eHealth software company Respiri (ASX: RSH) has unveiled a new partnership agreement with the University of Edinburgh to feed data from its proprietary Wheezo devices into a new data research centre in the UK to advance research into respiratory conditions.
The news comes in parallel to the company’s preparations to launch its innovative Wheezo platform in Europe, a digital means of benefitting asthma sufferers throughout the world in managing their disease more effectively.
The technology detects what is known as a “wheeze”, a typical symptom of asthma, COPD and respiratory disease, to provide an objective measure of airway limitation.
According to Respiri, Wheezo is the “only platform of its kind” and utilises machine learning to provide personalised feedback and education based on the user’s personal health data correlated with environmental factors.
The software allows users to track various factors to better understand how respiratory conditions such as asthma affects sufferers. Also, the platform offers handy tools such as medication reminders, previous history and detailed data logs.
The eHealth company said its proprietary Acoustic Respiratory Monitoring (ARM) technology records airway sounds to detect continuous adventitious breath sounds and measure the extent of wheezing caused by airway obstruction, “Respiri devices work like a stethoscope, utilising contact sensors to acquire breath sounds at the windpipe.”
Moreover, and in-line with our digital age, the platform also enables a plethora of data sharing options to better integrate existing caregivers, physicians and other health care professionals.
Wheezing for data
The agreement with the University of Edinburgh will see data collected from the Wheezo ecosystem to be used in developing innovations for the delivery of care for people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and respiratory infections, by the Health Data Research Hub for Respiratory Health led by the University of Edinburgh’s Professor Aziz Sheikh.
The health data research hub is currently one of seven new facilities led by Health Data Research UK, partially funded by a 4-year £37 million (A$68 million) investment from the Government Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund led by UK Research and Innovation.
In the field of respiratory infections and pulmonary disease, the University of Edinburgh is currently partnering with over a dozen institutions including leading institutions such as the Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, Kings College London and Novartis Pharmaceuticals.
Respiri said it will work alongside Professor Sheikh and the research hub to expand its patient experience program to the UK, as Respiri prepares to enter the European market next year.
In Australia, Respiri expects to stage a commercial launch towards the end of 2020.
“Wheezo brings cutting edge innovation in the monitoring of respiratory disease and this is an incredible opportunity to demonstrate how the platform is beneficial to patients, the industry and the NHS,” said Respiri’s chief executive officer and managing director Marjan Mikel.
“The timing is perfect for Respiri as we now have CE mark, clearing Wheezo for our European commercial launch in 2021. Our partner, Professor Sheikh and his team at the hub intend to be at the forefront of digitally-enabled respiratory health, and we are honoured to be a part of it,” he said.
