TechMed Highlights

Explore the TechMed Centre and the health labs

New medical regulation has significant impact

Back in May, the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) became fully applicable. This new regulation was adopted by the EU to create a robust, transparent, sustainable and internationally recognised regulatory framework. The goal: to improve clinical safety and create fair market access for manufacturers and healthcare professionals. The MDR also impacts academics, in particular those working on health innovations (an estimate of a thousand UT scientists). For instance, if you want to test or do experiments with human subjects, even in your own lab, you will have to comply with certain rules concerning research, medical ethical approval and technical documentation. Also, software like a healthcare app will be classified as a medical device and will have to comply with more stringent regulations than we knew until now. The TechMed Centre set up an MDR task force last year, that has been working on a pragmatic and dedicated approach, to support the implementation of the MDR.

Read more > 

New animation video gives insight into virus transmission

How can an Influenza virus transfer from animal to human, while the molecules on which they ‘land’ at the cell surface, are different? To find this out, UT researchers developed a sensor chip that mimics the cell surface. To visualize and better understand the mechanisms involved, the researchers created an animation video, together with Dutch veterinary lab Royal GD.

Read more >

Virtual tour TechMed Centre

The TechMed Centre provides state-of-the-art infrastructure to support research and education. Want to take a look inside the centre and discover all the possibilities? In that case, explore all the nooks and crannies on this virtual tour and gain access to research labs, pre-clinical living labs, simulated hospital environments and many more of our facilities.

Start the virtual tour here >

Better treatment of epilepsy using computer models

In some cases where medication fails to provide relief, patients with severe epilepsy may choose to undergo brain surgery – a radical form of treatment, and success is by no means guaranteed. To increase the procedure’s effectiveness, scientists from the University of Twente and UMC Utrecht are developing a mathematical model that can simulate the activity in different parts of the brain of epileptic patients. This helps to identify which brain parts play a role in epileptic attacks. The project received a ZonMw Pearl, an honour only awarded to the most outstanding projects.

Read more >