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Organised as a collaboration between the Scottish Funding Council’s Brain Health Alliance and the Quantum Technologies Alliance, the Quantum Healthcare Summit invited influential members of the healthcare and quantum technologies sectors to learn and better understand each side’s capabilities, challenges, and opportunities. Hosted at Stirling Court Hotel on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th of November, the summit welcomed healthcare professionals, from front-line staff to management, researchers and policy makers, to explore what quantum is and its potential to support and improve the healthcare sector. It was also an opportunity for quantum researchers to understand the challenges faced by the healthcare sector and the impact their research could have on end-users.
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Providing a government perspective, Faiyaz Amin, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, outlined the government’s approach to quantum sensing in healthcare.
After the break, attendees heard from Dr Jennifer Lees, University of Glasgow, on “The Good, the Bad and the Data: Exploring Clinical Datasets Dynamics” and gained insights into the capabilities of quantum computing with Dr Kenza Hammam, University of Edinburgh. Dr Charlotte Green introduced the University of Dundee’s Drug Discovery Unit and its ambition to translate academic research into solutions for unmet medical needs. Prof Melissa Mather, University of Nottingham, gave a talk on quantum diamonds and “Illuminating the Path to Neurological Therapies”. This was followed by “The NHS and Big Data”, examining safe and secure access to health data with Dr Charlie Mayor of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde SafeHaven, and a talk from Prof Gavin Morley, University of Warwick, on how diamond magnetometers can be used for surgery.
Wrapping up the morning, Dr Alex Jones, National Physical Laboratory, discussed quantum technologies for life sciences and health, while providing some welcome ‘provocations’ on the realistic status and public perception of quantum technologies to inspire debate. In the afternoon, the audience was gathered into breakout groups of mixed disciplines and backgrounds to discuss the big challenges facing the NHS and how quantum technologies could help.
The first day closed with a panel discussion, “From lab to market”, led by Dr Phil Marsden, with panellists Dr David Armstrong, Prof Daniele Faccio, Faiyaz Amin and Dr Jennifer Macfarlane, followed by a drinks reception and further opportunities to debate and discuss.
On the second day, attendees were introduced to the Brain Health ARC’s mission, aims and opportunities with Prof Terry Quinn. Prof Miles Padgett, Royal Society Research Professor and Kelvin Chair of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow, gave an accessible introduction to quantum, mirroring Dr David Armstrong’s talk from an academic perspective. Attendees then heard from Joanna Crispell, Engagement Lead at Brain Health Scotland, about their mission to inspire and empower individuals to protect their brain health through better understanding dementia prevention and positive lifestyle factors. Dr Jennifer Macfarlane, SINAPSE Director and Medical Physicist at NHS Tayside introduced SINAPSE, the Scotland-wide, cross-disciplinary imaging network of scientists and clinicians, and examples of their scanning capabilities. SINAPSE are well placed at the intersection of physics and healthcare, and Dr Macfarlane gave an enlightening summary of the state-of-the-art in medical imaging, and where improvements (possibly from quantum technologies) are needed.
After the break, David Woolger, Managing Director of Cerca Magnetics, introduced the company and the origins and successes of their wearable magnetoencephalography (MEG) scanners. This technology allows brainwaves to be recorded and analysed by lightweight, portable scanners, while the wearer moves freely, enabling the potential to analyse how the brain functions across a range of situations from talking to a loved one to playing table tennis, and much more.
Contributing a philosophical perspective, Dr Benjamin Sachs-Cobbe, University of St Andrews, gave a talk on the promise and peril of predicting one’s own future health, referencing ongoing research into dementia detection. Returning to healthcare and the cruciality of data, Dr Paul Nelson of Public Health Scotland talked the audience through the past, present and future realities and pitfalls of obtaining health data.
Prof Cristian Bonato from the Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences at Heriot-Watt University gave an overview of Q-Biomed, the UK Quantum Biomedical Sensing Research Hub (Q-BIOMED). This was followed by non-pharmacological treatment and management of Alzheimer’s disease using sensory stimulation with Dr William McGeown, Strathclyde University, and Quantum Microscopy for Healthcare Prof Daniele Faccio of the University of Glasgow. The afternoon’s breakout sessions focussed on a similar theme of finding out the biggest challenges in healthcare and mapping them to the opportunities and potential across quantum technology.
A final panel session featuring Dr Safia Qureshi, Dr Paul Nelson, Gemma Milne, and Dr Mike Tanner was hosted by Frances Hines, tackling the issue of technology accessibility within the NHS, and how this might affect the onset of quantum capabilities.
The UK government has made the development of quantum technology a priority over the next 10 years, and quantum technology for healthcare is a key focus within this mission. The breakouts and panel discussions confirmed that there is no shortage of exciting ideas around how quantum technology could shape healthcare. To make these ideas a reality, the Brain Health and Quantum Alliances are offering up to £15k seed funding for projects that meet at the intersection of these disciplines. This funding call has a specific focus on developing interventions that could be upscaled for eventual use within the NHS. [call now closed]
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The Brain Health Alliance for Research Challenges is supported by the Scottish Funding Council.
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