The Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Trust and Maidstone and Tunbridge NHS Trust have completed the first NuVision Fellowship Programme auditing patients with corneal disease, who have received amniotic membrane treatment.
Over the past 12-months, the Queen Victoria Hospital and Maidstone and Tunbridge NHS Trusts have been collaborating to host the first NuVision® Biotherapies (www.nu-vision.co.uk) sponsored clinical fellowship. The aim of the fellowship was to audit amniotic membrane (amnion) use in their outpatient and surgical eye services to understand improvements being made to help treat patients with front of the eye disease.
NuVision is a tissue-based therapy company that specialises in the treatment of ocular diseases. The company processes and preserves a layer of placental sac, which holds and nurtures the baby as it grows in the womb, called the amniotic membrane. This material is collected from voluntary consenting mothers that are undergoing an elective caesarean section. It is then upcycled into a treatment that can be applied onto patients to stabilise their eye following injury from disease or external factors.
Alongside NuVision, AOS advanced Ophthalmic Solutions (https://aos-hub.com) have supported the project by providing their digital imaging system to allow for objective grading and analytics to support effective recording throughout the audit. The collaboration between the Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Trust; Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust; AOS and NuVision Biotherapies highlights how industry can support healthcare bodies to help grow knowledge and to drive towards improved patient care.
“This fellowship presents an exciting example of how industry is working in partnership with the NHS to help improve patient care and deliver practice changing innovation across the NHS” Dr. Andrew Hopkinson, the Chief Scientific Officer of NuVision stated. “Recognising the pressures put on NHS Ophthalmology services and waiting list due to the pandemic, it’s more important than ever that we support our healthcare system is delivering the most cost effective care” He continued.
The “NuVision Clinical Fellowship” has been part funded by Medilink Midlands and the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (AHSN). The fellowship supports the improvement of the NHS service by funding a clinical fellow to work within the trusts. The aim of the audit is to define if and how amniotic membrane treatment has improved patient care since implementation. The teams across the Queen Victoria Hospital and Maidstone Hospital previously published retrospective data using on the benefits of this treatment, but this prospective audit is planned to provide more in depth and potentially comparative data set. Since the development of COVID-19, ophthalmic outpatient waiting lists across the country have been heavily hit causing the drive to get patients effectively treated as quickly as possible.
“NuVision has a truly innovative and outstanding approach to treating corneal disease. We were delighted to be able to help them on their development pathway by providing support through our innovation programme that is part funded by ERDF. I am confident that the help we’ve given to them, both in terms of the grant funding and the dedicated time and effort that one of our Innovation Advisers has invested in them, will make their treatment available quicker, relieve pressure on the NHS and improve outcomes for patients.” Darren Clark, CEO Medilink Midlands.
The East Midland Academic Health Science Network commented: “We provide expertise and support to health companies to help them develop and spread their innovations, so they get to more patients faster, and help generate NHS efficiencies. The work NuVision is progressing has fantastic potential to improve patient outcomes by significantly improving the availability and accessibility of amniotic membrane treatment in outpatient and surgical settings. Sound research underpins successful innovation, and we are delighted to support this fellowship initiative, which has significant potential to further develop clinical knowledge and transform patient care”.
This fellowship was launched at a poignant time as it began when Public Health England’s Atlas Report on the variation in risk factors and healthcare for vision was published in August 2021. The first health intelligence output solely focused on eye health. The report stated that outpatient activity has decreased by 29% causing 2.7 million fewer appointments on the previous annum. This fellowship has allowed for additional ophthalmic support at the NHS and provides the capacity to understand the effectiveness of the standard of care being used.
For more information on the Queen Victoria Hospital’s ophthalmology department, please visit: https://www.qvh.nhs.uk/our-services/head-neck-eyes-dental/corneoplastics-and-ophthalmology/. For information on Maidstone Hospital’s ophthalmology department, please see: https://www.mtw.nhs.uk/service/ophthalmology/
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Trust
The Ophthalmology and Corneoplastic unit at the Queen Victoria Hospital is a specialist and tertiary referral centre for complex corneal conditions and oculoplastics. This unit is a high-profile and technologically advanced department that delivers high quality care in its sub-specialities with the drive to set standards of care for the UK and Internationally.
Continue reading:
https://www.qvh.nhs.uk/our-services/head-neck-eyes-dental/corneoplastics-and-ophthalmology/
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
The Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is the largest specialised eye unit in the South-East of England and serves a total population of 1 million. There is a range of ophthalmic specialities based at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust including Cornea, Glaucoma, Retina, Cataract, Paediatric and Neuro-ophthalmology benefits.
Continue reading:
https://www.mtw.nhs.uk/service/ophthalmology/
AOS Advanced Ophthalmic Solutions
AOS is an award-winning software designed to transfer time consuming and costly practice operations into state-of-the-art solutions that your patients need and expect. The software allows for objective image grading and analytics; patient and clinician mobile imaging apps; live video calls and quantified patient reports.
Continue reading:
https://aos-hub.com
NuVision Biotherapies
Based in MediCity, Nottingham, NuVision Biotherapies is a regenerative medicine company recently spun out from Academic Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham. NuVision was established in 2015, founded on investment from Mercia Fund Management, to develop and bring to market cutting edge, regenerative therapies.
About Omnigen
Omnigen is a patented, dry preparation of human amniotic membrane, made from the sac surrounding the baby during pregnancy. The Tereo® manufacturing process, developed at the University of Nottingham Ophthalmology department, transforms this waste product of birth into a sterile and stable dry regenerative therapy that can be easily shipped and accessed anywhere in the world. Omnigen is applied directly to the wound dry and is rapidly and effectively rehydrated using surrounding moisture to immediately reactivate the beneficial properties to promote tissue repair and healing in a variety of ways. The product represents a unique and versatile “off-the-shelf” regenerative product and may be stored long term. The Tereo process preserves the wound healing action and provides surgeons with an effective sight saving therapy that could provide a meaningful benefit to patients, including those suffering from ocular surface disease and conditions with unmet medical need.
About OmniLenz
OmniLenz is a bespoke bandage contact lens designed to apply and hold Omnigen at the ocular surface without the need for sutures or surgery. OmniLenz is manufactured for exclusively for NuVision by Menicon UK. Omnigen can be applied by OmniLenz using a simple 4 – 6 minute procedure in an outpatient setting. The decision to apply Omnigen to the ocular surface using OmniLenz is at the discretion of the clinician.
Continue reading:
www.nu-vision.co.uk
Medilink East Midlands:
Medilink EM is an East Midlands life science industry association whose aim is to help companies establish, develop, and grow. Its network of more than 4,000 contacts in over 700 organisations represents all aspects of the sector, including private and public institutions, from multinationals to high potential start-ups, as well as the NHS and universities.
Continue reading:
https://www.medilinkem.com
Academic Health Science Network East Midlands:
The East Midlands Academic Health Science Network brings together partners from across all sectors in health and care to identify, test, and spread new technologies and better ways of working. The East Midlands Academic Health Science Network aims to save the NHS money; generate economic growth; empower health and care staff and improve the experience and outcomes of patients.
Continue reading:
https://emahsn.org.uk
