Log in
This case study focuses on the development and usage of self-help material designed to aid people in feeling and performing better. It has achieved impact through raising awareness via mass media and professional outlets. Research informed self-help materials are available for open access via media links, academic organisations, service organisations (NHS), commercial organisations (London Marathon), national governing bodies (Research Councils), and professional bodies (British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences). An on-line project, run in conjunction with BBC Lab UK, developed and tested self-help interventions with 75,000 users each receiving personalised feedback from former Olympian Michael Johnson.
This case study illustrates the development of novel research materials designed to improve quality of life and performance in different populations. Impact has been achieved through the use of research findings in professional practice, formulation of health-related policies and in the development of new indicators of health and well-being. RCSEP research has been used by international and national health-service organisations (e.g., European League Against Rheumatism, Evidence NHS), industrial establishments (e.g., ArtEZ Conservatoire, Netherlands; Royal Ballet), national governing bodies (British Heart Foundation), and professional bodies (e.g., Dance UK, International Association of Dance Medicine & Science).
Research at Essex underpinned the development and application of near infrared muscle oxygen spectroscopy (NIRS) devices that have had medical and sporting applications in three areas:
1) Research on second derivative spectroscopy underpinned the concept of the Hutchinson Technology InSpectraTM tissue spectrometers, and later Essex publications validated the technology. The current device is used for muscle research worldwide, including in sports and exercise science. It has US Food and Drug Administration approval and has been sold for use in many US hospitals with improved clinical outcomes and economic benefits.
2) Applied research, undertaken at Essex, made first use of the Artinis Inc. PortamonTM portable NIRS device in elite athletes (UK short track speed skaters). Subsequently this technology has been used to assist the training of a number of sports teams including [text removed for publication] and the Team GB hockey team.
3) This work was also used to engage the public in sports science research both nationally (e.g. Edinburgh and Cheltenham Science Festivals 2010-2013) and internationally (Abu Dhabi Science Festival 2011-2013).
This case study examines the long-term and ongoing relationship between an industrial collaborator (Chas A Blatchford & Sons Ltd) and researchers at the University of Roehampton. This systematic programme of biomechanical research on how prostheses perform in activities other than walking has had two significant outcomes. Firstly, this work has significantly improved prosthetic design, with four new prosthetic designs marketed worldwide. Secondly, it has increased awareness of — and importantly increased engagement with - exercise therapy for amputees among healthcare professionals (prosthetists and physiotherapists) and amputees themselves. This research has reached a wider audience including amputee charities and healthcare professionals, with whom we focus on mobility and movement rather than the prostheses.
Pioneering research at the University of Chichester lead by Professor Harris provided in 2006 first evidence on the effectiveness of beta-alanine supplementation in augmenting carnosine content in human skeletal muscle. Subsequent studies demonstrated the performance-enhancing effect of beta-alanine supplementation, particularly in high-intensity exercise. The research was exploited by a US company through a number of worldwide patents based on Harris' work achieving sales and license revenues of $4.8M in 2013 fiscal year alone. Beta-alanine supplementation has emerged as a legal means to enhance performance taken up at amateur and elite level sport worldwide; it is having global impact on the sports nutrition industry.
King's College London (KCL), operating a state-of-the-art Drug Control Centre (DCC) in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), delivered the anti-doping analysis at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This operation, undertaken in their World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) accredited laboratories, was characterised by unprecedented scale, speed and accuracy. It succeeded in protecting the health of athletes and the integrity of the Games. KCL was chosen to undertake the 24/7 anti-doping operation based on its cutting-edge bio-analytical research in drug control. Although a number of athletes were disqualified in the pre-Games testing, the deterrent effect of the KCL work was evidenced by the few doping cases during the Games itself. Using the new biomarker test developed by the DCC at KCL in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Southampton, the team identified for the first time the administration of recombinant human growth hormone (hGH) in two athletes. The findings of the KCL-led operation are already being used to develop similar testing facilities for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and have opened up the science of drug-testing to schools through the "Scientists in Sport" initiative.
Research into the biomechanics of elite swimmers with a disability undertaken by Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) has contributed directly to the development of Para-swimming both nationally and internationally. Firstly, it has made a significant and sustained contribution to the development of British Para-swimmers and their coaches, leading to outstanding performances by British swimmers at major International competitions including, most notably, the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, the IPC World Swimming Championships, 2010 and the London 2012 Paralympics. Secondly, In 2009 the IPC mandated the development of new, evidence-based classification systems for Paralympic sports and, in 2010, announced its intention to use the research findings from MMU to help devise a new classification system for Para-swimming.
Biocatalysts provide unique activities that facilitate chemical transformations that are simply not possible using abiotic methods. Northumbria University researchers with expertise in enzymes and biocatalysis have provided biocatalysis services to the pharmaceutical, fine chemical, food and biofuels industries through our business facing innovation unit Nzomics. This has generated significant contract research, collaboration and licence agreements to companies, including the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline and the services-led company Almac. Biocatalysts produced as a result of Northumbria University research and technology transfer are sold worldwide and benefit business through their use in research and development activities, such as the production of intermediates in drug synthesis.
Internationally, immersion is a leading cause of accidental death and the leading cause of death of sportspeople (221 of the 635 UK immersion deaths in 2012 were sports-related). The Extreme Environmental Medicine & Science Research Group (EEMSRG) publishes widely, from scientific papers to specific reports for a wide range of international end-users, including various emergency services. Our research has had global impact on (i) The protection, rescue and treatment of immersion casualties, (ii) International standards, guidelines, policies, campaigns and training manuals of those responsible for the protection, rescue and resuscitation of casualties, (iii) Raised public awareness of immersion issues.
Through Community Finance Solutions (CFS), an award winning research and development unit of the University of Salford, which addresses financial and social exclusion, Improving the Sustainability of Micro-financial Institutions is focused on providing leadership in increasing the sustainability of micro-financial institutions (MFIs) that provide credit or loans to the financially excluded, demonstrating the following impact: