NPL leads three health projects and is a partner in a further three. These projects aim to support reliable and efficient exploitation of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and the development of new technologies to improve healthcare and patient protection, while limiting costs. The focus of the projects is on research into major health-related societal challenges and global health issues.
NPL led projects
Dosimetry for ultrasound
Ultrasound can treat a range of conditions and recent developments include new treatments for cancer, stroke and bone repair.
However, the techniques needed to standardise the dosage of ultrasound do not yet exist and this prevents healthcare providers from calculating the amount of ultrasound required for a particular therapy and creating personalised treatment plans. This, in turn, can result in over- or under treatment, causing harm to the patient and preventing the implementation of new techniques.
This project will establish measurements, reference standards and modelling techniques to build traceability for exposure to ultrasound and the dose to tissue. The results will support an increase in the use of ultrasound treatments, help healthcare providers make better treatment plans, improve patient quality of life and benefit the medical manufacturing industry.
Metrology for the characterisation of biomolecular interfaces for diagnostic devices
Diagnosing and managing disease is increasingly reliant upon the detection and measurement of biomarkers. This type of in vitro diagnostics is vital for cost effective healthcare, point-of-care monitoring and personalised medicine, but can also benefit forensics, food production, ecology and sports science.
In vitro diagnostics use specific molecules called probes that are attached to a surface where they capture the specific ‘target’ biomarkers. The reliability of this technique depends on the ability to control how the probe molecules are presented at the interface, which is where they come into contact with the biomarkers.
This project will meet the needs of diagnostic device manufacturers in the rapidly growing diagnostic device industry by providing guides, standards and protocols, and by assessing new and emerging techniques capable of targeting many different biomarkers simultaneously.
Contact: Vere Smyth
Metrology for molecular radiotherapy
Molecular radiotherapy, also known as nuclear medicine therapy, specifically targets cancerous cells through the use of ‘carrier’ molecules that attach themselves to tumours or accumulate in specific parts of the body, e.g. the thyroid gland. Currently, molecular radiotherapy is not universally used, but it has the potential to become an important weapon in the fight against cancer.
Molecular radiotherapy treatments are based on the measured activity of the radioactive material administered, but as different patients take up different amounts of radiation, it means that they receive different dosages.
This project will validate the methods and analyse the uncertainties involved in molecular radiotherapy procedures. This will support the use of individualised patient treatments based on the absorbed dose, and lead to more effective targeted therapy and treatments.