patientMPower developing AI-powered tool to predict lung disease as it marks ten years in business
Founded in 2015, patientMpower is a leading specialist in remote monitoring technology for lung conditions. Their business is now reaching seven countries, with programmes spanning 12 different conditions across 35 international clinical care centres, including the NHS. patientMpower solutions have supported the care of nearly 20,000 patients to date, with technology enabling 1.7 million home respiratory tests. The company has received over €5M in funding to date from investors and grant awards
Irish med-tech firm patientMpower is expanding its remit to develop an AI-powered tool for the prediction of lung disease as it marks ten years in business.
The development, in partnership with RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, University College Dublin (UCD) and Enterprise Ireland, is set to build on patientMpower’s existing work as a leader in remote medical monitoring innovation in international markets.
The development aims to improve the management of chronic lung diseases, with work initially focusing on interstitial lung diseases (ILD), a condition with an estimated treatment market size of €3 billion globally.
People with the most common form of ILD have a lower average life expectancy than those with most cancers, but the speed of disease progression is highly variable and as yet unpredictable, severely impacting both clinical care decisions and patients’ lives.
The AI-powered tool will monitor symptoms of ILD along with lung function and other medical parameters to predict the rate of progression of the disease. Utilising an algorithm to sift through collated data, clinicians will be better equipped to predict to the progression of ILD among their patients, and plan care accordingly.
Cepta Duffy, Department Manager for Life Sciences & HealthTech at Enterprise Ireland, said:
“Enterprise Ireland is proud to work with patientMpower as they continue to grow and innovate from their base in Dublin. Over the past decade, they have developed technology that is improving patient outcomes and supporting more efficient healthcare delivery in Ireland and in key international markets. Their latest project – developing an AI-powered tool to help predict and manage lung disease – is a strong example of the ambition and expertise within Ireland’s digital healthtech sector, and we look forward to supporting their continued success on the global stage.”
The RCSI Principal Investigator, Professor Killian Hurley, is a consultant respiratory physician at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, and Professor of Medicine at RCSI, where he leads research into genetic lung diseases and regenerative medicine. Professor Killian Hurley commented:
“This collaboration between RCSI, UCD and patientMpower represents a significant step forward in how we approach the management of chronic lung disease. By combining clinical insight with advanced AI technology, we have the potential to transform care pathways and improve outcomes for patients living with conditions like ILD. It’s an exciting example of how Irish-led innovation can have global impact.”
Professor Fergal O’Brien, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at RCSI added:
“At RCSI, we are committed to advancing research that delivers real-world impact. Collaborations like this with patientMpower demonstrate how academic innovation can drive transformative healthcare solutions, improving outcomes for patients in Ireland and internationally.”
Founded in 2015 by Eamonn Costello and co-founders Kerill Thornhill and Colin Edwards, patientMpower specialises in remote digital monitoring for lung conditions, enabling patients to better manage their own healthcare while simultaneously supporting the reduction of lengthy hospital waiting lists.
Based at The Digital Hub in Dublin 8, patientMpower has grown to provide digital health solutions across seven countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands. Over its ten years in business, its technology has supported the care of nearly 20,000 patients, with current delivery programmes spanning 12 different conditions across 35 clinical centres.
The Irish medical innovation business first found international success in 2019 with a deal in New York’s NYU Langone Health, where a home monitoring solution was established for its lung transplant programme.
Using patientMpower software, which enables the identification of post-operative complications from home, NYU Langone recorded a 66% reduction in the need for out-patient appointments. The success of the firm’s first international deal was widely regarded, with US Federal data rating NYU Langone’s programme as the best in the nation and Lung Transplant Director Dr Luis Angel attributing patientMpower’s solution as being integral to this success.
One year later amid the pandemic, the business recognised an opportunity to support overwhelmed healthcare systems and rapidly developed a COVID-19 remote monitoring solution in just two weeks. The technology became a critical component of the HSE’s response to the pandemic, with impacts visible across several hospitals, including the Mater, Beaumont and St. James’s Hospitals, where over 3,000 patients were remotely monitored from March 2020, freeing up much needed bed capacity.
The same year became one of growth, as patientMpower’s expansion flourished with multiple contracts awarded with the NHS. Deals with major healthcare centres, including Guys’s & St Thomas’, Birmingham and Manchester Hospitals, resulted in the business winning a NHSX Digital Health Partnership Award in 2021.
Commenting on the business’s growth, Eamonn Costello, CEO of patientMpower said:
“patientMpower was born out of direct experience in navigating the healthcare system, with a view that emerging technology could be used to support a more patient-centric approach to care. Over the last ten years, we have seen this model come into play with our technology rolled out across 35 clinical care centres and its success to date is astounding. As technology continues to rapidly develop, we want to grow with it and that’s why we’re now exploring how AI-powered technology can support our systems, like so many other sectors.
“The story of patientMpower over the last ten years has been truly incredible and I am very proud and thankful to our team, as well as our partners, friends and colleagues across The Digital Hub campus and its wider network. We look forward to continuing to grow our business and introduce new technology to enhance the patient experience and contribute positively to the healthcare sector at home in Ireland and abroad.”
For more information on patientMpower, visit patientmpower.com
AuthorDigital Hub Team