Research
Researchers will test linking step-count data from wearables with health records to see how knee replacement surgery affects patients. The study will combine data already gathered inside and outside the health service, linking smartphone and fitness-tracker information with surgical records. Knee osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease and the most common reason for replacement surgery, affects [...]
The NHS online hospital will launch in England next year, focussing on menopause, prostate and eye conditions, and will be available via the NHS app in 2027. The service, first announced in September, will allow patients to have assessments, check-ups and follow-up appointments online with a dedicated team of doctors. The aim is to carry [...]
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 [...]
