Tyndall teams up with US medtech firm to advance treatment of heart failure

15 Oct 2019

Team members from Endotronix and Tyndall National Institute. Image: Endotronix

Tyndall National Institute is partnering with medtech company Endotronix to help develop ‘next-generation’ implantable sensors for the management of chronic diseases.

US medtech firm Endotronix will be collaborating with Cork’s Tyndall National Institute in a project to advance the development of its digital health platform and devices.

The 12-month Enterprise Ireland industry partnership project will explore the application of novel electronics technologies to wireless, implantable sensors for chronic disease management, focusing on the area of heart failure.

Chicago-based Endotronix is developing health management systems for chronic heart failure, including a cloud-based disease management data system and an implantable wireless pulmonary artery pressure system. One of its investors is Dublin-based Seroba Life Sciences.

Michael Nagy, chief technology officer at Endotronix, described the medtech’s implantable system as a “robust platform for data-guided chronic disease management” based on changes in pulmonary artery pressure, which is an early indicator of worsening heart failure.

The system was designed to provide clinicians with the necessary information to improve patient care between visits, and to keep patients out of hospital.

“This partnership helps us develop our next-generation sensor capabilities and ensures our ongoing leadership in proactive, patient-centred disease management,” Nagy added. “We look forward to integrating Tyndall’s electronics expertise into our long-term technology roadmap.”

Industry collaboration

Based at University College Cork, Tyndall National Institute is a research centre specialising in electronics and photonics, which works with both industry and academia.

Carlo Webster, senior strategic business development executive at Tyndall, described Endotronix as an “established medtech innovator” that “combines the power of wireless implantable sensors with remote patient to improve patient care and outcomes for heart failure patients”.

“Our strength in data processing and electronics design creates a powerful synergy that aligns with our combined long-term deep tech and ICT for health vision that will lay a foundation for future generations of implantable sensors,” Webster added.

Earlier this year, Tyndall announced that up to 100 new research posts would be created in Cork, after the research centre won millions in funding from various EU programmes and industry.

Sarah Harford was sub-editor of Silicon Republic

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