Bringing world-leading technology to the medical and healthcare industry
The HVM Catapult explains the work it is doing in adapting and integrating technology into the medical industry, which could lead to countless lives being saved.
The High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult is the go-to place for manufacturing technology innovation in the UK. Supported by UK Government, we are the catalyst for the growth and success of UK advanced manufacturing. We work with companies of all sizes and all sectors to tackle some of the most pressing technical and commercial challenges, with the aim of generating growth and business success.
The Medical and Healthcare Industry is very important to us. Adapting and integrating ground-breaking technology – often developed for other industries - into medicine has great potential for making diagnostic and surgical advances that could help to save countless lives.
Our specialised centres help businesses turn great ideas into commercial reality by providing access to the latest industrial scale facilities and world-class expertise to investigate, de-risk and accelerate the commercial application of new technology solutions.
By bringing together highly skilled engineers, clinicians and regulatory experts, radical healthcare innovations that provide benefits to both patients and providers can be translated into commercially viable products.
Examples of our work include:
3D printing in medical applications
Several of our centres work on the use of 3D printing technology for medical applications such as tailored orthopaedic and cranial plate implants. This technology allows the use of a patient’s scan data to produce made-to-measure implants. These are much quicker to place than conventional implants, thus shortening surgery time and reducing surgical trauma for the patient.
Needle-free ‘breathalyser’ for daily diabetes testing
Applied Nanodetectors Ltd works with the HVM Catapult to investigate the feasibility of designing and printing a novel low-cost glucose sensor for patients with diabetes, to be incorporated into a breathalyser test. This technology could revolutionise the way in which glucose levels are monitored.
Light therapies for diabetes
Using the facilities and expertise available through the HVM Catapult Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), PolyPhotonix developed the Noctura 400 sleep mask to treat Diabetic Retinopathy - one of the most common causes of blindness in the western world. This non-intrusive revolutionary treatment has gone through clinical trials and is already being exported and could generate significant savings to NHS treatment costs.
To mark its 5 year anniversary, Secretary of State Sajid Javid joins HVM Catapult at its reception at the House of Commons Churchill room on 28 June from 4pm to 6pm. The innovations above will form part of the event exhibition.
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