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Team from University of Leicester Win at Medical Futures Innovation Awards 2011

Posted on 07/06/2011
University of Leicester

Team from University of Leicester Win at Medical Futures Innovation Awards 2011

London, Monday 6th June, 2011: A team from the University of Leicester based at Glenfield Hospital was today named as one of winners at the Medical Futures Innovation Awards, Europe’s leading showcase of early-stage innovation in healthcare, for a new technology which will identify people at risk of lethal heart rhythm disturbances.

The award was presented by TV executive, Michael Mosley at a high-profile ceremony in central London in front of 700 leaders in medicine, politics and business. The event was hosted by comedian Rory Bremner and Dynasty actress Emma Samms, founder of the children’s charity Starlight.

A Medical Futures Innovation Award is one of Europe’s most prestigious healthcare and business accolades, rewarding innovative ideas from front line clinicians, scientists and entrepreneurs.

Dr Will Nicolson of the winning team said: "Winning this award will give us an invaluable opportunity to attract interest and investment into LifeMapTM. This endorsement by a world-class panel of experts creates a significant platform of support for the innovation.

“LifeMapTM is at an early stage, extensive research into the technology is ongoing and there are many possibilities for refinement. Ultimately LifeMapTM will need an expensive, multicentre trial to confirm its efficacy before it can reach the bedside.

“We hope that the critical endorsement of LifeMapTM will lead to investment and further research to the benefit of Leicester and our patients."

Dr André Ng, leader of the team commented: "We are very honoured indeed to have received such a prestigious award. Endorsement from the panel of esteemed judges is really important to LifeMapTM.

“Sudden cardiac death is an area of significant unmet clinical need. LifeMapTM translates our years of basic scientific research into a new clinical application. Our LifeMapTM innovation, which aims at identifying people at risk of lethal heart rhythm disturbances, could prevent many deaths. Winning the award certainly gives a boost to the work our team are doing. We hope to bring the new technology into patient benefit in the very near future."

Medical Futures’ founder Dr Andy Goldberg OBE, consultant surgeon at London’s Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust and a senior academic for University College London said: “The winners were chosen by a panel of distinguished experts from the thousands of entries received and they deserve every success for their creativity, commercial viability, and most importantly potential impact on patients.

“I continue to be excited by the inspiration and sheer drive and determination shown by all of our entrants, many of whom are working with patients day to day so they see first-hand what is needed – sometimes it’s the simplest ideas that are the real breakthroughs.”

Information on Award Competition: Dragon's Den style interview

The winning innovation from the University of Leicester and Leicester Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit was selected in a three stage process from almost 100 applicants culminating in a ‘Dragons’ Den’ style interview in front of a panel that included Sir Bruce Keogh (Medical Director of the NHS) and Professor Keith Fox (President of the British Cardiovascular Society). The team who went ‘into the Dragons’ Den’ consisted of Dr Will Nicolson, Dr Geoff Whiteley (Enterprise and Business Development) and Dr André Ng.

Comment from Dr Will Nicolson: “The "Dragons’ Den" interview really was just that. We had just six minutes to pitch LifeMapTM to a panel of eight world-class cardiology specialists followed by twenty minutes of probing questions. Thanks to extensive preparation the team were able to convince the Dragons of LifeMapTM's potential.”

Information on LifeMap

3 million people die annually of sudden cardiac death - 100,000 in the UK alone. These deaths could be prevented with a device called an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), inserted in a minor operation. However, it is very difficult to work out who needs an ICD because current risk markers for sudden cardiac death are limited. This has led NICE to call for research into new risk markers.

Dr Nicolson, Clinical Research Fellow at the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, has been working under the supervision of Dr G. André Ng, Senior Lecturer in Cardiology and Dr Gerry McCann, Cardiac Imaging Specialist at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust with support from Dr Fernando Schlindwein, Senior Lecturer in Engineering on a novel technique for sudden cardiac death risk assessment.

The research creates a "LifeMap": an electrical map of sudden cardiac death risk using an ECG and combines it with a cardiac MRI anatomical map of arrhythmia risk. The project has been ongoing for 2 years and two clinical retrospective proof of concept studies have been completed with results suggesting great potential for LifeMapTM.

The University of Leicester has patented the technology behind "LifeMap". A further clinical 160 patient trial is recruiting and a number of smaller studies are ongoing. The team is already looking towards collaboration with Industry on a clinical version of the device.

Pictured: Dr Will Nicolson, one of the members of the winning team.