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Diagnostics and Theranostics
We innovate sensor development to improve outcomes for patients, clinicians and wider society.
Diagnostics and theranostics development
The Centre has a wide range of networks, allowing us to focus our biological sensor research on demand-driven needs. Our networks include hospital consultants and wider healthcare and industry professionals. An excellent example of a Newcastle based network that helps foster this collaborative innovation is Diagnostics North East (DxNE).
Amongst other topics, our research covers:
- general sensor development
- theranostics for stratified medicine
- point-of-need sensor solutions capable of remote deployment
As part of our current research, we're developing:
- cost-effective paper-based solutions
- electrochemical sensors
- MEMS sensors
- next-generation molecular diagnostics
Our solutions utilise new innovations in materials science, such as graphene electrodes and the use of artificial recognition molecules including DNA aptamers and molecularly imprinted polymers. Our aim is to improve state-of-the-art diagnostic performance across a diverse range of disease areas. Our remit includes finding and monitoring cancer cases, identifying tumour margins in surgery, detecting infectious diseases, including antimicrobial resistance and a plethora of additional disease states.
Researchers at the centre also study sensors to check animal and environmental health.
These elements include:
- public health
- end-user needs
- biomarker discovery
- recognition molecule generation
- sensor development
- readout technologies
In this video, Dr Marloes Peeters discusses diagnostic development and how Newcastle University researchers combat antimicrobial resistance with polymer-based sensors.
Diagnostics projects
Dr Neil Keegan’s group has carried out two interdisciplinary research projects at the university: i-sense and u-sense. Produced with world-leading colleagues, these serve as exemplars of diagnostic development work.
The research aims to identify outbreaks of infectious disease much earlier than ever before, helping patients gain faster access to care and protecting populations.
Wearable sensors
The ageing process is another key area of our research. We’re striving to better understand how ageing affects mobility in age-related conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.
We’re studying how Parkinson's disease impacts people living with it, as well as family, friends and carers.
Our researchers use wearable technology (e.g. inertial measurement units) and develop novel analytics for the quantification of digital mobility outcomes in ageing and age-related diseases to enhance remote monitoring and clinical management.
Our vision is to create automatic, objective solutions to manage people's daily symptoms and improve their quality of life. With these new technologies, we can assess people in the clinic and at home, where they will be walking most naturally.
Another area of interest is wearable sensors for people with mood disorders. These sensors deal with injury avoidance, neuroscience and ECG data.
Dr Silvia Del Din discusses digital health and wearable sensor research at Newcastle University.
Wearable sensor projects
Dr Silvia is part of two wearable and digital health-based projects led by Newcastle University.
The aim of these projects is to:
- validate wearable sensors
- push for digital outcomes for clinical applications
- secure regulatory approval to better understand mobility
- better understand fatigue in ageing and age-related conditions
Find out more about these projects: