NIHR Surgical MedTech Cooperative

Description

The Physics and Engineering work stream is jointly led by Prof Steve Evans (Physics), Assoc Prof Pete Culmer (Engineering), and Prof Pietro Valdastri (Robotics). Engineering benefits from access to the Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Medical Devices, and EPSRC- funded National Facility for Innovative Robotic Systems. The different components are brought together through the EPSRC-funded Leeds Innovation in Surgical Technologies (LIST) group – a forum for interdisciplinary research. Areas of expertise include nanotechnology-related research in theranostic materials for cancer treatment and microfluidics for high throughput single cell phenotyping; next generation instruments, haptic feedback systems, and devices for incontinence; medical capsule robots for endoscopy, including a magnetic platform for painless colonoscopy, and an ultra-low-cost Hydrojet gastroscope. The Pathology work stream boasts the largest clinical academic pathology department in the UK, with sector-leading digital pathology, state of the art molecular biology facilities, access to HTA-accredited human tissue banks, a GI microbiome research programme, new measures of response to neoadjuvant therapy, and an international reputation for pathological assessment of surgical quality through 30 NIHR and international clinical trials. This is led by Dr N West, academic consultant histopathologist, supported by Prof P Quirke, Dr D Treanor, and NIHR Academic Clinical Fellows (ACF’s). Dr N West and Prof P Quirke are world leaders in pathological assessment of surgical quality, including quality improvement programmes embedding total mesorectal excision, complete mesocolic resection, and extra-levator abdominoperineal excision into clinical practice with demonstrable improvements in cancer outcomes.