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About

With expertise in regenerative medicine, physiology, engineering, orthopaedics, prosthetics and orthotics, rehabilitation and assistive technologies, epidemiology and clinical trial design, we aim to improve lives by delivering improved treatments, increasing the speed to market of musculoskeletal-focused technology and training the next generation of scientists and engineers. 

The population across the globe is living longer, which brings a number of healthcare challenges, especially in musculoskeletal health. The burden of age-related disease and injury is rising rapidly, having a detrimental impact on people’s quality of life and increasing the costs of healthcare provision. Loss of muscle mass and function is the leading reason for loss of independence in later life, and causes impaired mobility, falls, fractures, physical disability, increased insulin resistance and associated co-morbidities, and mortality. The number of hip fractures is expected to rise to 6.3 million by 2050 and the number of diabetic lower limb amputations has now risen to 7,000 per year in the UK and over 70,000 in the USA. 

The University is working to meet these challenges by creating networks of experts working in interdisciplinary musculoskeletal health research to develop new technologies, interventions and practices that will have a positive effect on people’s lives:

  • FortisNet is an interdisciplinary research network of clinical, academic and industrial partners that aims to develop products and services to transform musculoskeletal health. Launched in 2016, we have fostered over 50 new collaborations with other universities from across the UK, the NHS and industry. We have developed courses with national partners to help innovators understand how to bring medical technologies to market, and through investment in interdisciplinary studentships we are working to dissolve discipline boundaries, to train a new generation of life scientists and engineers for the benefit of society.
  • MyAge (Muscle resilience across the life course: from cells to society) is one of eleven UK Ageing Networks, funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Medical Research Council. Led by the Institute for Life Sciences, together with partners from Birmingham, Nottingham and Imperial, the network will guide the future of muscle resilience research through roadmap development and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Village native outside house

Building the evidence for healthy ageing across sub-Saharan Africa

As populations age rapidly across sub-Saharan Africa, healthcare systems face growing challenges in meeting the needs of older adults. Yet research on bone health and fracture risk in African populations has historically been limited, with health priorities largely focused on maternal and child health and infectious diseases.

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  • Dr Devon Lewis standing by a football pitch as a player kicks the ball. Devon is holding an iPad that shows live data streamed from a wearable sensor.

    Muscle analytics for elite sports

    PhD Researcher Dr Devon Lewis is developing a new type of wearable muscle sensor to accelerate injury recovery and performance training in elite sports.

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  • Black and white image of a mother holding her young baby close.

    Preventing the transmission of non-communicable disease risk between generations

    Research from the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Centre demonstrates how the diet and lifestyle choices of prospective parents and pregnant mothers can affect the long-term health of their children.

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People, projects and publications

People

3D X-ray histology facility

3D X-ray histology facility

We provide micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) imaging of soft-tissue samples.
Clinical data researchers compare graphs on a computer screen

Clinical Informatics Research Unit

Our informatics services cover clinical trials management, form design, data integration, health research analysis and clinical innovation.
A student wearing protective clothing uses printed electronics and materials equipment

Printed electronics and materials laboratory

Here we make novel thick-film sensors, actuators and systems printed using silk screen and inkjet printers.

Related research institutes, centres and groups

Connect with us

We welcome new members. To join, or find out more about FortisNet or MyAge, please email the Institute for Life Sciences team.
IfLSAdmin@soton.ac.uk