Aston University, a member of BHP, has launched SPARK The Midlands, a network which aims to bridge the gap between medical research discoveries of novel therapeutics, medical devices and diagnostics, and real-world clinical use.

SPARK The Midlands is the first UK branch of Stanford University’s prestigious global SPARK programme. It comes as a result of Aston University’s active involvement in the delivery of the West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator (WMHTIA) – a government-funded project aimed at helping companies drive their innovations towards market success.

The SPARK scheme helps to provide mentorship and forge networks between researchers, those with technical and specialist knowledge and potential sources of funding. SPARK members have access to workshops led by industry experts, covering topics such as medical device regulations, establishing good clinical trials, and creating an enticing target product profile to engage future funders.

While SPARK The Midlands will be based at Aston University, it will support multiple projects across the West Midlands from other BHP members including the University of Birmingham (UoB), Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BWC), as well as other regional institutions including Warwick University. It is also supporting a number of regional companies.

12 projects have been funded as part of cohort one, including a cross-BHP initiative involving Aston, UoB and BWC. Led by Dr Jan Novak from Aston’s School of Psychology,  the project will develop a device to categorise paediatric brain tumours using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Based on 24 years of data, the device will be able to help determine what type of brain tumour a patient has and what surgical approach to take.

Aston University researchers are involved in a further four projects within cohort one of SPARK The Midlands.

Luke Southan, SPARK UK director, said: “It is a privilege to be launching the first UK SPARK cohort here in the West Midlands. We have a real opportunity here to support not only new, transformative, standards of care for areas of genuine unmet clinical need, but also to support the growth of a major innovation cluster for the region.”

Pasi Sorvisto, founder and director of SPARK Finland and director of SPARK Europe, said: “We are truly excited to have a SPARK programme in the UK. SPARK The Midlands is a perfect example of what coming together enables in the region.

“The beauty of our European network is that we have come together in supporting scientists, students and healthcare professionals in developing great new solutions and businesses. We share experiences of what works and what doesn’t, we provide joint webinars and mentoring, we have joint events, and we support each other in building new solutions and businesses to global markets. “Together” is maybe the most common word in discussions at European SPARK network. Since we have a global network of SPARK programmes associated with top-tier institutions, each and every project in Europe has opportunities to build high value connections through our global network.”

SPARK The Midlands will host its first educational workshop on Tuesday 13 February at 15:00 GMT. It will be a hybrid event, hosted at Aston University’s John Cadbury House, and online. It is open to anyone interested in developing a therapeutic, medical device or diagnostic for public use, including academics, researchers, scientists, healthcare professionals, and postgraduate students. For more information and tickets visit the Eventbrite page.

For more information about SPARK The Midlands, visit https://www.sparkthemidlands.co.uk/

The second city’s strategic University-NHS alliance, Birmingham Health Partners (BHP) has announced the appointment of experienced business leader Jonathan Pearson as its new Chair, tasked with implementing an ambitious new strategy.

Bringing extensive experience as a management consultant and a profound understanding of the health and life sciences sector, Jonathan has established and guided numerous healthcare enterprises, spearheaded significant growth, and led large-scale transformation and technology programmes. He has also served within the NHS as Independent Chair of the Sandwell and West Birmingham Health System, bringing together a unique blend of high-level industry and health service expertise.

Jonathan’s contributions to the sector have earned him several prestigious accolades throughout his career. Notably, he was honoured with the Healthcare Deal of the Year award in 2014 by Acquisition International, recognised by the Management Consultancy Association in 2015 for thought leadership, and received the HSJ award for Analytic Provider of the Year in 2019. His exceptional leadership in the Sandwell ICP’s Covid vaccination program was further acknowledged with the Local Government Association award in 2021.

BHP is a strategic alliance uniting two renowned Universities, five NHS Trusts and Health Innovation West Midlands, with the shared aim of transforming healthcare across our region by leveraging collective strengths in clinical and technological innovation, research, and education.

Commenting on his appointment, Jonathan said: “Birmingham Health Partners is a powerhouse of research at the heart of an ambitious city and region, with a strong track record of scaling innovation from the bench to the bedside at pace. Together with its wider regional partners, BHP is already working to address pressing health challenges and deliver economic growth and this work will only be enhanced by the imminent launch of our new strategy which will benefit our communities, region and workforce. It is an incredibly exciting time to join the partnership.”

BHP members the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital and Aston University – working with the University of Edinburgh – have been awarded a joint research fellowship to develop a working 3D model of the spinal cord, to improve understanding of the management of compressive spinal cord pathology.

The fellowship is funded by Orthopaedic Research UK (ORUK), the British Association of Spine Surgeons (BASS) and the British Scoliosis Society (BSS) and the project will run for three years. The team is led by Professor Adrian Gardner – consultant spine surgeon at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital and Jean-Baptiste Souppez – senior lecturer mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston University. 

The idea for the project came about following a discussion between colleagues about a patient presenting with a multi-level degenerative cervical spine with multi-level spondylolisthesis. Multiple vertebra in the patient’s neck were compressing on each other and several of these vertebra were pushed forwards creating an unstable spine. 

Professor Gardner said: “I was able to make recommendations, however this was based on training over the years and experience. For example, there are multiple ways to approach this kind of injury – you could go in from the front (anterior) or the back (posterior), but the decision is largely down to how you’ve been trained.  It occurred to me that a physical model could be used to better understand the pathology and use scientific evidence to inform surgical solutions for our patients here at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital and across the globe.”

Professor Gardner worked through potential options with contacts at Aston University, who recommended using 3D printing to simulate the different ways spinal cord compression happens, and its management. The model would be made up of a 3D printed, fully articulated vertebral column and use tuneable pneumatic pressure to replicate the spinal cord. Adjustable to reflect various spinal conditions, the model would enable spinal teams to test the likely impact of different procedures.

Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM) is one of the most common spinal injuries, caused by severe compression in the neck. This compression can come because of inflammation, arthritis and age. It can lead to issues with balance, dexterity and control of the bowel and bladder. If left untreated, myelopathy can lead to permanent spinal cord injury and nerve damage. 

Professor Gardner added: “Despite being common, DCMs are under researched. As spinal surgeons we often refer to it as a silent disease – studies show about 2% of the adult population have DCM, but the real number could be much higher. This is because patients may not be aware that they have a degenerative cervical myelopathy and will put their symptoms down to aging, never seeking out treatment. 

“With this fellowship we have the chance to enhance understanding of the best way to treat this under-researched condition and better support clinicians with their management plans. Timing is key in treating people with DCM to maximise recovery and outcomes, but surgeons have always been appropriately cautious due to the lack of research in this space. Ultimately, we hope that this model will help demonstrate that earlier intervention can prevent DCM becoming a serious disability.”

The project is supported by three students from the University of Aston who sit across different engineering disciplines: Design Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. 

Jean-Baptiste R. G. Souppez, senior lecturer in mechanical, biomedical and design engineering at Aston, co-lead on the project, commented: “The award of the inaugural ORUK/BASS/BSS fellowship has been instrumental in enabling this joint research project between the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital and Aston University’s Mechanical, Biomedical and Design Engineering department. 

“It is also fantastic to see the joint effort from three engineering disciplines, coming together to strengthen our commitment to our local community partners, developing innovative solutions to real-world problems as part of our Engineering for Health research centre at Aston University.”