MHRA launches first regional tech 'sandbox' in Manchester
Manchester skyline.
The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has followed through on plans to roll out regional 'sandboxes' for NHS innovations, to operate alongside its centralised initiatives, via a partnership with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT).
The sandboxes are designed to create a safe, regulator-monitored environment where developers, researchers, and health systems can test new technologies, including artificial intelligence and advanced predictive modelling.
MHRA's first two centralised programmes are focusing on software or AI used as a medical device (SaMD/AIaMD) and the use of AI for modernising medicines development and safety, respectively, and are being overseen by the MHRA from its London headquarters in Canary Wharf.
They have now been joined by the Manchester Sandbox, which will deploy and test new technologies in an NHS setting, generating evidence on how they perform with patients and clinicians in day-to-day practice.
One of the key goals of the expansion into regional hubs is to build a unified, UK-wide regulatory support network for new technologies that will help to ensure that access to them is available equitably and as quickly as possible across the entire country.
MHRA has said it is actively exploring how to roll out this innovation hub model – designed to "identify and remove barriers earlier, providing faster clarity on regulatory requirements, NHS adoption and spread, data needs, and clinical evaluation pathways" – to other UK regions.
The agency said that the Manchester initiative means that patients in the city could benefit from earlier diagnosis, more personalised care and faster access to proven new technologies. Meanwhile, NHS trusts will be able to improve patient safety and reduce pressure on overstretched services.
The first technologies to be put through their paces in Manchester are expected to include AI-enabled medical devices, such as tools that can identify patients at higher risk of complications from long-term conditions, enabling earlier support and treatment.
"Manchester is leading the way in getting the best new technologies into the hands of local patients faster – from AI models that can identify people at risk sooner to innovative treatments that could transform NHS care," commented Health Innovation Minister James Frith.
"But innovation must never come at the expense of safety," he added. "That is why this partnership will test out new technologies in real NHS settings but with strict oversight and guardrails, helping us to identify what works, in a carefully controlled way, and making a real difference to patients across Greater Manchester."
The MHRA is now looking for medical device developers interested in taking part in the next phase of the programme, and will hold a joint roundtable meeting with MFT later this year to "help shape the next wave of projects."
