Explore HealthTech – webinars

October & November 2023 Explore HealthTech webinars:

• 17 October 1.30-2.30pm – Medical Devices
  • AI and data driven integrated sensing platforms for Care and Assistive Living – Tughrul Arslan, University of Edinburgh
  • The Medical Device Manufacturing Centre: from concept to commercialisation – Marc Desmulliez, Heriot-Watt University
  • Electronics for Healthcare and Neuroscience – Srinjoy Mitra, University of Edinburgh
• 25 October 1.30-2.30pm – Digital Health and Data
  • Interface between Digital Health and Medical Devices for Early Diagnosis and Condition Monitoring – Yuhang Chen, Heriot-Watt University
  • Digitally-Enabled Medical Devices – Simon Johnson, CPI
  • Innovations in Digital Health and Health Informatics – Ahmar Shah, University of Edinburgh
• 1 November 1.30-2.30pm – Diagnostics
  • Photonic diagnostics for healthcare applications – Robert Thomson, Heriot-Watt University
  • A multiomics approach to next generation diagnostics – Clare Trippet, CPI
  • A Paradigm Change in Diagnostics – Kevin Dahliwal, University of Edinburgh
• 8 November 1.30-2.30pm – Design and Manufacture
  • Assisting with the medical device translational pathway: Medical Device Manufacturing Centre – Duncan Hand, Heriot-Watt University
  • Moving from design to manufacture of Healthtech devices – Tom Harvey, CPI
  • Medical compression and medical textile capabilities – Lisa Macintyre, Heriot-Watt University

Are you looking to collaborate with leading experts on HealthTech at universities in Edinburgh together with CPI? Submit your HealthTech challenge to AIMday HealthTech on 29 February 2024.

Access Explore HealthTech webinars recordings here.

Speaker presentations 

Professor Tughrul Arslan holds the personal chair of Integrated Electronic Systems with the School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, U.K. He is a member of the Integrated Micro and Nano Systems (IMNS) Institute and leads the Embedded Mobile and Wireless Sensor Systems (Ewireless) Group at the University (ewireless.eng.ed.ac.uk). He is inventor of more than 20 patents, most of which have been licensed to spinouts he cofounded and Tier 1 companies. During the past 10 years his research has focused on Radio Frequency based sensing and the identification of unobtrusive wearable, portable, and/or IoT based sensing systems for a range of healthcare conditions. He is an investigator in a number of national healthcare projects including the Advanced Care Research Centre (ACRC).

Prof. Marc Desmulliez (MD) is Associate Principal for Impact and Professor at  the Research Institute of Sensors, Signals and Systems (ISSS) of the School of Engineering of Engineering & Physical Sciences (EPS) at Heriot-Watt University, Scotland, UK. He is now currently managing the Medical Device Manufacturing Centre (www.mdmc.w.ac.uk), interacting with over 150 SMEs specialized in medical devices.

Dr Srinjoy Mitra is an Associate Professor at the School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh. He received his B.S. degree in physics and electronics from Calcutta, India and his M.Tech. degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India. After spending a some time in the electronics industry, he received his PhD from the Institute of Neuroinformatics, ETH Zurich in 2004. Between 2008 and 2010 he worked as a post-doctoral researcher at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA. He then joined the medical electronics team at IMEC, Belgium and worked there as a senior scientist until early 2016. He returned to academia as a Lecturer in the Biomedical Engineering Division at the University of Glasgow. In 2017 he moved to the Institute for Integrated Micro and Nano Sensors, University of Edinburgh. His research interest is in electronic sensor interfaces and analog circuits.

Dr Yuhang Chen received his B.Eng. in Mechanics from Tongji University, China (2007) and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Sydney (USyd) (2011). He then completed a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at USyd during 2011-2012 and also worked as a visiting scholar at the Johns Hopkins University, USA in 2012. Yuhang joined the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Heriot-watt University, UK as an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering since March 2012. His research focuses on physics-based experimentation and modelling on diseased tissue and pathological progression, and their applications in early diagnosis and condition monitoring using accessible and affordable community and home based solutions. In addition, his group has strong interest in developing miniaturised sensing capabilities for early diagnosis using medical devices and surgical instruments (such as robot-assisted surgery).

Dr Simon Johnson is a Chief Technologist within Photonics an Electronics at CPI in the UK. In his current role Simon acts as a knowledge expert in Electronic Systems, supporting strategic and development activities in the business.  While at CPI Simon has lead the development of processes for the assembly of hybrid flexible electronic systems including printed sensors, wireless sensor systems and roll to roll circuit design. In previous roles as an academic at the University of Durham and also in industry, Simon has worked in many aspects of electronics from CMOS IC design and development to electronic systems and software development.

Dr Ahmar Shah currently serves as the Director of Innovation and holds the position of Senior Research Fellow (Associate Professor) at the Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh. Trained as an engineer and holding an MSc and PhD from Oxford, Ahmar specializes in the application of digital signal processing and machine learning within the healthcare domain, with a particular focus on respiratory medicine. His portfolio includes over 70 peer-reviewed publications, granted patents, and other intellectual property that has been successfully licensed for commercialization. In this presentation, Ahmar will showcase a comprehensive portfolio of research conducted at the Usher Institute, focusing on the realms of digital health and health informatics

Professor Kev Dhaliwal is a Professor of Molecular Imaging and Healthcare Technology at the University of Edinburgh and a Consultant Physician in Respiratory Medicine. He has a passion for developing new technologies for healthcare impact and is the Chief Investigator on six first-in-human trials of optical molecular imaging reagents and devices related to the diagnosis of bacterial infection, inflammation and cancer. Collaborating widely with industry, he is an advocate of the need to work across scientific disciplines and translate physical science research into healthcare.

Dr Clare Trippett is the Principal Strategic Opportunities Manager for health and life sciences at CPI, one of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult centres and a pioneering social enterprise that accelerates the development, scale-up and commercialisation of deep tech and sustainable manufacturing solutions. Clare holds a PhD in microbiome science from Newcastle University and has worked in the biopharma, biotechnology and bioprocessing industry for circa 20 years across a number of technically focused and strategic roles. In her current role at CPI Clare is responsible for exploring, identifying, and developing large scale opportunities to support long term strategic growth and impact generation.

Dr Robert R. Thomson obtained the B.Sc in Physics from Heriot Watt University in 2000, the M.Sc in Optoelectronics and Laser Devices from the University of St Andrews in 2001, and the Ph.D in Physics from Heriot Watt University in 2006. From 2010-15 he was an STFC Advanced Fellow, developing photonic technologies for applications in astronomy. He is currently Full Professor of Photonics at the Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences (IPaQS) at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he leads the photonic instrumentation group (phi.eps.hw.ac.uk). He has published over 100 articles in leading journals such as Adv. Opt. Photon., Phys. Rev. Lett., and Nat. Commun. and has received grants valued at >£34M (£10M as PI). His research interests range from fundamental optics to highly applied photonics in areas such as ultrafast laser micro-fabrication and biomedical photonics (see u-care.ac.uk). He co-founded Optoscribe Ltd in 2010, which was acquired by Intel in 2022.

Professor Duncan Hand is Professor of Applied Photonics at Heriot-Watt University. He became fascinated by the science and engineering of photonics whilst studying for a degree in Physics at the University of St Andrews in the mid 1980’s and his interest in this technology continues to drive his academic career today. Following his first degree he studied for a PhD in optical fibres at the University of Southampton before moving to Heriot-Watt in 1991. Photonics is an enabling technology that Duncan has applied to a diverse range of applications: with the aerospace and defence industry; ship-building and ship engine manufacturing; carbon capture and storage; medical device manufacturers; plant biology; and medical practitioners including surgeons. His current key focus is on manufacturing of medical devices, and he is Director of the Medical Device Manufacturing Centre (MDMC), that recently received its second round of funding (£3.3M) from Scottish Enterprise, to assist companies (in particular SMEs) in their development of medical device products.

Dr Tom Harvey obtained a B.Sc. in Physics from Strathclyde University in 1987 and a Ph. D in Physics from Heriot-Watt University in 1990. He is currently a Chief Technologist at CPI working on projects to help companies with the design and manufacture of medical devices and in-vitro diagnostic tests. During his 9 years at CPI, he has also held commercial, strategic marketing, project management and team leadership roles. Prior to joining CPI, Tom was Chief Technical Officer with Epigem Ltd, a company he co-founded in 1995, involved in the manufacture of microfluidic devices and systems, flexible circuit boards, micro-optic components, and flexible displays. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.

Dr Lisa Macintyre’s PhD work established the physical relationship between body circumference, material tension, garment construction variables and mean pressure exerted on patient’s bodies. She developed a test method and garment dimension calculation methodology enabling known pressures to be exerted on patients for the first time. She won the University’s Macfarlane prize for outstanding contribution to research and ‘best paper’ at the British Burn Association’s annual meeting in 2004. She developed a Pressure Garment Design tool to facilitate quick/easy use of her methodologies/equations in clinical and commercial environments. Using the PGD tool improves treatment consistency, and thus patient outcomes, while reducing waste and remakes, saving everyone time and money. She has also worked on compression garments/devices for venous insufficiency, DVT and most recently lipoedema. Her PGD tool work with the NHS and specialist companies was written up as an impact case study for the Research Excellence Framework in 2021 and was rated 4*. Lisa has recently expanded her work to consider aspects of sustainability in medical devices and standard textile products including fashion.