27/04 Is There a Doctor in the House?!
Spring is here! We wanted to send around another update with some exciting progress at Sensoreal.
In the last newsletter, we shared our 2020 journey through a couple of start-up accelerators that helped to refine our company’s focus and raison d’être. We set our sights on the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), highlighted by the WHO as a “global crisis” that “threatens a century of progress in health and development” and could resign our children and grandchildren to a “post-antibiotic” future.
There are many battlegrounds in the war against AMR and none is more immediate than the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD will be the 4th leading cause of death globally by 2030 and is currently causing almost 3 million deaths per year. Because COPD patients have vulnerable lungs, they get recurring respiratory infections and the current standard of care is to prescribe antibiotics each time, despite the fact that up to 58% of patients would recover without them. Due to frequent antibiotic use, these patients run a high risk of developing resistant infections over the progression of the disease.
Through our network of mentors, we connected with a clinical researcher at the Jewish General Hospital and have kicked off a COPD pilot study using banked patient samples. We will be generating data to train an intelligent AI algorithm with the aim of monitoring disease progression, identifying respiratory infections earlier, assessing infections severity, and tracking antibiotic efficacy. The end goal is to empower doctors and patients to manage their disease more effectively, reduce the total duration of antibiotic use, and lower the frequency of hospitalization. With this in mind, we are searching for medical advisors to join our board. Please reach out if you know clinicians who might be interested in speaking with us!
The foundation of this pilot study is the diagnostic device we developed with Phase 1 funding from Health Canada, combining the power of artificial intelligence with insight from the patient’s own immune system to rapidly rule out bacterial infections 92% of the time. The Phase 1 algorithm was trained on real patient data from adults presenting with symptoms of acute infection from a variety of common pathogens. Based on these results, we were invited to apply for Phase 2 funding - an important step towards our fundraising goals for 2021!
A second major achievement since our last newsletter was being selected as a top 10 finalist in the Spring Impact program. We are very excited to work within a program that aligns closely with our company values, working towards transformative change in high-impact areas with a global mindset. This program is crucial for us to achieve our goal of closing our first round of financing in 2021.
As we move through spring and into summer, we are busier than ever! We recently expanded the capabilities of our laboratory with a high-resolution 3D printer and a metallurgical microscope for inspection of microfluidic devices. We have also solidified strategic alliances with partners in in vitro diagnostic device (IVDD) manufacturing (Micronit), regulatory affairs (Boyer Regulatory Solutions), and Lung Biotechnology Public Benefit Corporation, a subsidiary of United Therapeutics. As a result of the acceleration of our IVDD business, we are reducing workloads on other projects to keep up with the growth!
In summary:
We have successfully finished the phase 1 of our AMR project with Health Canada and we were invited to submit a proposal for Phase 2 ($1M)
We have kicked off a COPD pilot study and secured banked patient samples
We were selected as a top 10 finalist in the Spring Impact program
To keep ourselves on track, we are setting three SMART goals for the end of summer:
Finish COPD pilot study with banked patient samples
Talk to 100 investors by August
Recruit a clinician to our board of advisors
We appreciate you taking the time to read our newsletter! If you have any questions about our company or our plans to scale up, please reach out any time. As well, we would be very grateful for the chance to connect with your network of investors, entrepreneurs, and clinicians, if something in this newsletter has resonated with you!
Stay safe and get vaccinated!
Sensoreal Team