The Royal Society of Medicine's 12th Medical Innovations Summit

The Royal Society of Medicine are hosting their 12th Medical Innovations Summit on Saturday 16th April, and have offered the MedTech Campus Meetup network members places to attend the event.

The programme for the day is as follows:

8.00 am - Registration opens, light breakfast available;
9.00 am - Welcome address;
9.05 am - Three presentations followed by a question and answer session;
10.30 am - Tea and coffee break;
10.50 am - Four presentations followed by a question and answer session;
12.40 pm - Lunch - to be purchased in the neighbourhood;
2.00 pm - Preview of Doctors of the Future Film ;
2.15 pm - Three presentations followed by a question and answer session;
3.40 pm - Tea and coffee break;
4.00 pm - Three presentations followed by a question and answer session;
5.25 pm - Closing remarks and vote of thanks.

Further information can be found at http://www.rsm.ac.uk/aprilsummit2016 and speakers include:

Krtin Nithiyanandam
What were you doing when you were 15 years old ? You'll probably be thinking about that when Krtin Nithiyanandam (aged 15) makes a presentation about a potential test for Alzheimer's disease which could allow the condition to be diagnosed 10 years before the first symptoms appear. Currently Alzheimer's can only be detected through a series of cognitive tests or by looking at the brain after death. The new test is based on the development of a 'trojan horse' antibody which can penetrate the brain and attach to neurotoxic proteins which are present in the very first stages of the disease. The antibodies, which would be injected into the bloodstream are also attached to fluorescent particles which can then be picked up on a brain scan. In recognition of his research, Nithiyanandam received the 'Scientific American' Innovator Award and was runner up in the 2015 Google Science Fair Competition. He attends Sutton Grammar School.

Lauren Braun
The World Health Organization estimates that 1.5 million children die of vaccine-preventable diseases each year, accounting for 20% of childhood deaths, and 18-22 million children are vaccinated late. A key reason children are vaccinated late is that parents forget when to return to clinics for vaccines. Flying in from the USA, Lauren Braun is the founder of the nonprofit social enterprise Alma Sana Inc. She will explain how she developed an innovative, life-saving bracelet as a childhood vaccination reminder for mothers in developing countries. Lauren came up with the idea during a summer internship at a clinic in Cusco, Peru and received a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant to pilot the bracelets' use in Peru and Ecuador. Her award-winning innovation has been recognized on UNICEF's Innovation Map as a "locally adapted" child health solution, she was nominated for Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs, and she gave a TEDx talk on her design process. With high-level support from UNICEF, Gavi, WHO and PAHO, Lauren is now scaling up her innovation.

Professor Waseem Qasim and Professor Paul Veys
The story made the front page of most of our newspapers - the world's first use of gene-edited immune cells to treat 'incurable' leukaemia. A new treatment that uses 'molecular scissors' to edit genes and create designer immune cells programmed to hunt out and kill drug resistant leukaemia had been used at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH). The treatment, previously only tested in the laboratory, was used in one-year-old patient, who had relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The patient is now cancer free and doing well. This breakthrough comes from GOSH and UCL Institute of Child Health's pioneering research teams with support from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Great Ormond Street Biomedical Research Centre, who together are developing treatments and cures for some of the rarest childhood diseases. Professor Waseem Qasim, Professor of Cell and Gene Therapy at UCL ICH and Consultant Immunologist at GOSH and a NIHR Research Professor, and Professor Paul Veys, Director of bone marrow transplant at GOSH and the patient's lead clinician, will explain the how this treatment was successfully used for the first time.

Dr Federico Sallusto
Two surgeons made medical history last year with a world first operation performing a kidney transplant (between two sisters) through their vaginas using robotic surgery. This robotic intervention was conceived and coordinated by Dr Federico Sallusto, Surgical Director of the Kidney Transplant Program and performed by Dr Nicolas Doumerc, Surgical Director of the Robotic Surgery Unit in the Department of Urology. The removal and insertion of the kidney via the vagina was completed at the same time (rather than via an incision, which is the standard procedure). The operation took place at the University Hospital Centre in Toulouse, France.

Dr Sophie Bostock
Sleepio is a digital sleep improvement programme, clinically proven to help overcome even long term poor sleep without pills. The programme has proved extraordinarily popular and has been used by over 100,000 people. The company was co-founded by Professor Colin Espie of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at University of Oxford. His colleague Dr Sophie Bostock a behavioural health scientist and Operations Lead at Big Health, will be making a presentation about Sleepio and how the programme has been validated in the world's first placebo-controlled RCT for a digital sleep intervention. On average Sleepio helped users fall asleep 54% faster, reduce night time awakenings by 62% and boost daytime energy and concentration by 58%.

Professor Guang-Zhong Yang
In 2009, Professor Guang-Zhong Yang of Imperial College made a presentation as part of our medical innovations programme about imaging for robotic-assisted surgery. In the last six years there have been huge technological developments in surgery and on that basis the RSM has invited Professor Yang to make a return visit to provide a detailed update on medical imaging, sensing and robotics. He will also speak about the Imperial team which is pioneering nanoscale robotic surgical instruments which can, among other uses, better target cancer cells with chemotherapy drugs.

Hawaa Budraa and Gina Dorodvand
Dentists and toothpaste manufacturers relentlessly remind us to brush our teeth more effectively, otherwise plaque will damage our teeth and gums. The existence of plaque results in a local inflammatory reaction, gingivitis, an extremely common condition effecting up to 90% of the adult population in the UK. One of the reasons for poor oral hygiene can be attributed to the challenge of seeing or identifying plaque and inflamed gums in the mouth, at home. Poor access or low lighting makes it difficult for people to see evidence of plaque on their teeth. To address this problem, Hawaa Budraa and Gina Dorodvand who graduated with biomedical engineering degrees from City University last summer, have developed a unique way in which the public can identify plaque build up on their teeth and inflamed gums. They are young, dedicated innovators and are taking their first steps along the road to creating a product that could have a huge public health benefit. They are currently being supported by Bethnal Green Ventures, a London-based accelerator.

William Mapham
Globally, there are 39 million blind people. An estimated 80% of all blindness is preventable or curable, which means that there are in excess of 30 million people around the world who have lost their sight unnecessarily. In the developing world, where most cases of preventable blindness occur, primary healthcare workers often lack the access to appropriate information, skills, and basic diagnostic tools. The Vula Eye Health mobile app aims to change the way that primary health workers access information, carry out eye tests, connect with specialists and make referrals. Vula is the brainchild of South African doctor William Mapham who is flying into London for the Summit to talk about how he saw the potential for technology to improve referral networks while working in a hospital in rural Swaziland.

Moni Milchman
Most British citizens when needing a operation or procedure will follow their GP and/or specialist consultant's advice. They might seek a second opinion. In most cases the operation would take place locally and in the UK. This is the tried and trusted method, however, other ways of finding the right doctor, surgeon, clinic or hospital are now coming online and a search can be conducted on a global basis. Moni Milchman is the founder and CEO of Archimedicx. The company's search engine uses a rating system which has helped create ' the world's first unbiased hospital search engine available for free for the benefit of patients seeking access to better treatment worldwide.

Katrine Bosley
Editas Medicine is a transformative genome editing company founded by world leaders in the fields of genome editing, protein engineering, and molecular and structural biology, with specific expertise in CRISPR/Cas9 and TALENs technologies. The company's mission is to translate its genome editing technology into a novel class of human therapeutics that enable precise and corrective molecular modification to treat the underlying cause of a broad range of diseases at the genetic level. The company is backed by Bill Gates and Google Ventures and in February 2016 Editas Medicine became the first publicly traded company to specialize in a new technology to edit flaws in genes. Katrine Bosley is their President and CEO.

Professor Paulo Stanga
Professor Paulo Stanga is a Consultant Ophthalmologist and Vitreoretinal Surgeon at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital as well as Professor of Ophthalmology and Retinal Regeneration for the University of Manchester. He is Manchester's Principal Investigator for the 'Argus II' - often referred to as the 'Bionic Eye' which is the focus of a 10-centre international trial on the epiretinal electronic implant for blindness in Retinitis Pigmentosa. Professor Stanga has also set-up a Manchester-only pilot study of the Argus II system in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Suzy Willson
Performing Medicine is an award-winning programme created by theatre company Clod Ensemble, which uses methods found in the arts to help medical students and health professionals develop skills essential to clinical practice and healthcare. Performing Medicine works in partnership with organisations across the UK such as Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, King's Health Partners, and Health Education England to create courses for medical students, foundation year doctors and health professionals. It is the only initiative of its kind; unique because it is led by established associate artists from a range of creative disciplines, in collaboration with medical educationalists and health professionals. Suzy Willson is the Artistic Director of the 'Ensemble and is also Honorary Non-Clinical Senior Lecturer at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry.

George Frodsham
With over 200 million cases and 600,000 deaths every year, many affecting children under five, malaria is one of the world's biggest problems. MediSieve is the developer of a groundbreaking drug-free malaria treatment. Using a magnetic sieve to physically remove malaria infected blood cells directly from a patient's bloodstream, MediSieve is a life-saving intervention for severe and drug-resistant malaria patients. Founded in 2015, MediSieve has raised £350,000 in seed funding from angel investors. The company aims to perform first-in-man clinical trials on the malaria device by the end of this year. In February, the founder of MediSieve George Frodsham won an award at the first bio-tech themed event run by 'Pitch@Palace' an initiative hosted by HRH Prince Andrew.