The BioMed HTC

The BioMed Health Technology Co-operative (HTC) was set up in April 2005 with funding from the Department of Health's Health Technology Devices (HTD) Programme. Its purpose is to accelerate the development and adoption of new technologies, treatments and devices for patients with intractable urinary incontinence. This will be achieved through close collaboration and consultation between users – people with long term indwelling catheters and their carers, industry, researchers and healthcare providers. Our approach to innovation hinges on a sound research base and good communication, with all parties being consulted at the earliest possible stage.

The HTD funding provides infrastructure support towards an initial three year programme of research and innovation. This will include studies on the needs and abilities of patients with long term indwelling catheters and the development of tools to compare cost effectiveness and quality of life. There is an ongoing programme designing and developing new products and testing them in our laboratory. Patients are then given the opportunity to try new devices through a clinical trial.

The BioMed HTC is an expanding network of doctors, nurses, continence advisors, researchers, users, user representatives, designers, consultants, manufacturers and others who have an interest in improving the healthcare and quality of life of people with this condition.

Partners

University Collaborators

  • Royal College of Nursing
  • University of Bath
  • University of Bristol
  • University of Brunel
  • University of Cardiff
  • University College London
  • University of Durham
  • University of Oxford
  • University of Southampton
  • University of Surrey
  • University of West of England

BITECIC

Established to manage collaboration between industry, universities and expert clinicians, BITECIC™ (Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Centre of Industrial Collaboration) is a value-adding resource drawing on expertise from a world-class group of business, clinical and research personnel. Dedicated project-management staff with access to state-of-the-art facilities and strategic business development actively support organisations aiming to take new concepts through to market in urology through the collaborative partnership with BioMed HTC.

BITECIC recognises BioMed HTC as the UK centre of excellence for the assessment of urological devices and through its partnership with BioMed HTC provides a valuable expert resource to the urological sector ensuring commercial integrity in the important areas of confidentiality, intellectual property, quality and project management.

John Egan (Director BITECIC™. Technology Translater for BioMed HTC)

To find out more visit the BITECIC website.

Coloplast

Coloplast is a medical device company developing, marketing and selling products and services within our business areas: ostomy, continence care, wound care, breast care and skin care. Our customers are care providers and healthcare advisors, dealers and the product users. We offer products based on innovation and high technology ensuring effective treatment.

At Coloplast our goal is to earn our customers’ loyalty through empathy, responsiveness and dependability. Our business philosophy and the broad characteristics of our company are described in our Mission & Values.

End-users and customers have always been at the centre of our attention, from the day we launched the world’s first adhesive ostomy bag to this very moment. Today, our distribution network covers all continents.

An ostomy bag or a wound dressing must adhere to the skin without causing unnecessary damage or irritation. Coloplast's key technological competence is skin-friendly adhesives based on advanced adhesives technology, which we use in most of our products.

Coloplast is operating in a niche market with few, large suppliers. In the western hemisphere most of our products are reimbursed by the healthcare authorities. Usually it is a nurse who chooses the product or provides guidance on product choice.

At the R&D department, we are responsible for Innovation, Design & Technology and Clinical Development of products for users with all kinds of incontinence problems. Today our product range in the Continence Care Division is within Catheters, Collecting Devices and Bowel Management.

Lars Seier Petersen
(Director of R&D, Coloplast Continence Care Division)

To find out more visit our website.

ETB

European Technology for Business (ETB) Ltd is a specialist microsystem design house which focusses on medical applications. Over the last 5 years ETB has been involved in running many Collaborative projects where the aim is to develop new medical products for a range of applications. This has included the 'NuTap' project, where a range of medical products were developed to address urinary incontinence. For the last 2 years ETB has run the 'Healthy Aims' project, a 4 year EC funded programme to develop a range of medical implants and diagnostic equipment. ETB is an active participant in these projects and has produced their own prototype valve system for urinary incontinence, assisted in the design of the world's first Dropped Foot implant, now sold by Finetech Medical Ltd, and is developing its own range of physical sensor systems, including accelerometers and gyros.

Diana Hodgins (Director ETB Ltd & Technology Translator for BioMed HTC)

To find out more visit our website.

Limbs & Things

Limbs & Things supplies training and demonstration materials for healthcare professionals, incorporating synthetic soft tissue models, multimedia training systems and a design & build service.

Our synthetic soft tissue models have been specifically designed for 'hands-on' structured and staged clinical, surgical and medical skills training. They offer variations in anatomy, and provide for increasing levels of technical and procedural difficulty, meeting the needs of educators and trainees.

In conjunction with our sister company Medical Skills Ltd, Limbs & Things offers model training with multimedia. Our integrated multimedia system consists of Trainer Editions and Trainee Kits. The Trainer products are for use by the educator. The self-contained Trainee Kits are for pre and post course learning by trainees.

Our confidential design and build service gives industry and corporate clients the opportunity to develop a branded and tailored product that can be used to enhance their marketing and promotional activity. Such products have been used successfully for the following purposes: sales rep training, demonstration equipment for conferences, patient education models, portable gadgets for 'office' demonstrations, and professional education training systems.

Limbs & Things was pleased to be involved in the BioMed project and believe its contribution, developing a professional education and demonstration model to assist with the launch and uptake of the new device, will prove invaluable during the commercialisation stage and ongoing training of healthcare professionals.

Margot Cooper (Director, Limbs & Things Ltd)

To find out more visit the Limbs & Things website.

Health Technologies Knowledge Transfer Network

Sue Dunkerton is Director of the Medical Devices Faraday Partnership, soon to convert to the Health Technologies Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN). The Faraday Partnership/KTN is a government funded initiative to support innovation in the UK, with a key focus in this case of healthcare technologies covering prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. The Partnership supports collaboration across the clinical, academic and industrial interface, helping to determine priority needs and establish new partnerships to deliver new products and processes. The Faraday Partnership/KTN is run by a consortium of organisations: TWI Ltd, BITE CIC, M4 Technologies, Medilink UK and the Universities of: Cambridge , Leeds , Nottingham , Queen Mary, Sheffield and Strathclyde.

By being a partner within the BioMed HTC , the Faraday Partnership/KTN is able to feed in information on national initiatives (e.g. NHS Institute and future Health Technology Co-operatives), help develop new collaborative proposals and provide a route to the industrial base for commercialisation.

Sue Dunkerton (Director, KTN)

To find out more visit the Medical Devices Faraday website.

Mediplus Ltd

Mediplus Limited is a privately owned company that began trading in 1986. It is a manufacturer of specialist medical disposables for the hospital market where it's main areas of interest are in Urology and Gastroenterology. The company's line of urodynamics catheters, pump tube sets and accessories are the market leader in the UK, and the company exports to many countries world-wide. The company has a comprehensive line of Manometry and pH catheters for Gastroenterology. In addition, Mediplus successfully distributes and markets theatre disposables and capital equipment for several USA and European manufacturers.

Mediplus focuses on developing patient centric products to ensure the maximum benefit to both clinicians and patients. The work we are carrying out within the BioMed HTC will enable us to further this ethos and enable us to develop next generation products.

Mr Bob Urie, Director

to find out more visit the Mediplus website

Principality Medical

Principality Medical Limited’s background is with the medical device manufacture sector. In-house facilities include injection moulding, extrusion, vacuum forming, printing, ultrasonic welding and assembly/packing of moulded parts as well as heat and high frequency processing of plastic films.

In addition to these facilities, Principality Medical also has research and production laboratories for the development and manufacture of novel silicone and other polymeric materials.

The company is fully ISO 9000:2000 certified and has procedures in place which conform to the requirements of ISO 14000 and OSHAS 18000.

Principality Medical has recently been involved in a DoH funded Medlink grant on developing a novel urological device and also with a DTI funded Eureka grant in order to develop a new voice box prosthesis.

The company, therefore, has experience in collaborative projects involving academia, NHS trusts and other industrial partners.

The role of Principality Medical within the BioMed partnership is the provision of research/development and manufacturing facilities for the production of novel urological devices.

Leo Basil (Technical Director, Principality Medical Ltd)

Telephone 01633 895994 or visit our website.

PromoCon

PromoCon provides a national service, working as part of Disabled Living, Manchester to improve the life for all people with bladder or bowel problems by offering product information, advice and practical solutions to both professionals and the general public. We offer a confidential helpline to provide impartial and unbiased information relating to continence products and services. The helpline is available to all people with bladder or bowel problems and their carers, healthcare professionals and to manufacturers of continence products.The national display of continence products is held permanently at the Disabled Living Centre in Manchester. There are more than 3000 products on display including many types of continence pads, catheters, furniture protectors, urinals and adapted clothing. Our site also shows products that are new onto the market www.promocon.co.uk/newproducts.shtml

June Rogers MBE, PromoCon Director

To find out more visit www.promocon.co.uk

 

^ back to the top

site map | terms of use | contact us
© BioMed Healthcare Technology Cooperative 2005
Use of this website signifies your agreement to the terms of use