Swansea artificial lung collaboration wins top prize

03 December 2007, Swansea NHS Trust

The Swansea-based company who has been working closely with Swansea NHS Trust and Swansea University to develop a pioneering artificial lung has won a MediWales innovation award.
At the 2007 MediWales awards dinner in Cardiff, Haemair Ltd, which is based in Digital Technium in the grounds of Swansea University, was given the Partnership with the NHS Award.
Staff at the Clinical Haemorheology Laboratory, next to Morriston Hospital’s A&E department, have been working with Haemair and the University’s Complex Fluids Group in the Department of Engineering on developing the trail-blazing device.
It was showcased throughout the summer in the Science Museum in London.
Clotting expert and Emergency Medicine Consultant, Mr Adrian Evans, (pictured) said:
“This is a fantastic award and builds on the successful collaboration between the Trust, the University and Haemair in making significant improvements in health care both nationally and internationally.”
The artificial lung takes blood outside of a patient’s body, oxygenates it, and then returns the oxygen-rich blood back into their blood stream.
But instead of the patient being confined to a bed, the device can be carried and allows them to move around freely as they go about their daily business.
It is likely to be of huge benefit to patients with chronic lung diseases including emphysema, Cystic Fibrosis and severe asthma, and could be an alternative to a lung transplant in some cases. It could also play a major role in short-term care for patients suffering temporary lung failure.The lung could be available for patients within five years.
The Morriston team’s job is to find ways to control blood from clotting once it leaves the body – a key part of ensuring the artificial lung works effectively.
The medical technology and bioscience sectors (life sciences) in Wales consist of around 250 commercial organisations. Combined they are worth an estimated £1.3 billion to the economy, and employ around 15,000 people.
MediWales represents the interests of this sector through its delivery of events and publications, and by providing a voice for the sector.
(Pictured, from left, is Dr Steve Brown, Senior Engineer, Haemair Ltd, Angela Spiteri, Strategic Marketing and Branding Executive for the National Centre for Product Design and Development Research (PDR), and Dr Karl Hawkins, RCUK Fellow in Nanomedicine at the Institute of Life Science, Swansea University.
Dr Brown said:
Haemair is extremely proud to have won such a prestigious award. The award highlights the unique technology transfer partnership that exists between Haemair, Swansea University and Swansea NHS Trust at Morriston Hospital.
“Without input from all three partners, the project would have considerably less chance of success.”
Haemair received a one-day consultancy with PDR as their prize. PDR has expertise in prototyping, among other things.
Other MediWales award-winners were:
  • The Innovation Award: BBI Holdings for the development of a rapid point of care device for the detection f a specific virulent strain of the Herpes Simplex virus.
  • The Growth Award: DTR Medical for consistent, sustainable and profitable growth. Swansea-based DTR manufacture sterile single use surgical equipment.
  • The Export Achievement Award: Dulais Ltd, who produce solar powered refrigerators for vaccine storage in the developing world.
  • The Start-up Award: Sleepworks, the manufacturer of the new Snoril anti-snoring device.
In addition, the Shakerscope device, developed by a team of Swansea doctors, received a special mention. The Shakerscope is a range of re-chargeable electronic devices for use in remote locations.
 
 
 
 

For further details, contact
Susan Bailey, Communications Manager
Tel 01792 517844, Mobile 07800 662215
 
susan.bailey@swansea-tr.wales.nhs.uk