AVERT-IT

Partner Briefing

Opportunities

The research element of our project has been part funded by the European Commission under the Framework 7 program. The EC has provided this support on the basis of the following opportunities:

  • improve the outcome of health care for traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients
  • increase cost effectiveness of spending on health care
  • develop a new technology which can be exploited, globally
  • enable an SME opportunities to grow in new and existing markets, based on that technology

Justification for the investment is stated as the potential to reduce European health care costs by up to €5 billions each year, based on an estimate of 1 million TBI patients each year, and reductions in their length of stay in intensive care units. We believe the opportunity extends beyond TBI to all intensive care and ultimately to all of bedside monitoring. We also believe there are opportunities in monitoring/reporting results in clinical trials for both pharmaceuticals and devices.

Partnerships

C3 Amulet is interested in engaging partners to fully exploit the results, supplementing it’s own resources with partner capabilities in:

  1. Device level software
  2. Data collection and distribution in a GRID style architecture
  3. Managing services to use a closed loop feedback process to continually refine the Bayesian Artificial Neural Network
  4. Disseminate the research results, and promote the software/service to hospitals, globally
  5. Sell and distribute the software
  6. Offer local service interfaces, globally

Work packages

The research is organised in work packages as follows:

  • Work package 1 – HypoPredict Parameter Identification

Assessing the ranked list of patient parameters likely to be indicators of subsequent arterial hypotension.

  • Work package 2 – HypoPredict Engine Design

Designing a Bayesian Neural Network architecture based on the weighted parameter set identified in WP1, refining the algorithms and developing the HypoPredict engine to be used during clinical trials in each of the six clinical centres.

  • Work package 3 – HypoPredict clinical interfaces

Developing interfaces to the BANN to support data acquisition from patient records, instrumentation and test results.

  • Work package 4 – HypoPredict training cycle

Validating the HypoPredict parameter conversion methods and providing preliminary confidence levels for predictions.

  • Work package 5 – HypoNet development and ethical considerations

Defining mechanisms for obtaining patient consent and the GRID based framework to enable data capture from and software distribution to the clinical trials centres.

  • Work package 6 – Clinical trial

Attaining patient consent, recruiting research nurses, validating and updating the HypoPredict engine and demonstrating its accuracy and effectiveness.

  • Work package 7 – Consortium Management

Ensuring all aspects of the EC requirements for are met, protecting the project results and disseminating the benefits of the developed technology.

  • Work package 8 – Dissemination and Exploitation

Ensuring the successful dissemination of the project results into cross sector applications and participating in concertation activities with other ICT projects.

Timelines

  1. Work packages 1 and 3 are planned to be completed by July of 2008, at which point we’ll have an understanding of the critical parameters, an estimate of the potential benefits and the clinicians user interface. At this point we’ll be able to write an outline business plan for the commercial proposition.
  2. By the end of the year we’ll have a functional BANN engine capable of refining those critical parameters and justifying the value proposition.
  3. By the middle of 2009 we’ll be implementing the technology in six centres for clinical trials.

Interested PartiesPlease contact steve.reeves@avertit.info if your business:

  • has an established position in the health care market
  • can add value to the delivery of the project results in a commercial software service
  • is interested in improving health care at reduced cost
  • open to collaboration in a supply chain
  • recognises an opportunity to cross transfer the results of the research into other sectors