RECENT NEWS

A drug candidate, based on pioneering UCL and Moorfields Eye Hospital research and currently under development by SIFI S.p.A., has been found to be highly effective in treating a rare sight-threatening eye infection in a new international clinical trial.

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC’s) annual 'State of Care' report has warned that a combination of the cost-of-living crisis and workforce pressures is risking ‘unfair care’ – where those who can afford to pay for treatment do so and those who can’t face longer waits and reduced access, with poorer outcomes for some.

Innovate UK, LifeArc, and Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) have joined forces to create PACE (Pathways to Antimicrobial Clinical Efficacy), a £30 million initiative supporting early-stage innovationagainst antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to save lives. PACE has announced its first funding call with up to £10 million available to support innovators developing new antimicrobials.

A landmark clinical trial has revealed promising benefits for patients with multiple chronic conditions and at elevated risk of needing urgent care, using artificial intelligence (AI) predictive models and supported through intensive nurse-led coaching.

Patients suffering slow heart rhythm in Essex are set to benefit after local surgeons implanted a new and innovative pacemaker. Staff based at the world-renowned Essex Cardiothoracic Centre (CTC), part of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, carried out the country’s first procedure to place Abbott’s Aveir VR leadless pacemaker into a patient’s heart that suffers from a slower-than-normal rate.

Nuffield Health Parkside Hospital, in Wimbledon, London, has treated its first four patients with the da Vinci Xi surgical system, a leading robotic-assisted surgical system that enables consultant surgeons to perform with greater precision, with patients likely to experience less pain and faster recoveries after the robot-assisted surgery.

A first-of-its-kind modular cardiac centre built by Darwin Group in Basingstoke has led to a 20 per cent increase in angiogram procedures in its first year, with more than 2,700 patients being seen.

Previous research has implicated fungi in chronic neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, but there is limited understanding of how these common microbes could be involved in the development of these conditions.

A new study has shown that fluctuating blood pressure can increase the risk of dementia and vascular problems in older people. Short blood pressure (BP) fluctuations within 24 hours as well as over several days or weeks are linked with impaired cognition, say University of South Australia (UniSA) researchers who led the study.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw the emergence of a variety of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, each equipped with new ways to evade the immune system, leaving the world bracing for what would come next. But what if there were a way to make predictions about new viral variants before they actually emerge?

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London’s Precision Healthcare University Research Institute (PHURI) and the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have identified the genetic causes of Raynaud’s phenomenon. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, could lead to the first effective treatments for people with Raynaud’s.

Three projects designed to build our understanding of viruses and how the immune system reacts to different challenges will share £25m in new funding from UK Research and Innovations (UKRI).

UCLH and UCL researchers and engineers are using artificial intelligence (AI) to make brain surgery safer and more effective.

The first UK participant in a portion of a study looking at a new investigational medication for COVID-19 has received their initial dose of the drug at UCLH.

The European Commission, the European Investment Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have announced a new financing partnership to address critical global health opportunities: eradicating polio and ensuring that innovations in health are more accessible to the people who need them most.

Over two million years of life are lost to cancer in the UK every year, according to a new study from Cancer Research UK, published in the British Journal of Cancer.

The NHS has delivered on its ambition to roll out 10,000 virtual ward beds by the end of September, new figures show. More than 240,000 patients have now been treated on virtual wards, with research showing people who are treated at home recover at the same rate or faster than those treated in hospital.

Pharmacierge, a leading e-Prescription MedTech for private clinicians, has announced a substantial 5,500 sq ft expansion in Wimpole Street, set to create central London’s largest robotically-enabled dispensary, which will be equipped with a 30ft dispensing robot.

A FREE webinar hosted by CSJ and BIOHIT HealthCare will tackle key issues in treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). 'Proactive vs reactive therapeutic drug monitoring in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)' will take place on the 26th of October at 11 am, and will include a Q&A with top IBD experts, Professor Limdi and Dr Selinger. This webinar is a must for gastroenterologists, clinical scientists, pharmacists, general practitioners and health professionals with an interest in gastroenterology.

Valproate-containing medicines will be dispensed in the manufacturer’s original full pack, following changes in regulations that came into effect on Wednesday, 11 October 2023. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has published new guidance for dispensers to support this change.