IHE Research Symposium: A summary of the day

On Thursday 23 January, we welcomed back our IHE Research Symposium which took place at the Wellcome Collection. It was a full day itinerary with amazing guest speakers telling us about the cutting-edge research taking place in healthcare engineering.

Our host for the day was the wonderful Dr. Rupy Matharu from Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering and is the Co-Chair of our Engagement & Impact Delivery Group.

Introductions from Professor Qasim Rafiq and Professor Andy Nisbet

The day started off with Professor Qasim Rafiq, IHE Director and Vice Dean of Health in Engineering going through the IHE strategy and delivery plan – the ways we will continue with our current successes; the Impact Fellowship, Summer Studentships along with our outreach and engagement work, and the things that we want to do better in. This year we want to make a bigger push in bringing together academics across UCL Engineering, pump priming research activities and do more in showcasing Engineering activities to internal and external audiences.

Professor Andy Nisbet, Dean of UCL Engineering, then took to the stage to talk about the healthcare activities and funding available at UCL, before introducing us to Professor Dame Sue Hill, our first keynote speaker.

Keynote Speaker: Professor Dame Sue Hill

Professor Dame Sue Hill is the current Chief Scientific Officer for England. She talked about the innovations that are likely to propel in the healthcare sector and the support there is for it. One hot topic is Genomics, which Sue delved into further.

In 2022, the NHS published their 5-year strategy for genomics medicine. Genomics is to be at the forefront of the data and digital revolution to enable a quicker diagnosis for patients with rare diseases, matching people to the most effective medications and increasing the number of people surviving cancer each year because of more accurate and early diagnoses. In 2024, NHS Genomics Medical Services had already delivered 810,000 genomic tests for patients across England.

Sue wrapped up her talk with a look to the future and the NHS’s 10-year plan which includes moving care from hospitals to communities, moving from an analogue to a digital NHS and moving from sickness to prevention. There will also be a greater potential for data in healthcare, using AI to harness some of that potential.

Early-Career Researcher Flash Talks

The day continued to our ECR flash talks Rishan Patel, Yiwen Li, Nonpawith Phoommanee, Rafizul Md. and Nidhi Kapil. There was a cash prize for first place winner and for the runner up. 

Winner: Rafizul Md.

Runner-up: Nidhi Kapil

Rishan Patel, “Decoding the Brain: Enhancing Movement Prediction with Graphical Brain Computer Interfaces”

 

Rishan’s talk introduced us to a breakthrough in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) using Graph Attention Network (GAT) to interpret brain signals and predict movement, especially for individuals with conditions like ALS. By converting brainwave data (EEG signals) into graph-based representations, the model proposed achieved high accuracy (74.06% for ALS data and 71.89% on a widely used dataset), outperforming existing methods. For Rishan’s research, the key innovation lies in the interface’s ability to adapt to individual brain patterns, making predictions more accurate and consistent.

 

Yiwen Li, “Designing Robust and Efficient adeno-associated viral vectors”

Yiwen’s study introduces a new design strategy to improve gene therapy delivery using AAV vectors, tools used in gene therapy to deliver therapeutic genes into cells. By simulating mutations before physical testing, Yiwen helped develop stronger, more efficient capsids, including a standout variant (RD-14) that delivers 22.4 times better results in muscle tissue than existing options and remains highly stable under heat stress. This approach reduces costs and speeds up advancements in gene therapy.

Nonpawith Phoommanee, “Combining machine learning and rule-based expert system for differential diagnosis of nasal obstruction using anterior nasal endoscopy”

This study introduces an automated system that helps diagnose common causes of nasal obstruction, such as allergies and sinus conditions, using nasal endoscopy images. By combining machine learning with expert rules, the system matches the accuracy of ENT specialists in many cases. Whilst Nonpawith’s research shows promise in assisting doctors in primary care, nasal endoscopy alone isn’t enough for accurate diagnosis, and further improvements are needed to make the system more reliable.

Dr Nidhi Kapil, “Gold Nanoclusters Anchored onto Polymer Brushes as Robust Anti-microbial Surfaces: A Strategy to Tackle AMR”

Nidhi’s study explores the development of advanced antimicrobial surfaces using tiny gold nanoparticles and special polymers to combat drug-resistant bacteria. These surfaces effectively kill harmful bacteria like E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus within two hours and are stable enough for use in hospital settings. The technology shows promise in applications such as water filters, surgical instruments, and medical devices, offering a new way to tackle the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance.

Rafizul Md, A new in-silico braided model of the Amulet Amplatzer for patient-specific left atrial appendage occlusion

Rafizul has been focused on improving heart treatment for atrial fibrillation, a condition that can cause strokes. A common preventative device called the Amulet Amplatzer (AA) has been used to block a heart region where dangerous clots form. However, challenges like device leakage and malposition remain. Rafizul helped develop a more accurate computer model that mimics the braided wire structure of the device, capturing its real deformation more accurately than traditional models. This advancement could improve treatment planning and make the device more effective in clinical applications.

IHE Summer Studentship

This section of the symposium was presented by Billy Dennis who helps run the IHE’s Summer Studentship.

The IHE Summer Studentship fills an unmet need at undergraduate level with students being able to shadow clinicians, speak to academic collaborators and get a better understanding of the relationship between academia and medical practitioners. The scheme is popular and through Billy’s hard work, we’ve managed to grow it from 10 students at the Royal National Orthopaedic hospital (RNOH)to 18 students placed between RNOH, UCLH, Moorfields and Great Ormond Street Hospital.

At the end of the scheme, students in the scheme present their reports. This year, two undergraduate students who took part in the scheme presented their research to us.

Paul Reynolds, “Participatory Surveillance of Mosquitoes Using Mobile and IoT Technology in Brazil and Madeira”

Paul helped create a novel early warning tool, in the form of a mobile app, to predict breeding hotspots and enable community health workers to focus their efforts on locations where eliminating mosquitoes will help to reduce Zika, Dengue, and Chikungunya in humans.

Chia Lee, “Studying the Variability in the Shape of the Intramedullary Femoral Canal Using Statistical Shape Modelling”

Chia worked on improving total hip replacements, a surgery to replace the hip joint. Her project focused on analyzing the shape of the femoral canal (the hollow part of the thigh bone) using 3D models from CT scans. She identified shape differences between men and women to help ensure a better fit for implants, contributing to improved design and placement.

Health Engineering Hubs

There’s amazing collaborative research taking place at UCL. This section of the symposium focuses on the healthcare engineering hubs at UCL.

Optical and Acoustic imaging for Surgical and Interventional Sciences (OASIS) Hub

Sophia Bano from UCL Hawkes Institute talks us through the OASIS Hub. The hub seeks to transform early disease detection and interventions with cutting-edge imaging devices and computational tools.

Advances in imaging hardware, AI, and minimally invasive techniques make this an opportune moment for breakthroughs leading to improved and early detection of at-risk lesions, enhanced precision in surgical interventions and broader accessibility to underserved populations.

VaxHub: Towards sustainable manufacture of vaccines for pandemic/epidemic preparedness

Professor Martina Micheletti from the VaxHub describes what the Hub is and what it does. There’s two strands. VaxHub Sustainable focuses on vaccines for pandemic preparedness working on things we might be familiar with like mRNA with academics from UCL, University of Oxford, University of Manchester and the University of Leeds to work on vaccine preparedness. VaxHub Global looks at vaccines for low and middle income countries – creating and improving the technology there, developing and manufacturing and making sure delivery is robust.  

CRUK Centre of Excellence in Radiation Oncology and Biology (RadNet)

Professor Gary Royle lists some worrying statistics: Since 1995, there’s been a 13% increase in cancer diagnosis and 1 in 2 people in the UK, born after 1960, will be diagnosed with cancer but good news! Since 1971, people’s responses to treatment has also increased!

RadNet works to understand the causes of relapse post-therapy and devise novel biotherapies to synergise with radiation. The centre will do this by innovating and collaborating with other organisations like Queen Mary’s, King’s and the Francis Crick Institute.

Q-BIOMED: The UK Quantum Biomedical Sensing Research Hub

Professor Rachel McKendry discusses how Q-BIOMED is using advanced quantum technology, like single atoms and photons, to develop new healthcare tools. Their focus is on tackling challenges such as aging-related health issues and improving cancer diagnostics. The team aims to create ultra-sensitive, faster, and more affordable diagnostic tests, including portable instruments that make early disease detection more accessible.

After the Hub Directors/ Leads had presented their talks, we then went into a panel discussion followed by a presentation from James Miskin.

James Miskin, Oxford Biomedica

With James’ talk, we all got a real insight into what it takes to commercialise different cell and gene therapies. James delves how cell gene therapies get into the market, or the NHS, as is the case with most.