The way medical devices and technologies are designed and used has raised concerns about the impact of ethnic background on … read more

Scientists react to an independent review into equity in medical devices.   Dr Peter Charlton, Chair of the Institute of … read more

The government have published their Medicines and Devices Bill, which covers the licensing and regulation of new medical treatments.   … read more

Tweets from television presenter Noel Edmonds endorsing the use of an electromagnetic pulse machine to treat cancer and asserting that ill health is caused by ‘negative energy’ have been met with widespread criticism from the general public. read more

The debate about the pros and cons of remaining – or leaving – the EU continues unabated. One important area that has not been publicly explored – or explained – are the benefits of membership of the EU when it comes to the regulation of drugs and devices. read more

Taking pictures of the inside of the body is well known as a clinical diagnostic tool, but it also holds tremendous promise for health research and a better understanding of a wide range of diseases, like dementia, cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, arthritis and stroke. Scientists in the UK are now embarking on the world’s largest ever imaging research study. Its goal is to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other state-of-the-art imaging methods to scan 100,000 people (at least 10 times bigger than any previous imaging study) in the coming years and provide the most detailed examination yet of major organs. These images will allow scientists all over the world to discover new early signs and risk factors of disease, to better understand why some people develop major diseases and others do not, and to develop interventions (such as new drugs, or changes in lifestyle) that could prevent these diseases. read more

Publishing in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface a group of scientists have used a model to analyse the use of personal protection techniques, such as netting and insect repellents, for the avoidance of diseases spread by carriers like mosquitoes. From this model they suggested some circumstances under which such devices might increase disease in the unprotected portion of the population. read more

The use and effects of proton beam therapy, which affects less normal tissue when targeting a tumour than traditional radiotherapy, are addressed in a paper published in The Lancet Oncology journal. The authors report similar survival levels as conventional radiotherapy as well as “acceptable toxicity”. read more

A study published in the journal Proceedings Of The Royal Society A has reported that the public is exposed to high levels of airborne ultrasound, the majority of which is from occupational exposure. read more

Polls show that the public do not recognise radiotherapy as a modern form of cancer therapy, and many would describe it as ‘frightening’. Yet radiotherapy is one of the most effective cancer treatments available, and a staggering array of new developments should allow radiotherapy to become increasingly personalised to individual cancer patients. Major advances, such as Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT), proton therapy, Cyberknife technology and research combining radiotherapy with MRI imaging, viral therapy, and chemotherapy, promise to revolutionise radiotherapy in the future. read more

Science Translational Medicine published the results of a one-man clinical trial of a prosthetic hand that enabled an amputee who had lived without the sensation of touch for ten years to feel differences in the shape and stiffness of objects again. read more