£1 million project in blood testing

HENLEY Business School is leading research into the future of medical testing.

The school, at the University of Reading, is heading up a £1 million project to see if blood testing could be conducted remotely.

It will also research new digital technologies to address challenges in community health and care.

Dr Weizi Li is leading the project, and is proposing Network+: a community dedicated to exploring the future of remote, more affordable and more inclusive blood monitoring.

The research is majority funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

“This grant will enable us to build a community to address multi-disciplinary challenges … to achieve the vision of future blood testing,” Dr Li said.

“[It] will eventually enable new digital systems to support real-time blood monitoring, self-management and timely intervention, where we will co-develop real-world applications with our clinical and commercial partners.”

According to Henley Business School, the Network+ would address three key challenges in blood testing: remote monitoring, ICT, and personalising data.

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust has also partnered with the three-year project, which is due to start in September.