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Get inspired

by your peers

Here's just a brief selection of success stories that we hope will inspire you to submit your innovation.

Profile image rectangle of lewis packwood

A self-adhesive, 3D printed sensor for monitoring the intestine

A team in Italy has devised a piezoelectric, biocompatible patch that can detect contractions of the gut and can be 3D printed as and when it’s needed.

Electrostimulation: the light approach to going wireless

An international collaboration of Austrian, Czech and Croatian researchers have demonstrated that their ultra-thin light-powered electrostimulator can stimulate nerve cells to fire.

Bio image of Theresa Rienmüller
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A Microscale mesh that wraps around brain tumours

Italian researchers have created a flexible mesh to line the cavity left after removing a brain tumour, where anticancer drugs impregnated in the mesh will combat cancer resurgence.

Anchoring gastric pacing as therapy for obesity

A Belgian team has developed a gastric electrostimulator system to combat obesity and invented a novel way of anchoring the device to the stomach wall.

Close up bio image of Antoine Nonclercq

A more efficient way to ease chronic pain

An inflatable spinal implant developed at the University of Cambridge could provide soothing electrical stimulation over a wide area with only minimal surgical intervention.

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Gold based implantable nanosensors to measure drugs or biomarkers

Researchers in Germany have developed a sensor based on colour-changing gold nanoparticles. The sensor, designed to be implanted under the skin, can be adapted to continuously measure nearly anything in the bloodstream.

A next-generation neural probe for diagnosing and treating epilepsy

Researchers in Germany and Italy have dramatically increased the number of electrodes packed into intracranial devices used to monitor neurological conditions.

Article image for neural probe for epilepsy.
Image of a heart device for the article go with the flow.

Go with the flow: implanted sensor assesses blood flow to monitor patients' prosthetic valves

Researchers develop a new implantable biosensor that can wirelessly assess the status of patients’ prosthetic heart valve implants by assessing blood flow.

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Taking heart: innovation trends at Cardiostim 2014

Which medical devices will be the talk of the 5000 delegates at next month’s Cardiostim conference in Nice? We put our money on small talk; that is talking about mini...

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Biological pacemakers and device innovation research

Dr Arjang Ruhparwar

This month we take the first look into the latest research on Biological pacemakers and ICD innovations. A follow up article featuring an alternative view from this research

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jan_2016

Innovation trends for 2016

The medical technology innovations that will shape 2016.

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july_2016

Leadless Miniature Pacemaker Revolution

Dr. Philippe Ritter

The latest technology is making treatment for heart patients safer and more accurate than ever and is far less invasive

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nov_2016

Knitted removable airway stent

Professor Erney Mattson

If stenting is a hero in reopening blocked passages in the body, restenosis is its evil nemesis. Erney Mattson, a Swedish vascular surgeon in St. Olavs Hospital Norway is c...

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april_2017

Innovative device to treat mitral regurgitation

Dr Georg Daniel Duerr

Cardiac surgeons have developed an experimental device which will lead to improved treatment for recurrent mitral regurgitation.

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A new biodegradable stent to safely deliver heart valves for young patients

Scientists have developed a 3D printed biodegradable stent that can deliver tissue-engineered heart valves into the heart in patients who need a replacement heart valve.

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jan_2016

A tiny pump that can keep blood flowing after a heart attack

Scientists in Germany have developed a catheter-based heart pump that can be quickly inserted into the heart without surgery in the event of acute right heart failure.

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Drug Pushing Implant for Neurological Disease - Dr. Christopher Proctor

An implantable electrode to stifle the side effects of a stroke

After a stroke, a tiny, foldable electrode array could be inserted into patients’ brains, with the aim of alleviating the associated side effects.

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Picture of two Healthcare Professionals holding pump

Leadless multi-capsule pacemaker communicates across both sides of the heart to optimise pacing

Traditional pacemakers consist of a small battery-operated generator that is implanted into the chest with leads connecting into the heart. But researchers have been developing... 

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Drug Pushing Implant for Neurological Disease - Dr. Christopher Proctor

A new device to repair the 'heart strings'

Scientists in the Netherlands are developing a device that could be used to repair the chords of the mitral valve without the need for potentially risky open-heart surgery. 

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Eureka December 2020 Article Image

Go with the flow: implanted sensor assesses blood flow to monitor patients’ prosthetic valves

Researchers develop a new implantable biosensor that can wirelessly assess the status of patients’ prosthetic heart valve implants by assessing blood flow.

Read more

article-image-gold-based-implants

Gold based implantable nanosensors to measures drugs or biomarkers

Researchers in Germany have developed a sensor based on colour-changing gold nanoparticles. The sensor, designed to be implanted under the skin, can be adapted to continuously measure nearly anything in the bloodstream.

Read more

Photograph of Mark Gray

An implantable oxygen sensor could provide personalized medicine

An oxygen-measuring device from the University of Edinburgh could be used to improve patient outcomes in a range of medical conditions, including cancer and post-operative intestinal surgery.

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Comfortable in your own electronic skin

Scientists have been trying to create electronic skin that can mimic the complexities of biological skin for some time. However, it is difficult to pack the skin full of sensors while maintaining an imperceptible, light-weight, thin flexible skin. Researchers from Japan and Germany may have got one step closer.

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september_2017

Manmade ‘bioartificial organs’ on horizon

Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Stamatialis

Manmade ‘bioartificial organs’ in development could transform life for patients whose kidneys, pancreas or lungs are failing. Prof. Dr. Dimities Stamatialis from the Univer...

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july_2017

Radiofrequency temporary tattoos: hiding sensors in plain sight

Prof. John C. Batchelor

A UK research team in Kent is developing “temporary tattoos„ to detect vital signs, movement and sweat of wearers. The temporary tattoos will offer a discrete, forgettable ...

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june_2017

Silicone Robotic Heart Sleeve Offers Tailored Support

Ellen Roche

A silicone robotic heart sleeve may offer a compact solution for end-stage heart failure patients, bypassing the need for anticoagulants.

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may_2017

New tissue-engineered heart valve can adapt and modify with the body

Dr Costantino Del Gaudio

In an effort to add to current biological and mechanical heart valve options, researchers from Italy have used a tissue-engineering technique called electrospinning to desi...

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jan_2017

Miniaturised Sensor Array Collects Ischemic Data in Real-time

Professor Josep Samitier

This month we look at how miniaturised sensor array collects ischemic data in real-time.

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dec_2016

Electronic skin to improve healthcare

Prof. Yael Hanein

This month we look at how ‘electronic skin’ could improve healthcare across cardiology and neurology.

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sept_2016

Handheld nanoparticle scanner

Handheld nanoparticle scanner

Raman spectroscopy is finally finding its way into the clinic. Here we track the work of a New York team using Raman to visualize tumors that have been tagged with gold-cor...

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aug_16

Bionic eye

Professor Paulo Stanga

The “bionic eye” - woman receives first UK new retinal implant: a wafer-thin chip to stimulate nerve cells of the inner retina and feeds information to a small external com...

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june_2016

Shockwave Therapy

Innovation is not just about brand new ideas and technology. Shockwave therapy has already been around in medicine for 30 years and helped millions of patients worldwide wi...

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april_2016

Energy harvesting

Prof. Paul Herijgers

This month we look at the research into energy harvesting from the body to power implanted devices.

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march_2016

Smart surgical tools

Dr. Robert Merrifield

This month we look at research into the use of robotic surgical instruments.

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feb_2016

Employing video plethysmography for medical treatment and training

Professor Morency

This month we look at the research into the use of Employing Video Plethysmography for Medical Treatment and Training.

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dec_2015

Medicine that is only skin deep

This month we look at the research into a new type of electronic skin.

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nov_2015

Nanorobots May Provide True Personalised Medicine

Dr Aniket Magarkar

This month we look at the research into personalised medicine via diagnostic and therapeutic Nanobots.

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sept_2015

Robotics and potential legal changes

Professor Fiorini

Robotics and potential legal changes-could this affect surgical robot usage? A look at cyberlaw reassessment and its potential effect on healthcare.

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aug_2015

Success achieved with a new ovarian cancer screening technique

Researchers have achieved impressive results with a new ovarian cancer screening technique

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july_2015

Saliva testing revolutionising cancer diagnostics

Dr. David Wong

Research into saliva is opening up new possibilities for diagnosing cancer.

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june_2015

Innovative asthma monitoring device

Dr. Hyekyun Rhee

Discreet monitoring device enables teens to monitor asthma symptoms and change behaviours.

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may_2015

Solar energy to power medical devices

Andreas Haberlin and his team from Bern University Hospital, Switzerland want to banish the battery from medical devices such as pacemakers. They are researching ways to pu...

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From butterfly wings to custom replacement body parts

Professor Alexander Seifalian

This month we take a look into the latest research in artificial external organs created from nano-technology and stem cells.

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Body Area Networks (BAN)

Laura Galluccio

This month we take a look into the latest research in Body Area Networks (BAN) View

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A Myriad of Medical 3D Printing Applications on the Way

Professor Gordon Wallace

3D printing for medical use, customised devices and potential therapy delivery

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A more efficient way to ease chronic pain

An inflatable spinal implant developed at the University of Cambridge could provide soothing electrical stimulation over a wide area with only minimal surgical intervention.

Read more

Article image for neural probe for epilepsy.

A next-generation neural probe for diagnosing and treating epilepsy

Researchers in Germany and Italy have dramatically increased the number of electrodes packed into intracranial devices used to monitor neurological conditions.

Read more

february-2020

A device to objectively measure wrist flexibility helps optimise deep brain stimulation for parkinson's disease

Researchers from Portugal have developed a system called iHandU to help finetune deep brain stimulation in people with Parkinson's disease by quantifying wrist flexibility during surgery.

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New implant restores balance in patients with severe inner ear disorder

Bilateral vestibular hypofunction can have a massive impact on gait, balance vision and hearing. Currently there are no treatment options other than patients learning compensatory strategies. But researchers from Geneva and The Netherlands are testing a new vestibular implant in patients.

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Drug Pushing Implant for Neurological Disease - Dr. Christopher Proctor

Cushioning the blow of annulus fibrosus defect

A team of French regenerative medicine researchers have used electrospinning to align polymer fibres into a multilayer biodegradable scaffold. The implanted scaffold promoted regeneration of annulus fibrosus tissue in sheep faster than expected. 

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Multi-tasking implant fights osteomyelitis infection and promotes bone regeneration

Irish researchers have combined the bone healing properties of bioactive glass with the antimicrobial action of copper into a collagen scaffold that can be surgically placed onto bone to treat or even prevent the painful bone infection osteomyelitis. 

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Drug Pushing Implant for Neurological Disease - Dr. Christopher Proctor

Magnetic eye implants for nystagmus

Magnetic eye implants successfully treats nystagmus, allowing patient to return to work, read and watch television.

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Drug Pushing Implant for Neurological Disease - Dr. Christopher Proctor

A drug-pushing brain implant for neurological disease

Dr Christopher Proctor

A team of researchers from the UK and France have developed a brain implant that pushes drugs directly into problem brain tissue using a method called electrophoresis.

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Personalised biomechanical chest wall gets athlete back on track

An athlete who lost part of his chest wall to cancer is back on track after receiving a customised replacement – a 3D printed biomechanical implant that expands and contracts in sync with normal breathing.

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march_2017

Getting implants close to the bone using magnets

Dr Athina Markaki

A University of Cambridge engineer has married material science and biology to develop a coating for implants that promotes integration into bone when a magnetic field is a...

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oct_2016

Artificial Neurons for replacing damaged nerve cells

Dr Agneta Richter-Dahlfors

An artificial neuron may eventually enable the replacement of nerve cells developing new treatments for neurological disorders.

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may_2016

Voice restoration

Dr Nathan Welham

Due to vocal fold damage, thousands of patients each year face life changing communication problems each year with few treatment options. Recently a University of Wisconsin...

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oct_2015

Cochlear Implant Delivered Gene Therapy Regrows Auditory Nerves

Professor Gary Housley

This month we look at Australian pre-clinical research that has encouraging results on cochlear implant delivered gene therapy restoring auditory nerve function.

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april_2015

‘Bionic’ Retinal implants

Wireless Retinal Prosthesis, also known as bionic eye or retinal implants are currently researched in Oxford. The trial will be open to UK residents only later on this year.

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eureka-sep2014-articleimage

Neurostimulation for Blood Pressure Control

Dr. Dennis Plachta

The chronic vagus nerve stimulation has improved the left ventricular function and survival by stimulating the nervous system.

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The European Human Brain Project Accelerating Neurological Research

Professor Bogdan Draganski

European Human Brain Project may lead to paradigm shift neurological research and treatment approaches.

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