Non-invasive partnership with a spark

18 July 2016

A university in the US will undertake clinical tests of technology developed by Brisbane-based ImpediMed.

The company's bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) technology is non-invasive way for obtaining clinically relevant information, which can help both health care providers and patients in the detection and management of chronic disease.

The technology works by applying a very mild electrical currents to the body. The resistance of the patient's body to the currents can then be measured to monitor, for example, a patient's fat mass, fat free mass and fluid levels.

Vanderbilt University's School of Nursing - a leader in developing and testing innovations in nursing practice, research and education - will investigate the use of ImpediMed's latest BIS hardware design and software user interfaces in specially designed labs and one-on-one interview settings.

ImpediMed was founded by University of Queensland's (UQ) commercial arm UniQuest in 2000, and is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Its technology builds on work by UQ's Dr Leigh Ward, who was awarded a Clunies Ross Award for his achievements in developing the BIS technology.

The company's technology is currently available in Australia and in the US, where it launched its L-Dex product in January this year for the assessment of lymphedema in cancer survivors.

Patients with cancer frequently experience blockage of the normal fluid drainage channels of the lymphatic system due to the cancer or its treatment.

But the company is exploring additional indications for the BIS technology, which could be in areas such as cardiology, nephrology, wellness and fitness. To this end it expanded its clinical trial collaboration with the US Mayo Clinic, with a five year master clinical trial agreement signed in May this year.

More information: www.impedimed.com/