About RespiDx
RespiDx is developing medical devices designed for monitoring congestive heart failure (CHF) and other medical conditions in the home.
The Company’s core team consists of serial entrepreneurs in the field of medical devices with a track record of growing successful start-ups: Flight Medical, VersaMed, Syqe Medical and SteadyMed.
RespiDx’s efforts are currently focused on optimizing the Company’s Multimometer™ device for mass-manufacturing and market entry, and building the Company’s rule-based software system for remote monitoring of vital-signs trends.
Due the potential contribution of the Company’s products to healthcare in under-developed countries, the development has been largely funded by international grants.
Multimometer™ – Universal Vital Signs Thermometer
The Multimometer™ is a first-in-class diagnostic device for use at home, enabling self-monitoring and tele-monitoring of CHF and other medical conditions.
The Multimometer™ is an easy-to-use device similar to the familiar home thermometer, but which combines the functionality of a digital thermometer, a pulse oximeter and a respiratory rate meter.
The Multimometer™ is designed to serve a wide range of applications: tele-monitoring of CHF in developed countries, diagnosis of pneumonia in under-developed countries, assisting parents and monitoring the health of their children, etc.
The Multimometer™ can eventually replace the standard digital thermometer as a basic health-monitoring device used at home, in the clinic, and in the hospital.
The Multimometer™ is covered by international patent applications.
Applications
Monitoring Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) by CHF centers
Diagnosing pneumonia in underdeveloped countries
Other applications
Monitoring Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a widespread condition with 72 millions patients treated annually worldwide of which 6 million are in the USA. Many CHF patients are treated by CHF centers as ambulatory patients. They are at risk of hospitalization when their lungs get congested. The CHF Center’s objective is to improve detection and treatment of early exacerbations and thus reduce hospitalization and related costs.
Current solutions for monitoring exacerbations, such as vest-based and patch-based systems, are complex, and the patient compliance is poor.
The Multimometer™ addresses the shortcomings of these solutions. The familiarity and convenience of the thermometer-shaped Multimometer™ device will ensure high patient compliance.
Patients will use the Multimometer™ once daily for only 30 seconds and their vital-signs will then be sent automatically to the appropriate CHF Center, enabling easy, efficient and reliable monitoring. Based on these vital-signs trends the CHF Center can recommend the appropriate course of action, whether a regimen change at home, a visit to the CHF Center or a referral to a hospital emergency room.
Diagnosing pneumonia in under-developed countries
Pneumonia kills about a million children under 5 every year and is the primary cause of child death in under-developed countries. The United Nations and the World Health Organization are leading the fight against pneumonia and mounting a major effort to improve diagnosis and treatment in the field.
In the absence of chest radiology & blood tests, pneumonia is classified based on symptoms and physical examinations:
- Tachypnea – high respiratory rate
- Fever – high body temperature
- Hypoxemia – low oxygen level
The Multimometer™ can measure all those vital signs in one go, in a simple and effective manner. Two models of the device – a thermometer-shaped model and a pacifier-shaped model – cover the required age ranges.
Clinical studies of the Multimometer™ are underway in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
RespiDx’s activities in diagnosing pneumonia in under-developed countries are supported by Grand Challenges Israel, USAid and Grand Challenges Canada.
Other applications
The Multimometer™ has the potential of becoming the “next generation thermometer” – an easy-to-use device that provides basic information related to personal health.
For children: The Multimometer™ is a simple tool for empowering parents at home to assess how sick their child is, and decide whether to take him/her to a clinic or a hospital emergency room.
For the elderly: The vital signs measured by the Multimometer™ are transparently stored in RespiDx’s cloud-based system, from where they can be viewed by remote relatives and caregivers. By monitoring these vital signs, relatives and caregivers are able to remotely observe whether the daily readings are being taken, and whether the vital signs remain stable. The stability of the vital signs can serve as an indication of patient compliance with the prescribed medication regimen.
For clinics and hospitals: The Multimometer™ can serve for initial assessment of new patients or for routine assessment of hospitalized patients.
Management Team
Yossi Aldar, CEO – Seasoned CEO with extensive experience in founding and managing medical device start-ups, including: Syqe Medical, SteadyMed Therapeutics (NASDAQ:STDY), VersaMed (acquired by GE Healthcare) and Flight Medical (TASE:FLGM).
Dr. Keren Fradkin, PhD, VP R&D – Entrepreneur and executive in the BioMed & Electro-Optics fields. Previously the GM and VP R&D at SteadyMed Therapeutics; VP Electro-Optical Products at MediVision, acquired by Merge Healthcare (NASDAQ:MRGE).
Prof. Israel Amirav, MD, Medical Director – Co-founder, RespiDx; expert in Pediatric Pulmonology, Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Experienced medical device developer.
Ian Solomon, VP Business Development – Serial entrepreneur in the field of medical devices. Co-founder of SteadyMed, Dosense, Aespira and RespiDx.
Amir Elhasid – Marketing Director – previously, Global Marketing Director, Teva Respiratory. Expert in marketing of medical devices.
Gidi Kahana 1953-2016 – Experienced manager in the chemical, life-science and drug delivery industries. Founder of Silex Projects. Co-founder of LaraPharm, Guardian Therapeutics, Lumiere Technologies (Switzerland), SteadyMed, Aespira, Satec Ecochem and RespiDx.
And a dear friend.