Engineering the future of healthcare

Three creative engineering projects led by researchers at UCL have been awarded £2.8 million by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC). Nick Tyler (UCL Institute of Biomedical Engineering) will lead the Wearable Assistive Materials project. This aims to study properties of new materials and composites which could be used to support joints, to rehabilitate weak muscles, or in an exoskeleton to help people walk. A joint project led by David Hawkes (UCL Medical Physics & Bioengineering) and Andrew Evans (University of Dundee) will research new ultrasound and imaging techniques to help identify different types of breast cancer. Clare Elwell (UCL Medical Physics & Bioengineering) will lead a multimodal neuroimaging project which will develop new imaging techniques to improve therapies for patients with brain injury. The funding is part of a £12.2 million EPSRC investment in fifteen engineering research projects that can deliver major advances in healthcare. David Delpy, CEO of EPSRC said: "The research we are funding is aimed at developing a range of innovative technologies which can, improve the diagnosis and treatment of serious illnesses including Alzheimer's and cancer, improve patient outcomes, and help severely disabled people.