Healthcare technologies
Our partnerships in healthcare technologies are using research to develop advanced prostheses and efficient technology transfers. Our researchers are also finding ways to improve the careers of women through their access to modern technology.
Current partnerships projects
The DERMA project has developed new interventions for the management and treatment of:
- Dermal ulcers
- Other chronic non-healing wounds
- Related skin conditions, including stomas
DERMA has developed two novel wound dressing materials incorporating marine-sourced polymers:
- A prototype odour-absorbing and antimicrobial wound dressing material
- A prototype diagnostic wound dressing material with the diagnostic capability to indicate the presence of bacterial infection in the underlying wound
This work addresses the common challenge of improving the quality of life of the increasingly elderly population of the coastal regions along the Southern North Sea and the Channel, known as the 2 Seas area. To accomplish the work, the project received €2.7m in funding from the European Regional Development Fund.
This partnerships benefits:
- Patients with improved treatment and quality of life
- Healthcare providers with better treatment options and cost savings
- Regional industry with a boost for innovation, blue economy and sales
The University of Portsmouth is a partner in Fit 4 Purpose Prosthetics, a collaboration led by the University of Salford. Other partners include the University College London, Makerere University and the Universities of Southampton and Jordan.
The partnership is designing low cost prosthetic arms for Low Income Countries. The project aims to make designs which are appropriate for the cultural and practical needs of the target populations.
Upper limb loss/absence is believed to be more common in parts of the world where, for example, there is conflict and/or where road safety is poor. This loss of limbs can negatively affect a patient's ability to work and travel, which can have severe consequences for people with low resources.
Currently, prosthetics in these regions are usually fitted and maintained by a relatively small specialist workforce in hospitals or clinics — places which many find difficult to access. What is required is a design of prosthetic limb that is cheap and easy to construct and fit.
The project is funded through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Global Challenges Research Fund.
The partnership benefits users of prostheses by:
- Working to understand patient needs, cultural constraints and clinical manufacturing resources, through scoping studies and focus-group activities
- Developing specifications to analyse limitations of current prosthetic devices and designing and manufacturing novel designs based on these specifications
- Investigating new ways to provide grasp and manipulation without using the conventional means to actuate prosthetic arms
- Developing the digital tools to support and evaluate prosthesis use
The University leads this collaboration with the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia — other partners include the University of Malaya, University of Strathclyde, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU), and industrial stakeholders in the UK as well as Malaysia.
The partnership aims to promote the development of world-class healthcare devices and technologies with active engagement of industry.
This partnership benefits our partners by:
- Providing a platform and capacity development of technology transfer in the field of healthcare engineering
- Developing a challenge-led interdisciplinary technology transfer project, in the specific area of "healthcare technology for the older people"
- Strengthen links with local industrial partners, enhancing mutual trust and aligning their visions
- Addressing economic, legal, government and social issues related to the development of technology transfer
- Working towards future funding to sustain the technology transfer activities
PONToon aims to improve access to, and the quality and impact of, digital technologies and creative industries for women from diverse backgrounds who find it difficult to access equal training and employment opportunities.
The partnership uses new technologies such as games development and 3D/virtual reality technology, social media and web/mobile apps to support and up-skill women.
Our partners in this project include ADICE, Amiens Métropole and Aspex Gallery.
The partnership benefits women by:
- Supporting their economic inclusion
- Giving them the skills to improve their access to digital technologies and creative industries