Tech & industry
Scotland will roll out ECG patch monitors to 8,000 stroke patients each year after £1.9m in government funding. The investment will expand access to ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG) patch monitors for patients recovering from stroke, ministers confirmed. Government research suggests the monitors could prevent 689 secondary strokes and save 319 lives over five years. [...]
Scientists have created tiny capsules that deliver anti-inflammatory proteins to reduce brain inflammation linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's disease. The system, named AstroCapsules, encloses human astrocytes – star-shaped brain cells that support healthy nervous system function – inside small, biocompatible hydrogel containers. When equipped with an anti-inflammatory protein called interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra), the encapsulated [...]
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, in collaboration with Altera Digital Health and Healthcare Innovation Consortium (HIC), has completed a trailblazing benefits realisation review in tissue viability. Breakthrough improvements have been delivered through the adoption of the Sunrise™ Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system, as part of the review to understand and optimise the impact of introducing [...]
Turkish doctors are using interventional neuroradiology to treat strokes, aneurysms and spinal disorders without surgery, helping patients recover faster. The minimally invasive methods use needles and catheters instead of surgical incisions, avoiding general anaesthesia and long hospital stays while treating conditions including herniated discs, spinal fractures, spinal tumours and brain aneurysms. Interventional neuroradiology – which [...]
Scientists have restored movement in rats with severed spinal cords using a 3D-printed scaffold containing stem cells. The research suggests new possibilities for tackling paralysis caused by spinal cord injuries, which currently have no cure. These injuries occur when neurons – nerve cells that transmit messages through the body – die and cannot regrow across [...]
An AI-powered platform launching this week analyses brain function in real time and is the first product designed to handle both the complexity of the brain and the dynamic nature of brain injury. The Moberg Clinical Platform (MCP) brings together data from multiple monitoring devices to track brain activity and help intensive care teams make [...]
Emerging research is exploring the potential of photobiomodulation (PBM) - a light-based therapy targeting the gut-brain axis- as a promising new treatment for Parkinson’s disease. A recently published clinical trial, conducted on 60 participants in Canada, reported clinically significant improvements in multiple Parkinson’s symptoms following treatment with photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy. The results, presented last month at [...]
New artificial intelligence software can spot subtle movement changes in Parkinson's disease from video recordings before they are visible to clinicians. The technology analyses finger-tapping movements to find changes invisible to the human eye, potentially enabling earlier diagnosis and treatment. The AI system, called VisionMD, was developed by a team at the University of Florida [...]
By Caroline Purslow, Head of Health, Challenge Works In July, following a lengthy regulatory review process and heavy patient campaigning across the UK - which gained extensive media coverage - the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved the use of Tofersen to treat those who are living with ALS (the most common form [...]
A new AI tool can spot signs of consciousness in brain-injured patients four-to-eight days earlier than standard bedside tests. The system, called SeeMe, tracks microscopic facial movements that are invisible to the naked eye to detect awareness in patients labelled as “unresponsive”. Up to 25 per cent of patients diagnosed as unresponsive may in fact [...]
