Inventor and Locksmith John pledges to help the NHS

An inventor who underwent life saving heart surgery has come up with a way to help other patients and raise money for the hospital which treated him, at the same time.

John Charnley, a Master Locksmith from Newcastle Upon Tyne, suffered a severe heart attack in 2003 which left him seriously ill and in need of lifesaving quadruple bypass surgery. Since then, he has recovered and went on to develop a ground breaking invention alongside his US based business partner, setting up a UK registered company (Sheppard and Charnley Limited) dedicated to the development of his invention.

As a token of his appreciation for the expert care he received when in hospital, John has committed to donating a share of the revenue from the commercialisation of his invention, an improved solenoid, to the Cardiology Unit at The Freeman Hospital in Newcastle Upon Tyne. From the initial income from his idea, John has already donated a share of the revenue to the Cardiology Unit.

His solenoid has numerous medical applications, including heart assist devices such as pacemakers, biomechanical devices such as artificial limbs, replacement hearts, portable ventilators and wound pressure application devices. However, his solenoid is also extremely well suited to applications in non medical fields such as the power tool industry and the security field. NHS Innovations North are working with Sheppard and Charnley Limited to exploit the invention in each of these fields.

John has said: -

“I am extremely excited about the solenoid as it could dramatically improve patient care. One of the things I am looking at is using the device in pacemakers. At present, pacemaker batteries don’t last for much longer than a decade, meaning that patients have to undergo another operation years after their pacemaker was fitted. My invention would make it possible to power a pacemaker for a lifetime.”

“All conventional solenoids have shortcomings, but this is a truly major breakthrough that will impact not only in established designs but also in completely new product designs. The improved solenoid is highly efficient, truly bi-directional and scalable to suit many different applications.”

The NHS Innovations North team have provided funding and support in the patenting and licensing of the improved solenoid both in the UK and abroad, and are actively looking for commercial partners in relation to the technology.

29/Jul/2010

Contacts: Jamie Ollivere at RTC North

Notes to editor: RTC North is an independent innovation agency committed to helping business and society manage change. Excelling in the areas of technology transfer, business growth and innovation management, RTC North has worked with thousands of organisations since 1989 to create jobs, wealth and a better quality of life for the people of Northern England. Today the company employs over 60 people and has offices in Sunderland, Liverpool and Leeds.

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