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Bladder cancer is the fifth most common form of cancer, with over 70% of cases presenting as non-muscle invasive bladder carcinomas (NMIBC). Research in the Institute of Cancer Therapeutics at the University of Bradford led to the evaluation of Apaziquone (EO9) in phase II clinical trials against high risk NMIBC in The Netherlands, and two multi-centre phase III clinical trials involving 106 centres across the USA, Canada and Europe. A total of 1,746 patients with low or high risk NMIBC received EO9 and significant reductions in the rates of recurrence at two years have been reported. Our research has impacted upon the health and welfare of patients with NMIBC.
One of the main impacts of Bradford's ethnicity research is its influence on how the Substantive Equality Unit (SEU) was set up and continues to operate within the Equal Opportunities Commission of Western Australia. The SEU was established to address the challenge of creating equal and inclusive services, and ensuring their delivery, by all the departments of the Western Australian government for a diverse population. Its central role in promoting equality in the region is on-going and long-term. The beneficiaries of this impact are the government and minorities in the region, particularly Aboriginals and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Falls are a common and serious health risk for older people and reducing falls is a priority for the NHS. Research at the University of Bradford on the link between vision and falls has led to new healthcare guidelines, specifically those from the College of Optometrists and the British Geriatrics Society and endorsed by Age UK and the Royal College of General Practitioners. Continuing professional development practices have changed and public awareness of this health risk has been raised by Which? reports and subsequent media coverage. These developments have impacted on the health and welfare of older people, particularly those at risk of falls.
A manufacturing process developed by Bradford researchers has revolutionised the way endodontists perform root canal treatments. When coated with a hydrophilic polymer, the highly-filled hygroscopic material has enabled UK company DRFP to develop SmartPoint — a new endodontic technique that dramatically reduces failure rates of root canal treatments from 11-30% over five years to approximately 1%, and gives lower levels of post-operative pain when compared with conventional techniques. The technology has won three awards for innovation and DRFP has expanded significantly, with a dedicated production facility and sales team offering visits to dentists to demonstrate the benefits of the technology.
Bradford academics developed a research framework to understand equality, diversity and inclusion which health organisations used in formulating policy and practice. This led to more effective engagement in these issues thereby improving community wellbeing and addressing health inequalities. The framework informed changes in the commissioning and delivery of local community health services and in national level human resources rationale. A service provider redesigned their preventive services, incorporated novel employment and peer adviser opportunities and achieved higher levels of engagement and service use within their diverse community. The framework has been used by a range of organisations including Brap and Gateway Family Services, to underpin their participation-based, voice-centred research. Notably McMillan Cancer Support has used the voice-centred approach, developed by Brap using the Bradford framework, to develop their policy and practice.
Research at the University of Bradford has enabled many major vehicle and brake manufacturers to improve the design of their brakes and braking systems to increase customer satisfaction and sales, and reduce costs. Methods have been developed to predict the thermo-mechanical and dynamic performance of brakes and provide design improvements. Durable solutions have been developed for noisy brakes, which have reduced warranty costs for approximately ten international collaborating companies including Bentley, where a squeal noise from the front brakes of a new vehicle had prevented it from being released for production. Our research has been embedded into short courses, which have trained over 250 engineers since 2008 and is incorporated into Jaguar Land Rover's (JLR) professional training.
Research into die drawing of polymers at Bradford has resulted in a new building material that is stronger and more durable than wood; and new bioresorbable shape-memory polymers for use in medical implants that reduce patient trauma and costs. The wood replacement material is commercialised by the United Forest Products/Dow USA 2010 spin out company Eovations LLC for use in a range of construction applications; the bioresorbable shape-memory polymers have recently been patented (4 patents filed) by Smith & Nephew for use in soft tissue fixations. These impacts form part of a range of exploitations of our oriented polymer technology.
Research carried out at the University of Bradford has directly and indirectly influenced how prisons in England and Wales respond to issues of diversity and equalities; consequently impacting the lived experience of those working and residing in prisons. The research has contributed to the development of a national equalities policy framework; the development of new national and local policies and guidance for the care and management of transgender offenders; revisions to and widening of the mechanisms for prisoner reporting and investigation of discrimination and inequality, and the development of human capital through a more equalities literate workforce and prisoner population.
World leading research from the Bradford Dementia Group (BDG) has transformed policy and practice in dementia care by demonstrating the need to understand the experience and perspective of people living with dementia in order to ensure their well-being. It has provided a model of dementia care, Person-Centred Care (PCC), and an observational measure and practice development methodology, Dementia Care Mapping (DCM). In England, PCC and DCM are integral to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines and DCM is endorsed by the National Audit Office. Regulators use our DCM derivative, the Short Observational Framework for Inspection (SOFI) to audit care. Our research has wide international reach. Since 2008, 3616 practitioners have been trained in DCM in the UK and a further 3189 internationally.
University of Bradford research into medication error management has directly impacted upon policy and practice, informing changes to mitigate potential harm across the 49 children's hospice services in the UK. Implementation of a research-informed medicines management toolkit co-produced by the Bradford team and Children's Hospices UK (now Together for Short Lives) resulted in hospices identifying key vulnerabilities and using guidance from the toolkit to make significant service improvements. This impact of this research has resulted in changes in both practice and behaviour by strengthening systems for error reporting including the analysis of contributory factors — staff are now identifying more errors and near misses, consequently leading to a reduced risk to the children.