University of Twente: 10 years of regional innovations

X-ray-guided magnetic fields to move capsules in the body in a controlled way... Breast cancer diagnosis based on AI...  Continuous glucose monitoring in the ICU... For the tenth time, the Pioneers in HealthCare vouchers have been awarded. Pioneers in HealthCare (PIHC) is a collaboration of hospitals and universities in Salland and Twente to stimulate research and innovation in medical technology. 

Ten times 60,000 euros was to be awarded in the auditorium of Deventer Hospital on Monday, January 22, 2024, for regional healthcare innovations. The Pioneers in HealthCare (PIHC) Innovation Fund, Saxion University of Applied Sciences, the University of Twente (UT, Technical Medical Centre), MST, Deventer Hospital and ZGT stimulate sustainable collaboration between the world of new technology and medical practice. The five healthcare and education parties are working closely together on improved patient care. Requirements for applying for the vouchers are that there is a technical aspect and that at least one hospital and one university are involved. 'Research and innovations often require a long breath,' said Eric Kroon, board of directors of Deventer Hospital during the presentation. 'Nice to see that after ten years, groundbreaking innovations have come onto the market (even worldwide) that were created in part thanks to the PIHC fund.'

A good example of this is a video shown during the award ceremony. With a 3D camera, it is now possible to watch an ear operation in the OR from the outpatient clinic, which allows specialists to give advice remotely. This leads to better care, fewer aborted operations and a doctor can supervise while outpatient work can continue. 

A range of innovations

This year, 37 proposals were submitted for a PIHC voucher, of which ultimately ten research teams were rewarded. A diverse array of innovations is distributed across the entire healthcare spectrum. For example, there was a technology-oriented voucher in which video capsule endoscopy for detecting diseases of the small intestine is being improved by using X-ray-guided magnetic fields. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly permeating research and innovation in our province. However, there is often some resistance to its implementation in hospitals. Scientists and clinicians are teaming up to explore ways to remove misunderstandings or unrealistic assumptions. To this end, they are working on an AI-driven model for breast cancer research, in which clinical decision-making is delineated and which does not involve working with too much data. Ultimately, the goal is to develop a model that performs as well as a radiologist.

Manager Science Office Deventer Hospital Joyce Faber: "We all see the challenges we face in healthcare. There is increasing demand for care and cure and a decreasing availability of healthcare professionals. This highlights the need for innovative technological solutions and transformation of our healthcare system. We can only do this by working together.' One awarded voucher, for example, is working on a model to use data from the three hospitals involved to predict short- and long-term demand for nursing care and to optimize staffing and bed supply in nursing homes accordingly. 

This article was first published on 23 January by University of Twente.