Pirate in Portishead?

If the rumours are true, then very soon we could have Johnny Depp as our next door neighbour here in Bristol.

Apparently, Depp, who currently resides in France, has been spotted shopping in Waitrose in Portishead, sparking rumours that the star is moving to this part of the country.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that Depp has been rumoured to be moving to the South West. In 2000, whilst filming Chocolat, he apparently bought a house in Bruton, and in 2004 he was linked to a property in Wells.

So, watch out for a large pirate ship in Portishead marina … Johnny Depp may be the captain!

New Imaging Technology For Breast Cancer Screening

Bristol-based Micrima has secured £2 million of investment from a syndicate of co-investors led by YFM Group and Swarraton Partners. Existing investor NESTA also participated in the funding round. The YFM Group investment was made from the South West Ventures Fund and Finance South West Growth Fund. 

Micrima, a spin-out from the University of Bristol, is developing a breast imaging system that captures high-resolution, 3D images through the use of radio waves. The system is called MARIA - Multistatic Array processing for Radiowave Image Acquisition.

Breast cancer is the most common cause of death for women aged between 35 and 59 in the EU.   For various reasons the under-50s are not routinely screened.  Micrima’s technology has the potential to offer several advantages over existing primary screening technology, which encounters difficulties in imaging the dense tissue associated with this younger age group.  

MARIA promises to provide better images in such tissue, and is also relatively inexpensive, intrinsically safe, and comfortable for the patient.  

The implications of this safe new technology are far-reaching, particularly as the compact size and low cost of the MARIA system will make it ideal for use in numerous alternative locations such as GP surgeries, diagnostic centres and mobile screening units.

Initial blind trials with volunteers have shown MARIA to compare very well with current X-ray technology, correctly identifying all participants with anomalies and ‘clearing’ all healthy volunteers.

To arrange an interview, please contact hannah@montagecomms.com