Lab to test medical devices on large animals being considered in Ireland

A national animal testing lab for medical devices in Ireland is being considered according to the Irish Times.

The facility would trial medical devices on large animals. It is said that Curam – a Galway-based centre of research which designs and develops medical devices and implants – will hire a consultant to conduct a feasibility study into the development of a lab.

The Irish Times reports that the consultant would be required to complete a feasibility report by March and provide a white paper on how a national testing lab would operate by June.

Tender documents from the Health Service Executive suggest the reasons for such a lab is to deal with a growing amount of new devices from industry groups and academic researchers. Multinational medical device producers in Ireland are said to believe a centralised testing facility for large animals would be beneficial for research and development.

Part of the tender says: “There is an increase in the requirement for large animal medical device trials in order to bridge translation to human trials. If Ireland had such a facility, it will enable faster translation of implant prototypes as potential human therapies.”