The provision of sustainable healthcare is threatened by global trends of increased demand, rising costs, and regional inequality. In 2002, combined spending on healthcare in the 24 OECD countries (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) totalled $2.7 trillion. By 2020, PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates that healthcare expenditure in these countries will more than triple, reaching $10trillion.

From working to streamline the drug development process and pioneering new materials for use in artificial joints, to developing a cure for Tuberculosis and creating new educational courses to meet new healthcare challenges, the Cambridge-MIT Institute has been funding the ground-breaking research and cross-sector communities that could revolutionise future healthcare and its delivery, saving money and lives.

Next-Generation Drug Discovery

On average, getting a new drug to market costs $1billion. The cost is greatly increased by bottlenecks in the drug development process, so a community of researchers funded by the Cambridge-MIT Institute have been working to try to identify a cheaper and more efficient method of screening new drugs so that failures are identified before expensive trials begin.

One of the Cambridge-MIT Institute’s research projects is working to streamline the development process for a range of drugs to combat infectious diseases by researching the properties of Rhodococcus - a bacterium capable of being used as a catalyst and synthesis in the development of pharmaceutical products. Our funding has brought together geneticists and microbiologists to research the potential applications of genetically engineered Rhodococcus as a potential production platform for new drugs to combat Tuberculosis, AIDS, and other infectious diseases.

New Life for Old Joints

The worldwide market for artificial joints, commonly fitted as a treatment for arthritis, is valued at $5 billion and has an annual growth rate of 10%. Artificial joints, while bringing relief to millions, can deteriorate when the joint between the bone and the implant loosens. In order to lengthen the life of prosthesis and artificial implants, we have funded research into emerging technologies in material bonding. The team have now developed a porous material that, if applied to the surface of a prosthesis or artificial joint, encourages bone growth into the material for a better bond.

Another research project is developing new biomaterials for bone substitutes, and has now filed three patents. The research team have spun-out a company, OrthoMimetics, to commercialise materials that enhance the body's natural repair mechanisms and improve the efficacy of first-line surgical procedures. Their products dramatically extend the lifetime of bone and joint replacements, and could benefit the 2 million people each year around the world who require joint replacement surgery. OrthoMimetics have recently been awarded £760,000 by the Department of Trade and Industry as part of a call for Regenerative Medicine technologies.

Students spin-out Healthcare Solutions

Aware of the important part that entrepreneurship plays in commercialising university research, we have been the largest sponsors of the Cambridge University Entrepreneurs – or CUE - since its foundation in 2000. Many of the entrants in the CUE business creation competition have focused on Healthcare, including DiagnovIS – a company founded by three university PhD students who were finalists in 2004.

DiagnovIS is developing a compact automated diagnostic unit that uses digital microscopy and a novel software programme to diagnose a wide range of infectious and parasitic diseases including malaria, tuberculosis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia. The unit will eliminate the need for skilled pathologists in the diagnostic process for a range of diseases and, at an estimated 7p per test, could provide an affordable solution to the diagnostic needs of the developing world.

SimuGen were finalists in the 2005 competition with their business plan for a novel toxicity screening-test that could reduce or even eliminate the need for animal testing in the drug development process. SimuGen went on to secure £150,000 in their first-round of investment, and are planning to launch their screening kit into the pharmaceutical market during late 2007.

New Courses provide New Solutions

There is an increasing demand from industry for graduates whose knowledge crosses traditional subject divides. In particular, the drug discovery industry requires biologists with the computer skills to manage and manipulate data from genome sequencing. In response to this industry need for new skills, we added the MPhil in Computational Biology to our portfolio of interdisciplinary Masters Degrees, and are now developing a standard model that can be rolled out to other universities.

Systems for Success

Whilst it is generally agreed that the healthcare industry has been successful in providing high quality care, comparatively little attention has been given to developing an integrated approach for enhancing performance, quality of service and productivity. The Cambridge-MIT Institute has founded the HealthCare Systems Initiative to address issues of strategic importance within the UK healthcare system from an integrated systems-level approach. Through a process of dialogue with industry stakeholders, academics and policy makers, the Centre will build on world-class expertise at Cambridge University, MIT and their partners to develop innovative solutions through research and education programmes.