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Three researchers honoured for creating a device to diagnose sleep apnea in the home.
Posted On: June 20, 2016
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(L-R) Drs. Fernie, Bradley, Reid, Alshaer and Paige.
The 2015 UHN Inventor of the Year award went to three UHN researchers that developed BresoDx®—a device that can be used to diagnose sleep apnea at home. These researchers are Drs. Hisham Alshaer (Scientist, TRI), T. Douglas Bradley (Senior Scientist, TRI) and Geoff Fernie (Institute Director and Senior Scientist, TRI).
The award recognizes excellence in translating findings into new technologies, services and products, and is sponsored by UHN’s Technology Development and Commercialization (TDC) office. It was presented to the researchers at the UHN Annual General Meeting on June 15, 2016 by Drs. Christopher Paige (EVP of Science and Research) and John Reid (Director of TDC).
People with sleep apnea experience recurrent pauses in breathing that deprive organs of oxygen during sleep. If left untreated, it can increase the risk of stroke, heart failure and driving accidents. Up to 90% of those with sleep apnea, however, do not know that they have the disorder. This is largely due to the way sleep apnea is diagnosed: patients must undergo inconvenient overnight testing in sleep laboratories, which often have very long waiting times.
BresoDx® overcomes this barrier by enabling patients to take a sleep apnea test in the comfort of their own home—enhancing the likelihood that people will take the test. Patients wear a wireless, battery-operated device to measure breathing sounds and movement during sleep. Clinicians then use the data to diagnose sleep apnea, with results that are as accurate as those from traditional methods.
BresoDx® is licensed to BresoTec Inc., a startup company founded by UHN and MaRS Innovation. The company has received regulatory approval from Health Canada and from the European Commission. For more information on BresoDx®, visit BresoTec Inc.’s website or follow them on Twitter at @BresoTec.
The award recognizes excellence in translating findings into new technologies, services and products, and is sponsored by UHN’s Technology Development and Commercialization (TDC) office. It was presented to the researchers at the UHN Annual General Meeting on June 15, 2016 by Drs. Christopher Paige (EVP of Science and Research) and John Reid (Director of TDC).
People with sleep apnea experience recurrent pauses in breathing that deprive organs of oxygen during sleep. If left untreated, it can increase the risk of stroke, heart failure and driving accidents. Up to 90% of those with sleep apnea, however, do not know that they have the disorder. This is largely due to the way sleep apnea is diagnosed: patients must undergo inconvenient overnight testing in sleep laboratories, which often have very long waiting times.
BresoDx® overcomes this barrier by enabling patients to take a sleep apnea test in the comfort of their own home—enhancing the likelihood that people will take the test. Patients wear a wireless, battery-operated device to measure breathing sounds and movement during sleep. Clinicians then use the data to diagnose sleep apnea, with results that are as accurate as those from traditional methods.
BresoDx® is licensed to BresoTec Inc., a startup company founded by UHN and MaRS Innovation. The company has received regulatory approval from Health Canada and from the European Commission. For more information on BresoDx®, visit BresoTec Inc.’s website or follow them on Twitter at @BresoTec.
The three awardees at the Annual General Meeting just before the announcement was made.