The Operating Theatre Journal - Flipbook - Page 12
Aston University launches SPARK The Midlands
to support health tech innovation
Professor Andrew Devitt is leading the establishment of a spinout
company, EVolution Therapeutics (EVo), to harness research he has
carried out to understand the role of apoptosis, or cell death, in tissue
regeneration and wound healing. EVo will develop a therapeutic small
molecule to promote the healing of hard-to-treat wounds, such as
diabetic foot ulcers.
Dr Jan Novak from the School of Psychology at Aston University will
participate in a joint project with Birmingham Women’s and Children’s
Hospital and the University of Birmingham to develop a device to
categorise paediatric brain tumours using arti昀椀cial intelligence (AI)
and machine learning.
Based on 24 years of data, the device will be able to help determine
what type of brain tumour a patient has and what surgical approach
to take.
Professor Abdul Sadka, director of the Aston Digital Futures Institute,
will lead a team developing new machine learning AI software which
will aid in the diagnoses of certain lung conditions.
Luke Southan, SPARK UK director, said:
• SPARK The Midlands aims to provide academic support to
advance healthcare research discoveries in the region
• Hosted at Aston University, SPARK The Midlands forms part
of the University’s work with the West Midlands Health Tech
Innovation Accelerator
• 12 projects will be supported initially, that address unmet
clinical needs in diseases such as ulcerative colitis, asthma,
rheumatoid arthritis and sepsis
Aston University has hosted an event to celebrate the launch of
SPARK The Midlands, a network which aims to bridge the gap between
medical research discoveries of novel therapeutics, medical devices
and diagnostics, and real-world clinical use.
More than 40 people attended the event, which was held at
Conference Aston on 31 January 2024. Attendees included the pioneer
cohort members of SPARK The Midlands as well as key regional and
national stakeholders including Midlands Mindforge, Department for
Business and Trade, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital and
the regional Universities. It was the 昀椀rst chance for the launch cohort
to meet each other alongside key regional and national enablers of the
UK’s translational ecosystem.
SPARK The Midlands is the 昀椀rst UK branch of Stanford University’s
prestigious global SPARK programme. It comes as a result of Aston
University’s active involvement in the delivery of the West Midlands
Health Tech Innovation Accelerator (WMHTIA) – a government-funded
project aimed at helping companies drive their innovations towards
market success.
The SPARK scheme helps to provide mentorship and forge networks
between researchers, those with technical and specialist knowledge
and potential sources of funding. SPARK members have access to
workshops led by industry experts, covering topics such as medical
device regulations, establishing good clinical trials, and creating an
enticing target product pro昀椀le to engage future funders.
“It is a privilege to be launching the 昀椀rst UK SPARK cohort here in the
West Midlands. We have a real opportunity here to support not only
new, transformative, standards of care for areas of genuine unmet
clinical need, but also to support the growth of a major innovation
cluster for the region.
In the Midlands we have world class universities, world-class researchintensive hospitals, and we should have a world-class industrial
cluster. That is what SPARK will build.”
Pasi Sorvisto, founder and director of SPARK Finland and director of
SPARK Europe, said:
“We are truly excited to have a SPARK programme in the UK. SPARK
The Midlands is a perfect example of what coming together enables in
the region.
“The beauty of our European network is that we have come together
in supporting scientists, students and healthcare professionals in
developing great new solutions and businesses.
We share experiences of what works and what doesn’t, we provide
joint webinars and mentoring, we have joint events, and we support
each other in building new solutions and businesses to global markets.
“Together” is maybe the most common word in discussions at
European SPARK network. Since we have a global network of SPARK
programmes associated with top-tier institutions, each and every
project in Europe has opportunities to build high value connections
through our global network.”
For more information about SPARK The Midlands, visit:
https://www.sparkthemidlands.co.uk/
For more information about Aston University’s role in the WMHTIA,
visit: https://www.aston.ac.uk/research/west-midlands-health-techinnovation-accelerator
While SPARK The Midlands will be based at Aston University, it will
support multiple projects across the West Midlands from other
universities including Birmingham and Warwick, and institutions such
as Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital. It is also supporting
a number of regional companies. Aston University researchers are
involved in 昀椀ve of the 12 projects forming cohort one of SPARK The
Midlands.
Dr Jill Johnson, from the School of Biosciences, will lead a project to
develop a therapeutic for allergic asthma targeting tissue 昀椀brosis, or
scarring caused by damage to the lung tissue.
Dr Zhuo (Vivian) Wang, also from the School of Biosciences, is
currently developing a small molecule drug targeting an enzyme that
facilitates 昀椀brosis in the heart. This therapeutic is planned to treat
patients suffering from cardiovascular disease from hypertension and
type 2 diabetes in the 昀椀rst instance.
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