We helped the UK based company Mologic win a £2M award and work with patients to further develop their test for early identification of a flare-up.

Problem

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties. A flare-up, when symptoms suddenly worsen, can significantly damage the lungs. Currently COPD patients monitor their health at home and seek medical advice when symptoms get worse. However, this can be difficult to recognise.

Action

• Mologic, a UK based company, has developed Headstart, a home-monitoring urine test for detecting early signs of a flare-up.
• We helped them win a £2M Innovate UK Small Business Research Initiative – Phase 2 award to further develop their test.

Progress

• We created a steering group which included individuals living with COPD and healthcare professionals from hospitals and the community.
• We led and analysed discussions with the steering group.  These meetings informed the design of the test ensuring that it was user friendly for COPD patients.
• Working with Newcastle University and Nottingham Trent University, we delivered a complex statistical model to detect flare-ups.
• With Newcastle University health economists, we examined the cost-effectiveness of the test.

Impact

• Home monitoring of COPD could improve the patient experience.
• Through the project we formed a successful collaboration with the NIHR Community and Healthcare MIC, Oxford AHSN and AHSN NENC.
• The project contributed to our shortlisting for an Antibiotic Guardian Award to decrease antibiotic usage.
• The models developed by ourselves are informing Mologic’s clinical studies.
• Our work led to further collaboration with Mologic around their test for Sepsis.

Dr. Gita Parekh, Head of Respiratory, Mologic said:

“We would not have had the confidence to continue with the challenges associated with introducing novel technologies without the help of the Newcastle MIC”

For more details read the case study on the NIHR website.