Student’s design in use
INCUBATOR GOES FROM BEING UNIVERSITY PROJECT TO HELPING PREMATURE BABIES
A neonatal incubator designed by a university graduate has been used for the first time in a UK hospital.
One in 10 babies born around the world is premature, and one million of them die every year.
Three-quarters of these deaths are preventable, but only a small minority of premature babies have access to conventional incubators.
The statistics inspired James Roberts’s 2014 Loughborough University degree show project – the mOm Incubator – an alternative to conventional designs that is cost-effective, compact, and easy to maintain.
The device has received financial backing from James Dyson and Holly Branson, Virgin Group’s chief purpose and vision officer, has invested in mOm.
The Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub has also provided support.
Last month, James and his team celebrated the first clinical application of their incubator, when it was used to help sustain a premature baby at St Peter’s Hospital, in Chertsey, Surrey.
James said: “Sustaining a child’s life in our incubator for the first time has been a humbling experience and a monumental step in transforming this dream into a reality.
“It is unacceptable that one million premature babies die each year, when most of these deaths can be easily prevented.
“An idea that was once scribbled down on paper now has the potential to impact many lives globally.”
Peter Reynolds, consultant neonatologist at St Peter’s Hospital Chertsey, said: “I am delighted we have successfully recruited the first few babies into the mOm incubator clinical trial. I am very grateful to their parents.”