MStart Trust: iTREND Intelligent Healthcare Technologies  Mar 2017 – Feb 2023,  £1.7M

PIs Prof Paul Stewart, Prof Jill Stewart (University of Derby) and Principal Investigators Prof Maarten Taal and Dr Nick Selby (Department of Renal Medicine, Royal Derby Hospital; Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham)

The aim of the programme is to improve outcomes for renal dialysis patients by delivering personalised treatment regimes, in particularly, predicting the onset of hypotension and modulating or modifying treatment. So far the team has developed hardware and software for non-invasive continuous monitoring of blood pressure, without compromising patient experience. In parallel to the main iTrend project, the team secured a Kidney Research UK Stoneygate Award (2021-2023) – DIAMONDS Dialysis Monitoring for Decision Support, to develop real-time blood pressure prediction during dialysis treatment. The iTrend project is now extended until 2023 to investigate the effectiveness of treatment modulation techniques in controlling and mitigating the onset of hypotension during treatment. By mid 2023, the programmes will have collected continuous blood pressure and other physiological data from over 200 patients In the Derby Royal Hospital (RDH) Renal Unit, during multiple 4-hour treament sessions for each patient in order to support the development of the programme

The next phase of the iTrend project will start later in 2024.

Prof Jill Stewart receiving a kidney dialysis machine from Royal Derby Hospital’s Andy Muggleton in our Lab in Lonsdale House, University of Derby

The iTrend Team (minus Prof Jill Stewart) in 2017 for our inaugural dinner in Derby.

l-r: Prof James Elander (UoD), Profs Maarten Taal and Nick Selby (Univ Nottingham and Royal Derby Hospital), Dr Carol Stalker (UoD PhD Student), Prof Kath Mitchell (UoD Vice Chancellor) and. Prof Paul Stewart

iTrend project board meeting with funder Mel Morris (MStart Trust) leading the technical discussion