New technologies can drive change in Health and Life Sciences – that’s good news for Greater Manchester businesses specialising in digital health advancements, says innovation expert Dr Yousef Taktak. 

You may have seen the recent report about an eight-year NHS waiting list for adult ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) assessments.

I can only feel for the people needing timely support and diagnosis. My heart goes out to them. This news serves to highlight the importance of efficiency improvements in healthcare – and this means opportunities for health and life sciences businesses to address critical needs and drive meaningful change.

The fact that the NHS doesn’t have the capacity to handle patient demand means innovative businesses with scalable solutions can, with the right support – more of which later – can make a significant impact in the healthcare market.

As someone who speaks with organisations in this sector daily, it gives me great hope to see the increasing numbers of businesses of all sizes in Greater Manchester pioneering innovative technologies. The volume of enquiries I’m receiving from those developing digital solutions has increased exponentially over the past five years – and this has to be a good thing for healthcare delivery.

Where are the opportunities in the health and life sciences market?

Below are the main areas I’m seeing where innovative digital solutions are in demand:

• Diagnostics and Genomics: prognosis/diagnosis of genetic disorders
• Biomarker discovery using AI and digital platforms, for the early diagnosis of cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases to improve treatment
• Digital/online consultation, diagnosis and potential treatment for adult and child ADHD, autism, depression, anxiety 
• Chronic pain and chronic kidney disease: offering instant digital professional support, from consultation through to diagnosis and treatment pathways

As we’ve seen, there’s an obvious requirement to improve the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders such as ADHD and autism. There needs to be better access to digital platforms that everyone can use, instead of GPs using paper forms for patients to complete and return.

What a great opportunity for organisations to move into this space and make access, diagnosis and treatment more cost-effective for the NHS, thereby reducing waiting lists and improving patient care. 

One of the companies that GM Business Growth Hub innovation specialists are  supporting develops an ADHD portal for diagnosing and treating children. It’s a tool that enables the patient to quickly answer questions online, with the potential for clinicians to then access, streamlining provision of treatment. 

Another business that received grant funding as part of the Innovation Navigator Programme is now accelerating the development and commercialisation of a whole blood biomarker diagnostic test for the early  detection of Alzheimer's disease prior to the onset of symptoms. Once symptoms appear, treatment is ineffective, as is currently the case. A more effective and targeted treatment pathway can only apply if toxin proteins can be detected early in the blood before the formation of plaques in the brain.  

Opportunities for digital innovation extend beyond mental health. Great strides can be made in the diagnosis and prognosis of genetic disorders, where data management and AI can be used in a sophisticated way to help and advance patient care.

And look at chronic pain, which is debilitating for so many people and a massive strain on NHS resources. The cost of treatment for chronic kidney disease is huge, and early diagnosis could prolong and potentially restore kidney function, eliminating the need for dialysis or transplant. Absolutely transformative.

The difference between success and failure in HealthTech  

The one common denominator across successful digital health and life sciences businesses is their acceptance that to commercialise their innovation they need to draw on a wide range of support.

Running a HealthTech business can be a lonely place. I’ve set up three medical technology companies. It wasn’t easy, developing the tech, putting the patents in place, trying to commercialise, getting licencing deals, and so on. The pressure was at times almost overwhelming, and you have more downs than ups.

I learnt that it's really important to build a team of experts to support you. You can’t know everything, and bringing in different knowhow, specialism and experience is essential to your chances of success. 

There’s a lot to get your head round in this sector. From the stages you need to go through for approvals and regulatory requirements in design, to post-market requirements for maintaining products on the UK/EU market.

And, of course, navigating procurement processes within the NHS and Greater Manchester healthcare system. I’ve seen plenty of great ideas ultimately fail because business owners were unable to properly explain the value of their offer to the NHS and local healthcare market. 

Having expert guidance can be the difference between success and failure. 

What support is available for HealthTech companies?

Many digital businesses already working on healthcare solutions – or with the potential to – are aware that there’s support available, but they might not know exactly how it could help their unique offer. 

I hope it comes as some reassurance to be told that there’s probably a lot more out there than you realise. Greater Manchester has such a strong infrastructure to help innovative HealthTech companies in terms of practical, impactful solutions – to support you on your strategy, business planning, funding, pitching to investors… in fact whatever challenges you’re facing.

There’s Innovate UK Business Growth (previously called Innovate UK EDGE), RTO catapults, numerous specialist research and development departments and organisations with the knowhow and desire to help (listed below), as well as GM Business Growth Hub’s new Health Innovation Catalyst.

This programme is aimed at enabling health and life sciences organisations to innovate and grow. A series of workshops provides access to experts who will provide guidance on developing and  commercialising your offer, as well understanding the innovation funding landscape.

The first cohort runs over five days between September 11th and 24th, but this is just the start – there will be further opportunities to access the programme in October and January 2025.

Give me a call on 07586 553137 or email yousef.taktak@growthco.uk to find out more.