Multiverse Lab: shaping the future of health research

“What is the health research breakthrough you hope to see in your lifetime?”

Residents living north of the Tyne are being asked to take part in a new interactive, online experience called Multiverse Lab that will shape the future of health research in North East England.

Created by the award-winning Unfolding Theatre, Multiverse Lab will gather the opinions of 2,000 people finding what matters to local people when it comes to their health. Visitors will be encouraged to add their voice by recording a message that will be shared with researchers and decision-makers to shape future health research in the region.

The project has been commissioned by VOICE, The National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA), National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Newcastle University and The Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Whilst Multiverse Lab is a playful and fun online experience to take part in, health research is more important than ever in 2020. Many of the commissioning partners are leading ground-breaking and innovative research that are making life better for people living in the North East and beyond. This includes the work of Professor Roy Taylor; whose study into a low-calorie diet approach and its ability to put Type 2 diabetes in remission is informing new treatments for Type 2 diabetes patients. Most recently, NIHR Newcastle In Vitro Diagnostics Co-operative has been involved in national research efforts to accelerate how quickly promising Covid-19 diagnostics make it into real-world use.