Research
A new NHS network in England’s South West aims to speed commercial health research, giving industry a single route to run studies across local NHS services. The South West Commercial Research Group, the first network of its kind in the region, brings together GP practices, mental health services, acute hospitals and community care to streamline [...]
A large real-world study has found that an AI-powered digital tool developed by Megi Health can significantly reduce blood pressure over time while maintaining high long-term patient engagement - a combination that has remained a major challenge in hypertension care. The peer-reviewed research, published in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, analysed real-world data from more than [...]
An innovative quantum sensing project that could transform cancer treatment by tracking how immune cells interact with tumours has been awarded a £2 million Future Leaders Fellowship. The four-year fellowship, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), focuses on a critical problem: immune cells often fail when they encounter cancer tissue because the tumour environment [...]
Microdosing psychedelics seems to lift mood on dosing days, but the effect does not last, according to new research. The findings suggest perceived benefits from taking small doses of substances such as psilocybin mushrooms (‘magic mushrooms’, which contain the hallucinogen psilocybin) or LSD, a hallucinogenic drug, may be acute rather than long-lasting. Microdosing typically involves [...]
AI therapy ‘works best’ when users feel emotionally close to their chatbot, a study of 4,000 app users suggests. The research highlights what authors say is key to effective chatbot therapy, and the risks of “synthetic intimacy” (forming human-like bonds with AI). Professor Dimitra Petrakaki from the University of Sussex, said: "Synthetic intimacy [...]
A new sound therapy has been found to quieten tinnitus by around 10 per cent on average, with effects lasting about three weeks after treatment finishes. Experts are hopeful that the therapy, which involves patients listening to modified sounds to disrupt brain activity patterns and quieten the ringing, could one day be available as a [...]
Daily scans during prostate cancer radiotherapy could guide changes to treatment to cut side effects, a recent study suggests. Using AI, scientists found that scans taken to position patients for treatment also flagged changes linked to later rectal bleeding as early as one week into therapy. Monitoring these early changes could help doctors decide when [...]
Health Tech World explores the latest research developments in the world of health technology. A molecular ‘reset button’ for reading the brain through a blood test Tracking how genes switch on and off in the brain is essential for understanding many neurological diseases, yet the tools to monitor this activity are often invasive or unable [...]
A quarter of teenagers in the UK used AI chatbots for mental health support in the past year, new research finds. A study of 11,000 children aged 13 to 16 in England and Wales found more than half had used some form of online mental health support in the last year, with 25 per cent [...]
Stroke AI in over 70 NHS hospitals is helping patients get treated more than an hour sooner, according to a study of care across England. An analysis of nearly 453,000 patients found about 15,000 directly benefitted when scans were reviewed by the technology, which flags dangerous blood clots within minutes. Hospitals using the Brainomix 360 [...]
