Eight new life science projects receive two-year support: Smart ICT solutions for better healthcare and more effective treatment

It has now been decided which projects will be supported in the BIO-X open innovation program call ‘ICT-healthcare solutions to improve personalised treatment and care’. Eight entrepreneur-driven projects will receive support over two years to develop near-patient oriented products.

“The goal is to shorten lead times from idea to market. In this case, applied to ICT-based near-patient medical technologies to be developed and tested in collaboration with experts from healthcare and industry”, says Erik Forsberg, Managing Director of Uppsala BIO, which has developed the BIO-X program.

The support for each project is individually formed and dictated by the type of product and the development phase of the project.

Increase safety in healthcare

Several of the projects will help increase safety in healthcare by providing personnel with the technical means to practise procedures or receive better decision support. Examples include an operation planning tool where surgeons can repair damage virtually before going on to actually perform the procedure, and a suction bell that alerts physicians if they are pulling to one side or too hard during childbirth.

New patient aids

Two of the projects focus on providing patients with their own tools to enable them to train more effectively. One helps stroke patients stimulate the brain to regain lost abilities. The other supports behavioural changes associated with lifestyle-related diseases.

Tailoring treatment

The remaining projects will all help both the treating healthcare professional and the person being treated, primarily by ensuring that the care prescribed is actually implemented, but also by being able to adjust and tailor treatment according to individual patient needs and their day-to-day condition.

Financial and human resource support

ICT healthcare-based solutions that lead to better individualised care and attention is the eleventh call for proposals within the BIO-X framework, but the first at national level. The projects, which run for up to two years, receive support that is partly financial and partly via access to increased human resources: a network of experts from healthcare, industry and research is available to assist the selected projects.

“The BIO-X program has existed in its present form since 2010. We know that the customised support from a variety of experts, which ensures that development and business plans are both realistic and achievable, is the aspect of BIO-X that projects appreciate most”, concludes Erik Forsberg.

The eight selected projects are:

Project: Intelligent homecare – better support, improved patient care and lower societal costs

Developing smart packaging that can send reminders if medication is not taken as prescribed.

Contact: Jesper Hassel, CEO at Mevia, tel. 073-030 48 63.

Project: Diagnosis and rehabilitation after stroke

Developing a 3D game that will stimulate brain plasticity to help regain lost function following a stroke.

Contact: Pia Keyser, Brain Stimulation AB, tel. 070 532 55 52.

Project: iMRAPP-supporting implementation of evidence-based psychosocial programs using mobile technology

Introducing a mobile app that supports an IMR (Illness Management and Recovery) tool.

Contact: Rickard Färdig, EBP Solutions AB, tel. 073-244 13 30.

Project: Genit – Handle with Care. The next generation of obstetric care

Developing a handle for the traditional suction bell that reduces the risk of the physician pulling too hard or too long in childbirth.

Contact: Oliver Mohseni, Genit AB, tel. 073-687 20 88.

Project: Self-management app supporting hands-on guidance for asthma

Developing a portable spirometer connected to an app that gives dosage recommendations (the number of inhalations that should be taken).

Contact: Henrik Ljungberg, Medituner AB, tel. 070 662 86 42.

Project: Stress management solution for multiple sclerosis

Introducing a portable biofeedback system to make MS patients aware of which social and practical situations increase stress levels so that they can then avoid or reduce them.

Contact: Björn De Jounge, Biosync Technology AB, tel. 070-837 32 28.

Project: Sidekick™: A smartphone and web-based tool for prevention and treatment of lifestyle disease

Developing a health app that rewards behavioural changes.

Contact: Tryggvi Thorgeirsson, Goodlifeme AB, tel. 070-7445451.

Project: CMF surgery planning with the Uppsala Haptics-Assisted Surgery Planning system, HASP

Developing a tool where 3D technology with tactile feedback helps surgeons plan operations virtually.

Contact: Ingrid Carlbom, Uppsala University, tel. 070-167 92 49.

Read more about the individual projects in the enclosed fact sheet. Press photos are also attached.