Tony Keating, managing director of digital health company ResApp Health (ASX:RAP) has confirmed the company will maintain its strong interest in sleep apnoea technology, following positive clinical proof-of-concept studies.
Speaking at the TechKnow Invest Roadshow in Melbourne Mr Keating said that the early stage trials recorded sound on a smartphone to produce results that were strong enough to warrant further investigation.
We’ve been using out algorithm expertise and we’ve been able to analyse that sound and get accuracy rates of roughly mid-ninety percent to diagnose, or to screen, sleep apnoea.”
“We’re really excited about this first proof-of-concept result. We’ll continue to develop that technology and we’re entering prospective tests now,” he said.
The company is working with Dr Philip Currie and Dr Ivan Ling of Cardio Respiratory Sleep to recruit patients at Hollywood Private Hospital and The Park Private Hospital in Perth, Australia.
Recent data from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study showed that sleep apnoea affects more than three in ten men and nearly two in ten women, providing significant blue-sky potential to ResApp’s new technology.
The study concluded 80 percent of people suffering moderate and severe sleep apnoea are undiagnosed, with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine estimating undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea to cost the US economy approximately $149.6 billion annually.
Sleep apnoea technology is highly complementary to ResApp’s existing portfolio of solutions, with its flagship app also using smartphone recordings to diagnose respiratory diseases, such as pneumonia, bronchiolitis, croup and even the common cold.
ResApp will continue to keep investors informed of future test work, with the company currently recruiting patients for a prospective study and targeting regulatory submission by the end of 2018.
