Information on Loughborough

Space research boosts business close to home

Posted on 12/03/2009
University of Leicester

The search for life on Mars and the study of black holes in deep space could have direct benefits for businesses in the East Midlands particularly those working in the healthcare and bioscience sector.

According to the organisers of a half-day conference on March 12, pioneering space research being carried out in the East Midlands has many down to earth applications that could help to boost the regional economy and improve patient care around the world.

Organised by the East Midlands Healthcare and Bioscience iNet and the Space Research Centre at the University of Leicester, the event will showcase a number of devices that have been developed for space missions but can be adapted for medical use.

Explained Tim Maskell, Technology Transfer Manager at the University of Leicester: For example, the event will look at the wider applications of a new Life Marker Chip that is designed to analyse Martian soil samples for signs of biological activity.

The same technology can be modified to look for infections or disease, which has obvious implications for the diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Other scientific breakthroughs to be discussed include the miniaturisation of gamma ray cameras. Although such equipment has been around for many years, the standard hardware used to diagnose patients has been the size of a room.

However, a hand-held device is now in development thanks to research into cameras used to image radiation given off by the collision of black holes in distant galaxies.

To study these distant cosmic events, continued Mr Maskell, the cameras need to be very robust to withstand the launch into orbit and the extreme conditions of space. Cameras for imaging patients in the operating theatre need to be further reduced in size from those used on satellites.

The Healthcare and Bioscience iNet aims to drive innovation through partnerships between businesses, individuals, universities and other public sector organisations and its Director, Dr Ian Barr said: This is the latest of a series of events that demonstrates how advanced research can have practical benefits with the potential to boost the regional economy.

It will also help to forge closer links between businesses and researchers to ensure that such cutting edge technology leads to new products that are both beneficial to patients and commercially successful.

The event will be held at the Universitys Charles Wilson Building. It is being supported by Medilink East Midlands, an organisation which supports healthcare and bioscience firms across the region and which also manages the iNet on behalf of the East Midlands Development Agency.

Further information about the event, including booking details, are available by visiting the Medilink East Midlands website at www.medilinkem.com or by telephoning Ella Williams on 0115 912 4327.