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Our Impact
Our research has positively impacted improve people’s lives and continued to advance medical science.
VAIOS® shoulder implant
A recent example of our impact is the VAIOS® shoulder implant. This is used to restore function to patients who’ve damaged their shoulder joint.
We carried out research into the biomechanics of the shoulder joint at Newcastle University. The shoulder prosthesis was then developed based on this research.
It was then commercialised by JRI Orthopaedics, with the first products implanted in April 2010. Since then, over 17,000 prostheses have been sold worldwide.
ScubaTx
ScubaTx is a university spin-out company that has developed new technology for organ preservation.
The ScubaTx system replaces the need to store organs in ice boxes, where their shelf life is limited. The ScubaTx device cools and oxegenates the organs. Then, it controls the environment around the organ to ensure preservation until it can be transplanted.
FibroFind
FibroFind is a second university spin-out company. The pre-clinical drug development company focuses on fibrotic diseases by:
- developing medicines that can prevent, halt or reverse fibrosis
- carrying out drug development research
- providing injury-specific models of fibrosis in the kidney and liver
Our research in biomedical engineering also has impact through helping regulatory bodies improve policy. We got poorly performing metal-on-metal hip replacement devices withdrawn from the market through our research.