Our home-grown North East Innovation Lab – part of Newcastle Hospitals turned four this month!
A key regional asset for developing the latest diagnostics, the lab is located in the Biosphere the heart of Newcastle Helix, a dedicated life science quarter.
Over the last few years, the lab team – made up of NHS scientists, a specialist nurse, and commercial and quality managers – has supported over 90 projects to develop new diagnostic technologies in areas including respiratory infection, cancer and autoimmune disease, plus investigated how artificial intelligence can help diagnose illness.
Working with diagnostic developers and manufacturers across the region, nationally and internationally, the team brings specific expertise to ‘test the tests’, evaluating how they perform to ensure they’re accurate, effective and accessible while under the development pathway.
Last year, working closely with NovoPath NCL colleagues, the lab biobank expanded to reach over 3 million fluid and tissue clinical samples, all carefully stored and tagged to support a wide range of research and development projects for clients.
All of this has been made possible by working with:
– Patients who donate samples to our biobank to facilitate vital research.
– Clients and partners from across the globe who take on the complex challenges and risks of developing new diagnostic tests, which we navigate together.
– Our health, academic and industry partners, who’ve enabled the lab team to widen their skills and expand the specialist services provided.
John Tyson, head of th elab said: “A big thank you to all of the individuals and organisations who have worked with the lab over the last four years, making a real difference to health through developing innovative diagnostics and testing.”
The lab is part of the region’s diagnostic innovatoin pathway Diagnostics North East.