Every two seconds, someone around the world experiences a stroke.
Stroke is the second most common cause of death worldwide, but current efforts to monitor for it are not continuous, meaning precious seconds or minutes can be lost.
In Australia, 23 people die per day due to a stroke, and with an ageing population, these numbers are expected to increase.
The current standard of care around stroke detection revolves around periodic CT scans and subjective assessments by medical professionals. After experiencing a stroke, a patient will typically have a CT scan to confirm this diagnosis, but due to radiation, these can only be conducted once every 24 hours.
While waiting for the next scan, this person will be monitored by doctors and nurses, but remain at risk of neurological deterioration due to secondary strokes.
There is currently no way to continuously monitor the brain activity and brain blood flow of stroke patients, both of which are key indicators of stroke and neurological deterioration.
Sydney-based startup Nuroflux has developed a wearable medtech device that allows for the continuous monitoring of stroke patients, helping to provide invaluable time to improve health outcomes for these people.
“At Nuroflux we are developing a device that provides continuous, simultaneous monitoring of brain activity and brain blood flow to detect neurological deterioration in real-time,” Nurofux co-founder Sam van Bohemen said.
“There is currently no device routinely used to provide continuous monitoring of stroke patients’ brain activity or brain blood flow during recovery in hospital. The Nuroflux device will provide this.”
Nuroflux utilises proprietary technology to continuously monitor brain activity and brain blood flow, providing real-time treatment and detection of neurological deterioration through the cheap and lightweight device.
Nuroflux is a finalist in the InnovationAus 2024 Awards for Excellence in HealthTech. You can secure your tickets to the black-tie gala event here.
“It is a great honour to be nominated for this award,” Mr van Bohemen said.
“It recognises the significance of the problem we are tackling and the innovative solution we are developing. The nomination also provides valuable exposure and networking opportunities.”
The technology underpinning Nuroflux was developed by Mr van Bohemen while he was undertaking a PhD in biomedical engineering at the University of Sydney. He then founded the company, which now has its IP protected in seven jurisdictions.
Its genesis came from the experience of a loved one who suffered multiple strokes in between daily CT scans, leading to questions over why these weren’t detected and why there wasn’t technology to allow for continuous monitoring.
Nuroflux is currently completing a clinical efficacy trial in partnership with the George Institute for Global Health at the Royal prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, which kicked off in April this year.
Through this study, the Nuroflux device will be worn by 50 acute ischemic stroke patients for 24 hours, with an aim to demonstrate that it can detect the presence of stroke, treatment outcomes and neurological deterioration.
The company is also preparing to start other studies with the Garvan Institute and Yale University.
“Our vision is to become a global company capable of providing continuous monitoring.”
Nuroflux has received a range of support from the NSW state government. It was selected by the NSW Office for Health and Medical Research to join the 28th NSW-Guangdong Joint Economic Meeting in 2021, received an MVP grant in 2022, received the NSW Health Commercialisation Training Program Award in 2023 and was picked by Investment NSW to pitch to a Chinese delegation as part of AusMedTech 2023.
Looking for brand exposure in front of Australia’s tech ecosystem? Purchase a table of 10 for the InnovationAus 2024 Awards for Excellence and have your logo displayed on screens across the venue and in the event programme as a table sponsor.
The InnovationAus 2024 Awards for Excellence are supported by: Australian Computer Society, Investment NSW, Department of Industry, Science and Resources, Technology Council of Australia, TechnologyOne, National Artificial Intelligence Centre, CSIRO’s ON Innovation Program, Reason Group, Q-CTRL, University of New South Wales, and IP Australia.
Protecting your great ideas with intellectual property (IP) rights can lead to lasting benefits for your growing business. IP refers to creations of the mind, such as a brand, logo, invention, design or artistic work. Head to the IP Australia website to find out more about IP, and how it might help your business.
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