Southampton: SBRI funds xim to develop child asthma monitor

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TBM Team

Breakthrough digital health start-up xim has secured a six-figure grant from a £900,000 investment pot controlled by the Small Business Research Initiatives Healthcare (SBRI), an innovation and investment organisation under the NHS. The funding will enable xim to develop a product which eases the struggle for youngsters with asthma.

Based at the University of Southampton Science Park, and a graduate of its prestigious science and tech-specific incubator programme, Catalyst, xim is one of nine healthcare firms to have receive funding from this source which sets out to identify and reward innovations that offer life-changing benefits to children living with disability and chronic conditions.

xim uses sensor cameras in mirrors, smartphones and tablets to monitor vital signs and identify health deterioration in an unobtrusive, virtually invisible way. The technology audits areas such as oxygen-saturation levels, heart rate and blood pressure - and transmits data back to healthcare professionals. While the data helps to build a comprehensive record of a child’s health over time, it also identifies irregular patterns and trends so children or their guardians can take preventative measures before an attack occurs.

Laurence Pearce, xim CEO, said: “From starting out, to our acceptance onto the Catalyst programme, this award is another key junction for xim. The award is further validation of the great work we’re doing and it’ll help to fund a pilot scheme for Southampton and Portsmouth.

“Young people aren’t great at staying on top of monitoring their health condition so our solution will continually and automatically do it for them. Not only will we hand over vital information to youngsters, their clinicians and parents, but we will benefit the healthcare system as a whole by reducing the kind of wholly preventable hospital admissions that put more pressure on the NHS.”

TBM Team