👨🏽⚕️🩻🩺 Last week, Curious PR headed to London N1 for GIANT Health to dive into the future of healthcare and health-tech, alongside some of the world's brightest innovators.
We heard from NHS England Chair, Richard Meddings CBE, who addressed the tough realities: ER pressures, limited beds and Primary Care struggles. He stressed the need to invest steadily behind long-term initiatives, but admitted “basics are under real pressure due to lack of funding.” 'Prevention' stole the spotlight when one audience member called for more focus on this all-important ‘P.’ The resulting applause resonated with us, and with client, Health Diagnostics - UK leader in community-led care via NHS and workplace health checks.
We particularly enjoyed connecting with innovative companies such as:�
🏃🏼 Norvana - a new health assistant which blends fitness, diet and lab data for highly personalised insights.
🧠 Reneural - the neuro-rehabilitation platform integrating VR, robotics and EMG to support stroke survivors.
👩🏽💻 Diversido - a software development studio specialising in Health and Wellness products.
In a world of stretched resources, innovation and collaboration remain vital. Our team left feeling cautiously optimistic. We look forward to seeing what 2025 brings for healthcare communication.
#GIANT2024 #GIANTHealthConference #Innovation #NHSHealthChecks #Healthcare #Healthprevention
👩🏽🔬🧫🧪Lab-made blood stem cells? Yes, it’s happened! For the first time, human blood stem cells have been created in a lab, and tested in mice without immune systems. In up to 50% of cases, the cells became functional bone marrow – a huge step forward for potential cancer treatments.
This breakthrough could one day see a patient’s own cells used to grow healthy new bone marrow, reducing the risk of rejection, and solving the donor supply issue. Andrew Elefanty of the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia explains: First, blood or skin cells are reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells which have the ability to develop into blood stem cells. Next, these stem cells undergo a process called differentiation, whereby they are directed to become blood vessels, and then blood cells - producing millions of new blood cells in just 2 weeks.
Abbas Shafiee from the University of Queensland calls it a “magnificent breakthrough”, but notes that more research and human trials are needed before it can be used in clinics. Still, this could help revolutionise how we treat cancers like leukaemia and lymphoma.
Curious to know more? Read the full article here: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2446107-lab-grown-stem-cells-could-be-a-breakthrough-for-cancer-treatment/
#MedicalBreakthrough #CancerResearch #CancerTreatment #StemCellTherapy #HealthInnovation
🎉🤞🏽🥂 Exciting NEWS! We’re finalists in TWO categories at the European Agency Awards! - 'Best Not-For-Profit Campaign' and 'Best Agency Culture'
🐟 Our #FishFarmsOut campaign on behalf of Rauch Foundation - featured on BBC World News, Financial Times, MailOnline - is making waves globally, having united 175 voices from 6 continents to sign a letter to the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO) asking it to stop classifying industrial fish farming as 'sustainable'. It is anything BUT!
🤝 The word ‘Curious’ comes from the verb ‘to care’, so we're SUPER proud to be finalists in the 'Best Agency Culture' category, having conveyed our creative, collaborative, fair workplace culture, which we see as key to sustainable success.
🙏🏾 A huge thank you to the European Agency Awards judges, Don't Panic Events, rauchfoundation, katheti.gr, the_gsfr, Don't Cage Our Oceans , Conscience Consulting - plus other partners and collaborators, members of the media, and all who have supported our team and campaigns.
🍀 Good luck to all well-deserving finalists at the awards - bring on November’s event! 💪
Read more about #FishFarmsOut (Link in Bio).
#EUAgencyAwards #PR #Awards #AgencyCulture #NotForProfit #Finalists
#PRAwards
🎈🎂🥂 The happiest of birthdays to our endlessly curious MD, Hannah Kapff ! #HappyBirthday 🥳
🏴🌍🌳 Tick trouble on the horizon! Scotland’s tick population could soar if global temperatures climb by 4°C, nearly doubling these parasite’s population and raising the risk of spread of Lyme disease. Even a smaller temperature rise below the 1.5C target could lead to a significant increase in ticks. Lyme disease, which already affects 1 in 10 people globally, is transmitted by infected ticks, causing symptoms from facial paralysis to memory loss, with symptoms lingering for months or even years after treatment.
Ticks thrive in warm conditions, and with climate change, researchers at the University of Stirling are sounding the alarm. They predict that even tick free habitats could be sustaining populations by 2080 - potentially leading to a 99% increase if temperatures hit 4C, the University’s Mathematicians have said.
However, there is a silver lining! A new model developed by Prof Rachel Norman and her team shows that if the temperature rise is kept below 1°C, tick numbers could drop by 26%. Additionally, this model could be key in predicting and preventing future disease risks, with Prof Norman commenting it could enable future “predictions of disease risk”, hopefully helping us keep ahead of the curve.
So what actions will YOU be taking against climate change to prevent these tiny terrors from taking over?
Read the full article (Link in Bio).
#ClimateChange #LymeDisease #Scotland #ProtectYourHealth #F2L
🔥☀️🌎 Last Sunday, we experienced the world’s hottest day on earth. The global temperature record was shattered, with an average surface air temperature of 17.09°C (62.76°F), driven by carbon emissions. Though this may seem a small jump from 2023's 17.08°C, this slight increase is making a huge impact.
The Guardian reported on the terrifying repercussions of global warming, and the drastic measures we must ALL take. Even a glimpse at recent flooding and wildfires tells us just how unprepared we are now, and less prepared still for what an even warmer world will bring… It cites research showing the cuts needed from 2020- 2050: a supply fall of coal by 99%, oil by 70% and gas by 84%.
This cannot happen if global policies are still set to allow an increase in global warming to 2.5°C by 2100, rising from the current 1.3°C and surpassing the critical threshold of 1.5°C. Briefly, La Niña (cooling of the Pacific ocean) is expected to slow down a roasting of the planet - but if a natural phenomenon can’t stop it for long, what steps will YOU be taking to help our climate?
#HottestDayEver #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #LaNiña
🐦🧐🦉Are you a ‘lark' or an ‘owl’? (Also known as chronotypes). For years we’ve been told early birds are more ‘productive' than night owls. BUT according to a new study, people who are 'evening-active’ tend to exhibit better cognitive performance than 'early risers’. The UK Biobank Cohort Study by West et al. reveals a positive correlation between optimal sleep length and cognitive scores, which is influenced by participants' morning or evening preferences. Notably, 'night owls' consistently outperformed their 'early bird' counterparts in cognitive tests.
The perfect sleep length - 7-9 hours - is emphasised as being crucial for cognitive function: too long, or too short, can be detrimental for brain health. Our key takeaway? Aligning your sleep schedule with your chronotype can help ensure peak cognitive performance. Most of our team are owls - but what’s YOUR chronotype?
Read the full article here: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/night-owl-or-lark-may-affect-cognition-2024a1000cvo?ecd=mkm_ret_240717_mscpmrk-OUS_ICYMI_etid6672652&uac=481659HV&impID=6672652
#PerfectYourSleep #SleepScience #SleepHealth #Neurology #SleepStudy #Chronotype
🥂🙌🏾📣Some FANTASTIC news to end the week! We are FINALISTS for 'Best Not-For-Profit Campaign' at the 2024 UK Agency Awards! We've made it alongside 5 other agencies, based on our recent work with Brussels-based @conscienceconsulting on behalf of US-based @RauchFoundation.
We are thrilled to be recognised for our achievements, which include securing media coverage in BBC World News, Financial Times and Mail Online. Not to mention helping to get 175 organisations from 6 continents to sign an open letter demanding that the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) stops classifying industrial fish farming as “sustainable.” To find out why we must protect vulnerable communities and ecologies from this impact, please read the facts at www.fishfarmsout.org
🙏🏾Thank you to @UKAgencyAwards judges, @RauchFoundation, @Katheti, strategic partners @GSFR and @DCOO, members of the media, and everyone else involved.
Good luck to all the other agencies, and and bring on September's event!!
We’re thrilled to see the incredible momentum the #FishFarmsOut campaign has gained over the weekend! We’ve received fantastic coverage from BBC World News, the FT, The Fish Site, @desmognews , and the Tasmanian Times. NGOs and experts, such as @slowfood_international and @feedbackorg, have also shown tremendous support via social media. The collaboration and enthusiasm for this campaign has been nothing short of inspiring.
The time to act is NOW! The UN must take carnivorous fish farming OFF its list of “Sustainable”aquaculture practices. Consumers deserve to know where their seafood is coming from!
Willing to help?
✍🏼 Sign the petition at: https://action.wemove.eu/sign/2024-5-ask-the-un-fao-to-exclude-carnivorous-fish-farming-from-sustaina-EN
📲 Share this short compelling video with your network: https://youtu.be/aqQblAqc6ao
👀 Read the open letter here: https://fishfarmsout.org/#letter