Kieran Breen

📢 FUNDING CALL! Following the 2024 Quantum Healthcare Summit, the Quantum ARC has teamed up with the Brain Health Alliance for Research Challenges to support applications linking quantum technologies to interventions that could benefit the NHS 💡 💰 Up to £15k per project 📅 Deadline: 31/01/2025 ℹ️ https://lnkd.in/eEXN-_bp Scottish Funding Council University of Glasgow University of Strathclyde Heriot-Watt University University of St Andrews Terry Quinn Ashley Lyons Jack Brennan Jennifer Macfarlane SULSA - Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance Technology Scotland QuantIC - The UK Quantum Technology Hub in Quantum Enhanced Imaging Anchored In Ltd. National Physical Laboratory (NPL)

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🚀 Funding Opportunity: Innovate UK’s Digital Therapeutic XR for Mental Health Programme 🚀 Innovate UK is investing up to £3.7 million in projects developing digital therapeutic extended reality (XR) solutions to support mental healthcare services. This programme aims to advance innovative XR applications that can be scaled as part of the UK’s formal mental healthcare ecosystem. 🔹 Funding Available: £200,000 - £300,000 per project 🔹 Deadline: Wednesday 15 January 2025, 11:00 am UK time 🔹 Eligibility: UK-registered organisations developing XR-based digital therapeutic solutions for mental health Project Requirements XR Application in Mental Health: Create digital therapeutic solutions using XR, including VR, AR, mixed reality, haptics, immersive audio, and holograms. Focus on Moderate to Severe Mental Health Conditions: Develop solutions that provide real-world benefits for those living with moderate to severe mental health challenges, improving quality of life, employment, and daily activities. Scalable Solutions Across Clinical Levels: Propose solutions suitable for any stage in the care pathway with a clear potential for regulatory approval and wide-scale adoption. Acclivity Ventures offers expert grant-writing support to help UK organisations craft high-quality applications, boosting their chances of securing funding and making a real impact in mental healthcare innovation. https://lnkd.in/eEiFCEJZ

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Submit an abstract for #RCRGlobalAI to showcase your work in front of clinicians from a range of specialties: 1️⃣ Communicate your AI projects as posters in-person and online 2️⃣ Share your achievements and influence practice in the UK and globally 3️⃣ Build your profile and have your work published 4️⃣ Earn additional CPD credits Find out more: https://bit.ly/4cywRFm #AI #ArtficialIntelligence #Education #Research

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**New publication** Our #postvention study explored the experiences of #NHS staff affected by a #ColleagueSuicide. Our findings have now been published. https://lnkd.in/efNdXt_4

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💻Read our new blog 💻 🏥 From paper charts to AI assistance: Prof Hatim Abdulhussein reflects on his 9-year journey in the NHS, from struggling with fax machines as a Foundation Doctor to envisioning an AI-enabled future for healthcare in 2034. This piece is part of a new blog series #MondayMusings While we've made tremendous strides in digital transformation, the Royal College of Physicians highlights that IT systems remain one of the biggest challenges to clinical practice. How do we ensure the next wave of digitisation serves both patients and practitioners? Join Hatim tomorrow as he explores these questions as a panelist at the NHS Change engagement session on shifting from analogue to digital - this is a 90-minute interactive online discussion on how technology can improve health and care. 🔗 Read Hatim's full reflection on the past and future of NHS digitisation here: https://lnkd.in/ed9anSfw #NHS #DigitalTransformation #FutureOfMedicine

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"A review of the Concordat to Support Research Integrity is underway, aiming to ensure that the Concordat continues to support UK research. Revisions to the Research Excellence Framework are also in progress for the 2029 exercise, affecting future plans for the assessment of research in UK HEIs". It's reassuring that one of the areas of work is generative AI and its implications for research integrity. We definitely must make the most of its potential and at the same time consider how to manage the risks of AI in terms of research integrity. Conducting open conversations among researchers is always the way to go to build a sustainable and healthy research culture. There should be no fear of using generative AI, but it must always be meaningful and ethical. "At a national and local level, we see a movement towards greater co-ordination of effort and greater understanding of research integrity in the UK. "

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Alongside Prostate Cancer UK, we are proud to have sponsored the "Reducing Variation in Prostate Cancer Care” policy report. Organised and published by Public Policy Projects (PPP), the report highlights the need to address inequalities in prostate cancer outcomes across the UK and calls for immediate actions to reduce the high variation in diagnosis, treatment access and patient support in prostate cancer care through multidisciplinary collaboration. Launched at the PPP’s Cancer Care Conference this month in London, the report draws attention to key insights including: 🔍 Early Diagnosis Disparities: A staggering 35% of patients in Scotland are diagnosed too late for curative treatment, compared to just 12.5% in London. (Source: data from Prostate Cancer UK) 👨🏾‍🦱 Risk Factors: Black men and those with a family history of prostate, breast, or ovarian cancers are at higher risk, emphasising the need for targeted awareness campaigns. 🩺 PSA (prostate-specific antigen) Testing: Men over 50 can request PSA tests from their GPs. However, public awareness on testing eligibility is lacking, particularly among at-risk populations. 📋 Guideline Complexity: GPs face confusion due to overlapping guidelines from NICE and the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme, contributing to regional variations in care. Recommendations from the report underscore the necessity for: • Clinical guidance from NHSE on risk stratification that is essential to ensure high-risk populations can be diagnosed quickly and moved to treatment • Bolder, large-scale public awareness campaigns co-created with communities promoting informed decision making about the PSA test to remove barriers to testing and reach men at higher risk and people living in areas of deprivation • Clear, consistent, regularly reviewed and updated guidelines on PSA testing for all GPs to ensure eligible men are not turned away • Appropriately trained healthcare professionals to support patients through the care pathway Dr Simon Wyatt, our Senior Medical Advisor for Oncology at Bayer UK, joined a panel discussion at the launch conference with medical professionals, patient organisation representatives and health system experts where he elaborated on how the industry could contribute to help reform prostate cancer care pathways and tackle the backlog by offering on-the-ground experience, insights and data. Fayez El-Shakfeh, Head of Patient Access, Bayer UK & Ireland, said: “Our sincere thanks to all involved in the development of this report. At Bayer, addressing inequalities is not just a priority; it’s a commitment we take seriously. We are dedicated to collaborating with the broader prostate cancer care community to drive meaningful change for all men affected by prostate cancer." #ProstateCancerCare #HealthInequalities #AddressingHealthInequalities #MensHealth #BayerUKI Photo Credit: Politics Home

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📢 Can science transform the future of Further Education (FE)? The Department for Education’s new Science Advisory Council aims to reshape FE by providing evidence-backed guidance on emerging challenges. This council will bring in expertise from top scientific minds to improve education delivery and help the sector evolve. Could this be the step needed to align FE with industry needs? Read more on the council's vision and goals here: https://lnkd.in/eHGUhsyZ #SpecialEducationalNeeds #SEND #EducationPolicy #GenAI #PublicSectorInnovation #Inclusion #CouncilReform #DigitalTransformation #EducationInnovation #PolicyUpdates

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Need a tool to assess risk of bias in observational studies? The risk of bias in non-randomized follow-up studies of exposure effects (ROBINS-E) tool provides a standardised framework for researchers to explore the range of biases biases that may affect cohort study results. Read our article below to find out more about ROBINS-E https://lnkd.in/eUn2vYFS #Research #ObservationalStudy #RiskOfBias

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Supported by The Academy of Medical Sciences Cross-Sector Programme, the 'Engaging with Life Sciences Industry and Entrepreneurship in Scotland' Hub will be hosted by NHS Research Scotland. This Hub aims to bring together a network of active stakeholders from NHS, Academia, Industry and Third Sector to develop multi-sector synergistic approaches for exploring and addressing areas of clinical need in Scotland, and beyond. NHS Research Scotland The Academy of Medical Sciences NHS North of Scotland Innovation Hub

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IBD, Stress and Creativity - #WorldMentalHealthDay In episode 9 of Can I Butt In? Bowel Research UK's Patient and Public Involvement Manager, Sam Alexandra Rose, is joined by Jacqueline Black, a doctoral researcher at Kings College London with a background in health psychology. Some of her work is funded by Bowel Research UK, and they discuss how having a chronic illness can inflict stress on a patient, and how stress can affect the illness that a person experiences. Catch the full episode at https://lnkd.in/ew3c-Cvh #BowelResearch #IBD #Stress #BowelDisease #BowelPatient #MentalHealth #InflammatoryBowelDisease

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It was an honour to serve on the panel alongside Iain Atherton from the Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research and Edinburgh Napier University, and Peter Johnston, Director of Medical Education Research in the Scotland Deanery and member of the UKMED Research Group. We presented our insights on the topic “Big Data: Strengths and Limitations in Health Professions Education Research” on Thursday, November 14th, at the ASME Researching in Medical Education conference held at Friends House in London. Our discussion highlighted the strengths and limitations of collecting student demographic characteristics for educational research and evaluation. I emphasised that the current categorisation used for race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity may not adequately address inclusion, presenting challenges for data analysis aimed at fostering meaningful interventions that support the success of underrepresented students in Health Professions Education. Thank you, Anita Laidlaw, Chair of the ASME Education Research Committee (ERC) and Stephanie Bull for the kind invitation to the event. It was a great event with lots of learning opportunities. #RME2024 University of Exeter Faculty of Health and Life Sciences

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Next up in the DSPI seminar series: what are the patterns in UK health inequalities by wealth since 1860? 🤔 Join Dr Naomi Muggleton (Warwick Business School) to explore individual-level data for 66 million people. The talk will touch on important debates in demography, economic history and medicine to analyse life expectancy changes in different part of the wealth distribution. 📅 4pm, 21 Nov, in-person and online Find out more: https://lnkd.in/edZPrmm9 #HealthInequality #HealthPolicy #Inequality #Industrialisation #UK

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🧫 This #BiofilmWeek we’re highlighting exciting research taking place across our partner institutions. 🎙️NBIC Interdisciplinary Research Fellow Joe Parker from the University of Southampton spoke to us about his research, which investigates the genetic profiling of biofilms. 👩🏿‍🤝‍👨🏼 He also discusses we can do as scientists to positively impact equality, diversity and inclusion. 🔎 Read the full 'Research in Focus' blog: tinyurl.com/braahxyd

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We're excited to announce that we have been awarded almost £3.5m to establish a Commercial Research Delivery Centre (CRDC) - one of 20 being set up across the UK! ✨ The centre will enhance the speed and efficiency of commercial clinical research, providing more people in Sussex with access to cutting-edge treatments. Professor Martin Llewelyn, the Clinical Director of Research and Innovation at UHSussex, will be proudly leading the new CRDC. He said: “The CRDC funding award is fantastic news for patients and staff at University Hospitals Sussex and also for the wider population of Sussex. It will bring substantial commercial clinical research into our region. This will allow more people to access the latest treatment advances through clinical trials, help us develop research skills in the people who work in health and care and bring opportunities for job and economic growth across the region.” The new centre will leverage the strengths and expertise of UHSussex’s extensive NIHR portfolio, enhancing its role as a leader in clinical research and innovation. 💜

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What sets BRILLIANT apart as an Education Event? I spoke to Andrew Croydon of The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and asked him about their reasons for being involved. 1. Motivation for Attending:  "We are excited to attend the BRILLIANT Early Years to Careers event because it provides a unique opportunity to connect with educators and extend our commitment to invest in education as an investment in the future ."   2. Hopes for Achievement:  "By participating in this event, we hope to inspire teachers with our broad STEM education resources, alongside insights into the pharmaceutical industry, to help teachers better inform and motivate their students about career opportunities in this field."   3. Benefits for Teachers:  "This event is a fantastic platform for teachers to gain a deeper understanding of an innovation-based industry, learning about the industry’s latest advancements and key initiatives, and discovering how to incorporate this knowledge into curricula to inspire the next generation."   4. Message to Teachers:  "We want teachers to know that our UK pharmaceutical sector is committed to pioneering new treatments and improving lives. We believe that by sharing our work and passion, we can help educators inspire students to pursue rewarding careers based on informed choices."   At BRILLIANT, we create a unique space where industry leaders and educators come together. This collaboration is vital for bridging the gap between current educational practices and future job market needs. Our goal is to prepare children for the jobs of tomorrow. By aligning educational strategies with industry demands, we ensure that students acquire the critical skills required in priority sectors. My message to other industry leaders ... Be part of it! www.brilliantfestival.com

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Last month, the Princess Royal opened the Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre (GTIMC) at the University of Sheffield, a pioneering facility with a main mission to save lives. I’m a gene therapy researcher and the centre’s Director. But I almost walked away from it. This is how I turned the biggest disappointment of my career into a new era for UK gene therapy manufacturing… 14 years ago my team at the University of Sheffield developed a gene replacement therapy for the childhood form of Motor Neuron Disease, Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). We were the first to develop a proof-of-concept for life-saving treatment for the degenerative genetic disease. For the first time families receiving a heart-breaking diagnosis had hope. No capacity: I’d secured funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC) to manufacture the therapy. But everywhere I went in the UK it was the same answer - no capacity, no capacity, no capacity. By this time, our US competitor - with a similar product, for the same disease - manufactured their therapy. Their product is now available to children and babies across the world. After dedicating more than a decade to this research, our hard work would remain confined to the lab because of a lack of manufacturing capacity. The UK is an international leader in biomedical research, but how can we transform patient care if we can’t manufacture the treatments that come out of this? I had three options: 1. Stop doing translational research 2. Leave the UK to work somewhere that has capacity to manufacture therapies 3. Stay in the UK and do something about it I chose the third and probably the most challenging option. Home Truths: I and other UK colleagues began lobbying and discussed with the funding bodies to share our frustration. We put it bluntly to them - ‘You’re spending all of this money on discovery programmes, but little/nothing is coming out of the UK.’ To their credit they listened. They asked me to share my experience and disappointment. And used it to secure funds to establish a new £18 million network of Innovation Hubs for Gene Therapies, dedicated to advance the clinical development of new genetic treatments through Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), alongside translational support and regulatory advice. The network - created by the MRC and LifeArc, with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) - opened facilities at the University of Sheffield, King’s College London and the NHS Blood and Transplant in Bristol. The University of Sheffield, already renowned for its world-class translational research, has emerged as one of the leading players in gene therapy. We’re in a new era for life-changing gene therapies in the UK and I’m so proud Sheffield is at the forefront. To find out more about the Royal opening, you can read more here: https://lnkd.in/eN52T3Gv

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