Posted on: 3/06/2014
A personalised self-management service for sufferers of respiratory diseases such as COPD, asthma and cystic fibrosis has secured a Cambridgeshire-based SME top prize in a Europe-wide e-health innovation challenge backed by the European Commission.
Aseptika picked up the award in Nice last month for its Activ8rlives service – a tailored suite of self-monitoring devices that enable sufferers of lung diseases and their carers to track health indicators, such as peak flow, pulse oximetry and temperature to predict flare ups in their condition at home.
Alongside simple measurement devices such as a Bluetooth thermometer, activity tracker, pulse oximeter and peak flow meter, a biomarker test is used to detect a specific bacterial lung infection found in those chronically infected 10 to 15 days before it strikes. This means the sufferer can alert their clinician to take proactive action to alleviate symptoms and reduce the likelihood of hospital admission.
With funding from NHS England’s phase three Small Business Research Initiative Healthcare (SBRI Healthcare) scheme, Aseptika is currently running a clinical trial which incorporates Activ8rlives’ measurement devices with the biomarker test. Working in collaboration with the clinical team at a leading NHS healthcare trust in the south of England, the initiative has enabled Aseptika to fund positions for a research nurse and a laboratory technician to support the trial.
Dr Kevin Auton, managing director at Aseptika, commented: “Around 6 million people suffer from respiratory conditions across the UK, and managing these conditions is extremely time intensive for both the sufferer and the carer. We have developed Activ8rlives to support sufferers and their carers to self-manage their long-term condition through self-monitoring at home, preventing serious ill health and hospitalisation wherever possible.
“We have received a great deal of support and encouragement from our NHS partners and funders of the SBRI scheme, and winning this competition has proved to us that SMEs can take forward innovative projects that can change people’s lives.
“The success of our product highlights the need for more investment in SMEs as opposed to investing all funding in academic research. Innovation is our business and it is in our interest to ensure our ideas come to fruition and reach patients and the wider marketplace as quickly and seamlessly as possible. This is our first and foremost priority as an SME, therefore we believe SMEs should take the lead in driving technical innovation in healthcare, conducted in close partnership with clinical leaders.”
Organised by Spanish Healthcare cooperative TIC BioMed, with support from the European Commission and WoHIT, the European e-health competition saw 15 finalists from eight countries compete for recognition.
As a prize winner Aseptika secured a suite of prizes including a one year members to the newly launched market accelerator, the D Health Catalyst.
Led by healthcare consultancy and sponsor of the European e-health competition, D Health, the Catalyst aims to create a successful digital healthcare market place by recruiting 150 organisations from the public, private and third sector, including the NHS, SMEs, blue chip firms and investors. So far 30 organisations have signed up, including household names such as Johnson and Johnson’s LifeScan and Celesio (owners of Lloyds Pharmacy).
Dr Steven Dodsworth, CEO at D Health and a former scientist with the UK arm of the Human Genome project, said: “We are very pleased Aseptika has joined our Catalyst programme following their success at the competition in Nice. The organisation is leading the way for SMEs in the life sciences sector, proving to the industry that they have the knowledge, drive and influence to take projects from start to finish to create innovative services and products that will improve the lives of countless people.
“Everyone in the healthcare industry knows what challenges lie ahead – an ageing population, more lifestyle-related ill health and growing constraints on budgets. In a nutshell, there is an increasing demand for services but fewer resources to deliver them. Digital healthcare has the potential to deliver popular, personalised, efficient and affordable patient services, and yet, the market isn’t growing fast enough to alleviate pressure on the NHS and local authorities.
“By creating a partnership that embodies all sections of the healthcare industry we aim to create not only new products and services but a new market dynamic based on collaboration. That way the industry can develop urgently required services that support and supplement sustainable health and care services for the future.”
For more information about D Health and the Catalyst programme, please visit https://www.dhcl.org/.
For more information about Aseptika visit https://activ8rlives.com/