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Diabetes is a big problem and is a growing problem and so
this kind of research
is very important. Not only really for the
UK and Europe, but across the world.
There are only a few groups looking at developing integrated system
which ranges from clinical assessment to footwear. The general ethos of the program
is to develop an integrated system for
diabetic foot assessment. This encompasses
various things. One we want to develop
an integrated system for the use within the clinics.
The second thing is about developing
smart materials for footwear. So many people
have issues with foot which turns into
ulcerations, which then can ultimately,
in a lot of people, end up with amputations. So if we can avoid and
prevent ulcers from happening then we are preventing amputations.
By which we are avoiding a lot of costs for the health services across the
sector. The overall project has five partners. Staffordshire University will
lead and coordinate the program, we have a clinical partner
in India in AR Hospitals
in Chennai in South India that are doing
clinical trials at the moment and we have a initial results
from the trial which is informing the project and that trial and the research results
is being fed back to us here at Staffordshire University
to develop our mathematical and numerical
models which is then transferred on to our partners in Germany
in the University of Magdeburg to develop
new materials and synthesise materials. And once we have
developed a concept for materials it's being manufactured in
Spain at Technofootbeds who supply
the footwear materials across Europe
and once the materials have been manufactured
the shoes are being made at Salts Healthcare
in Birmingham here in the West Midlands. So it is a
consortium of five partners and in 12 months time
hopefully we will have an integrated system for Diabetic Foot
assessment which involve footwear.