RP Design Technologies
Industry: Respiratory drug diagnostics
RD3 from RP Design Technologies (RPDT) is a new diagnostic for pneumonia and other respiratory diseases. The device uses optics and electronic components to detect biomarkers of pneumonia and the respiratory rate from the optical scatter information in real time, facilitating the diagnosis of pneumonia.
Initial design includes a proposed device, internal electronics and data integration, all of which were tested using various particles sizes and bacteria solution (to mimic breath exhalation). The patented application and research demonstrated that the particles and density in a fluid stream can be discriminated from optical data through machine learning algorithms. Preliminary data provided evidence that the system could detect various types of bacteria and is capable of identifying various patterns to classify the severity of the respiratory illness.
Currently, more than 100 million people suffer from respiratory diseases globally, and the costs to treat pneumonia are estimated to be $7 to $12 billion annually.
