E-Medic: Integrated Healthcard Technologies

Funded by EPSRC

Project Head: Professor Ron Summers, Department of Information Science

Project Consortium: also includes Departments of Manufacturing Engineering, Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Loughborough University, the Universities of Bath and Southampton, CSW Group, Ventura CDD Ltd. and Bespak Europe Ltd. THe project is led by Bespak

Duration: April 2001 to end April 2003

Description: Pulmonary drug delivery devices provide a mechanism for non-invasive delivery of therapies through inhalation. Such therapies include the treatment of asthma and diabetes by entrainment of dry powder formulations. Current generation devices are primarily mechanical and include traditional propellant driven metered dose inhalor actuators and newer breath actuated devices. Significant opportunities are offered through the addition of electronics and software and the consequent ability to exploit information and communication system technologies with drug delivery devices. These are both to the patient, along the healthcare value chain and, in manufacturing business efficiencies.

The consortium of academic researchers, drug formulation and delivery devices companies and healthcare providers will research the business, societal, clinical, regulatory and economic issues involved in the harnassing of new technologies for a new generation of delivery devices and their insertion in the healthcare system.

Contact: Ron Summers, Health Informatics Research Group, Department of Information Science, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leics. LE11 3TU.

Tel: +44 (0) 1509 635713 Fax: +44 (0) 1509 223053