ABOUT 150 delegates from the UK and abroad are expected to attend a specialist textiles conference at Bolton Town Hall on July 17 and 18. Medical Textiles '96 has been organised by the School of Textile Studies at Bolton Institute and is being sponsored by a number of leading UK companies involved in the marketing and manufacture of medical textiles. A spokesman said the School was rapidly becoming a notable research and development centre for textile products used in medicine and surgery.

A number of high technology medical textile products have been pioneered within the School over the last five or six years.

The research group is headed by Professor Subhash Anand, who is also the Reader in the School.

A fully-sponsored, three-year research programme on the treatment of venous ulcers and venous disorders has just been completed.

As a result, a novel fabric will be patented and commercially produced by a Bolton-based nonwovens company.

A new, fully-funded research programme will start soon to research into three-dimensional fabric structures for use in wound management.

In another research project the moisture absorption capacity of cotton fibre has been enhanced by at least 20 per cent - again for use in medical and surgical products. A fully-funded post-doctoral fellow is currently employed within the School to develop "smart dressings" using novel and unique textile fibres which often incorporate sophisticated drugs for controlled and efficient release into the body during treatment.

There will be a Mayor's reception for delegates before the conference dinner on the Wednesday evening.

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