Australian digital health company ResApp Health has entered a partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), one of the most prestigious hospitals in the US.
Established in 2014, ResApp Health is developing smartphone medical applications that require just sound to monitor the severity of respiratory, such as asthma. The products are based on technology developed at the University of Queensland by Associate Professor Udantha Abyratne.
Having won the support of the 1,000-bed academic medical centre in Boston for a clinical trial in patients with asthma is a significant coup for the Australian start-up.
Thus, ResApp expects that working with MGH will mean a faster enrolment of large numbers of patients into the trial, and that the trial will generate highest quality data to support a FDA de novo submission.
The company has a series of both adult and paediatric clinical studies underway that target a range of respiratory conditions. They include pneumonia, asthma/viral wheeze, bronchiolitis, croup and upper respiratory tract infections, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The technology could be especially useful in telehealth applications, a fast growing industry in the US, but also target conventional markets, such as emergency departments and regular clinics, or in at-home situations.