Devices and Advanced Therapies

This Theme’s Focus

Creating trusted medical devices from algorithms and mobile apps
Transforming implants and bio-interfaces for diagnosis and monitoring
Generating innovative delivery platforms for advanced therapies
Developing advanced cellular, stem cell and gene therapies

The Devices and Advanced Therapies theme was developed in line with the UK government’s Life Sciences Vision 2021, which aims to fast-track patient access to new treatments and technologies.

This is an exciting new theme driven by the need to support the rapid advancements in Medical Devices and Advanced Therapy research in Cambridge.

The term ‘medical device’ includes a broad range of products that are used in healthcare. They can be physical items (such as a blood pressure monitor) or software (such as a healthcare app on your phone) which are used for the diagnosis, prevention, monitoring or treatment of illness or disability.

The term ‘advanced therapies’ covers medicinal products that are either gene therapies, cell therapies or tissue-engineered therapies. These are designed to treat underlying conditions.

Our clinicians and researchers have the world-leading expertise to develop new devices and therapies, and this theme will facilitate and accelerate the pathway from small-scale lab-based developments through to providing benefit for patients in clinical practice.

We will use the NIHR/MRC Framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions to support these pathways.

We have a ‘One Stop Shop’ to support and coordinate the pipeline from idea to proof of concept, real-world testing, adoption and roll-out in the NHS. This figure shows our network of resources to support development pathways.

Graphic of various coloured circles, with medical words inside

We support our innovations and future researchers with our ‘pump-priming’ funding, led by our emerging-leaders team.

Our Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) group will help us to close the gap between proof of concept and implementation (routine use) by ensuring that our research is meaningful and relevant for patients and members of the public and enabling us to improve transparency and awareness. We will run public activities to involve patients in panel discussions, provide regular updates on the use of patient data and facilitate access to Devices and Therapies trials.

Our PPIE champion, Dr. Marina Salorio-Corbetto , will work with our researchers to engage the young minds of pupils and families through an outreach programme in schools and colleges across our region. In the video below our former PPIE champion Dr Bhavisha Parmar talks about the BEARS project (Both Ears Training Package) for children with cochlear implants.

Theme Leads

Rebecca Fitzgerald

Professor of Cancer Prevention and Director of the Early Cancer Institute at the University of Cambridge
Email: rcf29@cam.ac.uk

Deborah Vickers

Principal Investigator leading the SOUND (Sensory Optimisation Using Neuroscience for Devices) Lab.
Email: dav1000@medschl.cam.ac.uk

Meet our researchers

MPhil in ‘Translating Devices and Advanced Therapies Research for 2025

Latest News

An exploded view of the thin and flexible sensors and the “intelligent” trial liner for the breakthrough technology in hip replacement being developed at Cambridge

Team’s hip replacement surgery invention is set to be world first

September 10, 2024

Technology which is the first of its kind in the world and could transform the future of hip replacement surgery is being pioneered by a team of experts in Cambridge.

New trial brings screening for oesophageal cancer closer

January 9, 2024

A man from Cambridge is the first to join the surveillance part…

Funding boost for ‘sponge on a string’ trial

April 28, 2022

Millions of pounds in funding has been announced for a trial that could pave the way for a ‘sponge on a string’ test to be established as a routine screening programme to detect Barrett’s oesophagus – a condition that can lead to oesophageal cancer.

Illustration showing human liver in the body. This image was purchased from Abobe Stock with a lifetime usage.

Cellular therapy renders damaged donor livers suitable for transplantation

October 16, 2024

The demand for liver transplants outnumbers the supply of…

Tablets - Image from Cambridge University Health Partners

Taking a new cell therapy to a trial in patients with Parkinson’s disease

October 16, 2024

Parkinson’s disease is a common disease in which nerve…

Woman with stomach pain: This image was purchased from Abobe Stock with a lifetime usage

A new type of endoscope to detect cancer earlier

October 16, 2024

An endoscope is a flexible tube with a light and camera at…

Randomized Trial of Closed-Loop Control in Very Young Children with Type 1 Diabetes

January 20, 2022

Fully automated closed-loop glucose control compared with standard insulin therapy in adults with type 2 diabetes requiring dialysis: an open-label, randomized crossover trial

August 5, 2021

Multicentre clinical evaluation of the safety and performance of a simple transperineal access system for prostate biopsies for suspected prostate cancer: The CAMbridge PROstate Biopsy DevicE (CamPROBE) study

June 12, 2020

The NIHR Cambridge BRC is part of the NIHR and hosted by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the University of Cambridge. We are at the heart of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Europe’s largest health research area.

Contact Us

Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre
Box 277
Hills Road
Cambridge
CB2 0QQ

Tel: 01223 348490

NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre @cambridgebrc ·

13 May

Patient & Public Involvement Showcase is back! This year’s FREE event is bigger & better because we’re teaming up with our partners from across the region. Find out the latest research happening in East of England on 16 June @CUH_NHS! Book: http://bit.ly/NIHREoEPPI26Events

@NIHRresearch

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NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre @cambridgebrc ·

8 May

Are you a health researcher in East England? Have you used PPI to benefit your research? Tell us about it here (deadline 26 May) & you could be selected to present your research in a poster or short talk at the East of England PPI Showcase, 16 Jun #NIHR20

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NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre @cambridgebrc ·

8 May

Our PPI Showcase is back! This year’s FREE event is bigger & better because we're joining up with our East of England teams!

📅When: 16 June
📍Where: Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre @CUH_NHS
🧑‍🤝‍🧑With: Posters, talks & refreshments
⏰Time: From 9.20
🖱️Book: http://bit.ly/NIHREoEPPI26Events

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Research at CPFT @cpft_research ·

7 May

⏰ Three days left to apply to present at the Cambridge NMAP Research Conference by midnight this Sunday!
➡️ https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=slTDN7CF9UeyIge0jXdO4-ud-Jzaz9hDmjThrNePfQtUMjkxRzFZNTJQV01NMkVXWU5LTUE0SldSSi4u&route=shorturl
Share your work, meet & learn from colleagues across the region.
⚠️ Only a few free tickets left so register soon here:
👉 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cambridge-nursing-midwifery-and-allied-professions-research-conference-tickets-1979969052736?aff=oddtdtcreator

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NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre @cambridgebrc ·

7 May

Join us for our East of England Patient & Public Involvement (PPI) showcase on 16 June @CUH_NHS. A FREE event for members of the public & researchers to celebrate how PPI impacts #research. There will be talks, posters & a light lunch. Book http://bit.ly/NIHREoEPPI26Events
@NIHRresearch

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NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre @cambridgebrc ·

6 May

From Wells-next-the-Sea to Southend-on-Sea, are you a health researcher in East England? Tell us how PPI improved your research https://bit.ly/4tLXWgI by 12pm 26 May & you could be invited to present a poster or short talk at the East of England PPI Showcase @CamBioCampus 16 Jun

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Devices and Advanced Therapies

This Theme’s Focus

Theme Leads

Rebecca Fitzgerald

Deborah Vickers

Latest News

Team’s hip replacement surgery invention is set to be world first

New trial brings screening for oesophageal cancer closer

Funding boost for ‘sponge on a string’ trial