The winners of last year's new Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition to find innovative technology based solutions in Kidney Care have been announced on 13th May 2014.
The £3.6 m SBRI funding competition was launched last October by the Department of Health and the National Institute for Health Research Devices for Dignity Healthcare Technology Co-operative (NIHR D4D HTC) to help the 5,000 people diagnosed with kidney failure every year. There are currently 41,000 patients in England receiving treatment for kidney failure.
The loss of kidney function is a life changing event that can result in life-long dependence on healthcare for the patient. Innovations in earlier diagnosis of kidney disease could reduce the number of affected individuals while other new technologies can give patients with kidney failure greater independence and enable treatment closer to home.
The 14 winners of the SBRI competition are:
University of Cambridge and SensorHut Ltd - development of an innovative sensor that can detect early AKI by sensing volatile molecules in the urine, at the bedside.
Helier Scientific Ltd - development of a sensitive test for urinary K-Cadherin, a marker of kidney disease progression in patients with diabetes
Jasmine Media Productions LLP - a virtual 4D technology to increase patient confidence towards vascular access cannulation and promote self-care and home haemodialysis treatment options
Patientrack Limited and Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust – automated information technology system to calculate risk and alert clinical teams.
DocCom Careflow (tm)- ensuring faster treatment of Acute Kidney Injury using secure messaging to deliver alerts to clinicians in real time and then enabling instant, mobile cross team referrals and conversation.
UK Renal Data Collaboration-– delivering patient results in real time and modules to allow patients to flag up mistakes and changes in their medical records
East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust - a telemedicine platform to reduce patient hospital attendance
IF Sensing Ltd - a device for monitoring renal function at home using interstitial fluid allowing out of hospital monitoring of kidney function
Atlantis Healthcare - an online support programme using coping exercises to improve self-management in order to delay disease progression and aid shared decision-making around dialysis in order to reduce distress and decisional conflict
Randox Laboratories Ltd - a test for Aminoacylase-1, a biosensor for early transplant function
University of Leeds - an immunoabsorption system for patients due to have blood group incompatible transplants and can be used simultaneously with haemodialysis, reducing treatment time and time spent in hospital.
Microsensor Limited - infection sensors that can be incorporated into existing peritoneal dialysis products
Frazer-Nash Consultancy Ltd – modelling the "dialysis day" with the aim of minimising delays in haemodialysis patient treatment
365 Response Ltd - a booking app for transport, one key factor for delays in haemodialysis treatment
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