmes. The changes outlined in the manuals came into effect from 1 February 2022 for new evaluations and will give patients earlier access to innovative new treatments. NICE has set out the…

A new Business Council has been created by the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, following the two-year anniversary of Brexit. This group is a revamped cohort, co-chaired by the Chancellor, that will work “to drive a high productivity, high growth economy over the next 12 months and level up local economies around the country”. The new Council will support the UK’s…

A new policy paper has been published by the UK Government on the ‘Benefits of Brexit: How the UK is taking advantage of leaving the EU’. This is in timing with the two-year anniversary of the UK’s departure from the trading bloc on 31 January 2020. Regarding healthcare and life sciences, there are various mentions of the beneficial changes and…

The amending regulation which extends the transitional provisions of the IVD Regulation has become EU law and comes into force from today. This is immediately applicable in all member states, and will allow for further preparation time for companies depending on device classification. Regulation (EU) 2022/112 extends the IVDR transitional periods, allowing most devices with their EC Declaration of Conformity…

Phillips-Medisize is collaborating with healthcare start-up SOTECH Health to accelerate the development of a breath-sensor system that detects COVID-19 in less than 30 seconds. This a reusable device that leverages research at the University of Texas into cloud-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Phillips-Medisize’s “product design, rapid prototyping, and end-to-end manufacturing expertise”. To screen for COVID-19, a person breathes into the…

A British digital health platform and personal health provider has created what it calls the world’s first smartphone-based test for cardiovascular disease. The company is named ‘PocDoc’, and the team claim to be on track to launch in the Spring. The technology will initially be available to healthcare distributors and businesses such as private healthcare providers, pharmacies, care workers and…