EPSRC awards £17.7m grant for healthcare technologies research

Teams from four different universities will research leading health issues

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has awarded four research programmes grants, totalling £17.7 million, to develop technologies that address the health issues of the ageing UK population.

The programme led by The University of Manchester will look into the extended use of 2D materials such as graphene in developing therapies and technologies for wound care and management, neural rehabilitation by electrical stimulation, cell therapeutics, and immunotherapeutics.

The programme led by Imperial College London will aim to improve the range of applications for magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.

The programme led by the University of Leeds will develop testing methods for knee therapies that combine laboratory-based simulation and computer modelling to predict mechanical performance and optimise design and usage.

The programme led by the University of Glasgow will develop more effective methods for the use of growth factor molecules in regenerative medicine that have a reduced potential for unwanted side effects.

Professor Philip Nelson, chief executive of the EPSRC, said: “More of us are living longer than before. It is vital for us to continue to invest in science and engineering research so we can ensure we have active, healthy and high quality later years.”

The EPSRC is striving to make the UK a healthy nation and one where research, discovery and innovation flourishes, and these programmes will help deliver both of these objectives, he added.