Cutting edge medical research taking place in Oxfordshire will be on show at a series of talks and exhibitions in Oxford on Wednesday, March 11.
Visitors are welcome to Innovation in Healthcare Research from midday to 6pm at Oxford Martin School, 34 Broad Street, Oxford.
The free event will showcase the work of the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), based at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust and run in partnership with the University of Oxford.
It is one of five centres funded by the NHS National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the event is part of Open Weeks, a series of events to showcase the work of the BRC that runs to March 18.
Speakers will include Dr Tahreema Matin on the 3D Lung Xperience, a new technique to record images of lung functioning at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital.
Hyperpolarised xenon magnetic resonance imaging (Xe-MRI) uses xenon, a safe and inert gas which, following inhalation, shows up how different parts of the lungs work on an MRI scan. The technique is free from ionising radiation.
Current methods only examine the lungs as a whole and provide no information on how specific parts of the lung are working.
Xe-MRI will enable researchers to measure how well the lung is functioning in greater detail than previously was possible.
Dr Andreas Triantafyllidis will also give a talk on research into how tablet computer technology could help people with heart failure.
Participants have been measuring their heart rate, blood pressure and activity using devices that connect via Bluetooth to a tablet computer to enable them to monitor their risk of heart failure and send data to Oxfordshire researchers.
Visitors will also be able to test their lung function with the Inspired Sinewave Technique device.
This gives a more accurate assessment that can potentially change the way doctors diagnose lung disease.
The new technology can also measure unevenness (inhomogeneity) of ventilation and blood flow throughout the lung, two important variables which are largely ignored in current tests.
Oxford’s bionic eye and physiological patterns in pregnancy will be among other topics featured at the event.
Vasiliki Kiparoglou, Head of Operations, NIHR Oxford BRC said: “Oxford has long been at the forefront of medical research, whether it is the genetic and molecular basis of disease, the latest advances in neuroscience, or clinical studies in cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and other conditions.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the public to learn about the benefits to patients of the latest developments in healthcare research.”