Medical Physiology & E-Health technology | Technical Medical Centre

The mission of the Medical Physiology & eHealth Technology research domain is to improve healthcare through the use of technology in prevention, diagnostics, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Our approach ranges from advancing the understanding of disease mechanisms to developing personalized, technology-driven solutions that enhance clinical decision-making and patient outcomes. By developing and introducing new measurement techniques, including wearable technologies, and utilizing advanced data analysis, we aim to make healthcare more sustainable, efficient, and effective.

Research Focus

Our research centres on cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological disorders. Using biophysical models, computational simulations, advanced measurement techniques, and data analysis (including AI), we seek to understand better both normal physiological functions and pathological processes in acute and chronic diseases. Additionally, we develop technologies that enable real-time, multi-modal monitoring to predict disease progression, support treatment decisions, and deliver personalized care.

Within this domain, the emphasis of our research groups spans from in-hospital care to ambulatory monitoring and management, including real-time data collection and remote interventions. These technological solutions are designed to support healthcare providers and patients across various settings, from hospitals to in-home care.

Multidisciplinary Collaboration

Our research groups unite a diverse range of experts, including technical and biomedical engineers, physicians, computer scientists, physicists, and biologists. Many of our researchers are also clinicians, applying technological innovations directly to patient care in areas such as neurology and cardiology.

We also educate students in fields such as Biomedical Engineering, Technical Medicine, Electrical Engineering, and Health Sciences, preparing them to contribute to these advancements. Our collaborations extend to national and international hospitals, knowledge institutes, and industry partners. We actively work on developing MedTech innovations as well as their clinical implementation, supported by the TechMed expertise Centre for remote monitoring and coaching (eCMC).

Highlights

Central motor control

We investigate how human neural circuitry controls posture and voluntary movements and how we can develop optimal therapeutic methods for movement disorder patients. We develop and optimize therapeutic methods for patient-specific motor improvement and observe the influence of these therapeutic methods on motor control and the impact on daily life activities.

Research helps predict outcome and consequence of coma and cardiac arrest

Research in the Clinical Neurophysiology group lies at the interface of neuroscience, neurophysiology and clinical neurology, with a focus on cerebral ischemia and epilepsy. Alongside improving our understanding of pathophysiology, we develop novel diagnostic tools and treatments. Our research on predicting coma outcomes after cardiac arrest has gained worldwide recognition, using advanced EEG monitoring and analysis, signaling technology and artificial intelligence. This work has resulted in numerous prizes, grants and publications in renowned media.

PROMPT measures brain signals

PROMPT develops a mobile system that measures brain activity and blood flow while patients are on the move. Mobility problems in conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Huntington are highly patient-specific and occur during movement. That is why the University of Twente, together with Radboud University and three companies, is developing a mobile system for EEG signals and cerebral blood flow. Based on these measurements, PROMPT enables the development of personalised strategies to help patients cope with movement disorders.

Diameter: An app for diabetics

Over a million people in the Netherlands have diabetes, and 90% of them have type 2. Every year, 1,200 more people are diagnosed. To stay healthy, they must constantly ensure their blood sugar levels remain low and stable, follow a low-sugar diet and get enough exercise. ‘Diameter’, a smart, app-based system developed by the UT and ZGT Hospital Group Twente, makes this task easier and, in many cases, even helps patients reduce medication.

Laser shoes support Parkinson patients

Freezing of gait, an absence of forward progression of the feet despite the intention to walk, is a debilitating symptom of Parkinson's disease. Laser shoes that project a line on the floor to the rhythm of the footsteps help trigger the person to walk. The shoes benefit the wearer significantly, according to research by the University of Twente and Radboudumc.

Coordinator

prof.dr.ir. M.J.A.M. van Putten (Michel)

Full Professor

+31534894599

m.j.a.m.vanputten@utwente.nl

Building: Technohal 3380

prof.dr.ir. M. Tabak (Monique)

Full Professor & Chair of department BSS

+31534895640

m.tabak@utwente.nl

Building: Horst - Zuidhorst

dr. L.M.A. Braakman - Jansen (Annemarie)

Assistant Professor

+31534896047

l.m.a.braakman-jansen@utwente.nl

Building: Capitool 15 146

Involved research groups

The following groups are working on Medical Physiology & eHealth technology from different research areas:

Meet ups and more information

During the year, several organized meetings are held to get to know each other, share knowledge from our research, receive updates from TechMed and meet informally to explore potential new collaborations. We invite all researchers, PhD students, and postdocs conducting research related to this domain. Would you like to present your topic at these meetings, discuss some items or receive an invitation? Please send an e-mail to ecmc@utwente.nl