Researchers at the University of Warwick and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust have completed a study that may lead to clinicians being able to more accurately predict which patients will suffer from the side effects of radiotherapy. Gastrointestinal side effects are commonplace in radiotherapy patients and occasionally severe, yet there is no existing means of predicting which patients will suffer from them.

For an amputee, replacing a missing limb with a functional prosthetic can alleviate physical or emotional distress and mean a return of vocational ability or cosmetics. Studies show, however, that up to 50 percent of hand amputees still do not use their prosthesis regularly due to less than ideal functionality, appearance, and controllability. But Silvestro Micera, of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, is paving the way for new, smart prosthetics that connect directly to the nervous system.

The IHE European Connectathon, the landmark testing event for health IT systems, takes interoperability to a new level gathering actors from across Europe and the Middle East to achieve the safe exchange of medical information and improve patient care. The theme "Connecting the Continents" will be realized with the first IHE International World Summit, the Projectathon testing the cross-border exchange of patient data, and meetings of international organizations,

The PROTECT project, a public-private partnership for innovative methodologies in pharmacovigilance and pharmacoepidemiology coordinated by the European Medicines Agency, has reached a crucial stage with the delivery of two databases which will offer access to important data resources for pharmacovigilance activities and pharmacoepidemiological studies.

The growing ease of DNA sequencing has led to enormous advancements in the scientific field. Through extensive networked databases, researchers can access genetic information to gain valuable knowledge about causative and preventative factors for disease, and identify new targets for future treatments.

A new online programme in Global eHealth is currently being developed under the auspices of the Centre for Population Health Sciences (CPHS) and the Global Health Academy. This modular and interdisciplinary programme will allow students to acquire in depth knowledge of eHealth from an international perspective and with reference to issues for global development.

A secure alert platform launched by the European Commission will improve the safety of patients undergoing transplantation and medical procedures involving human tissues and cells, e.g. bone marrow, cornea, skin, oocytes, sperm, etc. National health authorities can use the web-based Rapid Alert system for Tissues and Cells (RATC) in case of alerts relating to human tissues or cells transferred across borders.