Ten South East healthtech companies to watch
Advances in hardware and software are accelerating the detection, management and treatment of life-limiting illnesses. We look at the companies in the South East that are at the vanguard of improving health through technology.
Occuity, Reading
The potential of our eyes as an indicator of our overall health is increasingly being understood and Occuity is making its mark in this area through a number of innovative devices.
Occuity's handheld devices are non-contact and show that changes within the eye can be used to detect and monitor diseases.
The company is working on optical devices that will track and monitor the progression of conditions including myopia (short sightedness), glaucoma, diabetes and Alzheimer's.
Quvium, Kent
Quvium's wearable SONASURE product analyses a patient's cough and determines patterns that could signal respiratory diseases.
It notifies healthcare practitioners when changes in cough frequency occur which could signify a new infection or deterioration of an existing condition.
This can enable earlier medical intervention and reduces respiratory attacks, unnecessary A&E visits, hospitalisations and irreversible damage to lungs.
Oxehealth, Oxford
Oxehealth's Oxevision is a contact-free patient monitoring system that can be used to remotely measure vital signs (pulse and breathing rate) via an infrared-sensitive camera installed in a patient’s room. The system also delivers activity insights to clinicians, which can enable them to intervene proactively when a patient may need help.
Oxevision measures breathing rate through chest wall movements and pulse through colour changes in the skin that are undetectable to the naked eye. The latter mechanism resembles a pulse oximeter, which is widely used in healthcare but must be attached to a patient’s skin.
The system is primarily used in mental health inpatient settings, where there is a clear advantage to having contact-free physical health monitoring. Its activity tracking software can also be used to identify high-risk situations (such as a patient spending a prolonged period of time in their ensuite bathroom, which may indicate a self-harm risk; or an elderly patient getting out of bed, which may indicate a falls risk) so that staff can attend and try to prevent incidents from occurring.
Actegy Health, Bracknell
Actegy Health's Revitive Circulation Booster devices aim to boost circulation using its OxyWave electric muscle stimulation technology which drives oxygenated blood to the legs and feet which can relieve leg aches as well as reducing swollen feet and ankles.
Over three million Revitive Circulation Boosters have been sold around the world.
ShareMyXray, Southampton
ShareMyXray started in hospitals to allow sharing of images between institutions and has broadened its service to patients by developing an offering that allows people who have undergone an X-ray to receive their results via an online portal. The Hampshire company uses military-grade encryption to secure patient details and its technology could spell the end of x-rays being delivered through the post on CDs.
OXSIGHT, Oxford
Customer quotes on the OXSIGHT website reveal details of users being able to see their mum's face for the first time in ten years. They encapsulate the power of sight and the human connections that we lose when our vision starts to fade.
OXSIGHT has two products which aim to restore a loss of sight that are billed as affordable, usable and wearable.
Its Crystal smart glasses use an HD camera to stream live video feeds into two compact projectors that target the usable areas of the eye and restore a wide field of vision.
The firm’s Onyx glasses automatically detects text, faces and objects using autofocusing lenses to adjust accordingly to enhance their users' vision.
Lifelight from xim, Southampton
When the first advanced smartphones appeared over a decade ago few could have predicted the positive impact they would eventually have on our health.
Lifelight from xim is the epitome of this advancement and has the potential to radically change how primary healthcare works in the UK and further afield.
A patient simply needs to look into their smartphone for 40 seconds and their blood pressure, pulse and breathing rate are recorded and sent back to a health specialist.
GlucoRx, Guildford
Surrey-based GlucoRx has developed the world’s first multi-sensor non-invasive continuous glucose monitor which could free diabetes patients from having to use needles to monitor their condition.
Currently, people with the condition have to prick their finger to extract and test their blood several times a day using glucometers or apply semi-invasive devices such as continuous blood glucose monitors.
The GlucoRx BioXensor uses radio frequency technology alongside a multiple sensor approach to measure blood glucose levels every minute and is effective as an early intervention tool.
Brainomix, Oxford
Brainomix specialises in the creation of AI-powered software solutions to enable precision medicine for better treatment decisions in stroke, lung fibrosis and cancer. Brainomix’s e-Stroke software is a collection of tools which uses AI algorithms to provide doctors with real-time interpretations of brain scans, guiding treatment in healthcare systems around the world.
Solcom, Isle of Wight
Solcom builds software and creates hardware that integrates with healthcare and patient record systems.
The company's Whzan Digital Health suite of products uses remote technology to allow monitoring of patients by their families, carers and health specialists.
Whzan's all-in-one telehealth case - The Blue Box - measures vital signs, records photos and performs multiple assessments to monitor changes to health while the Guardian hardware and system is Whzan’s home sensor monitoring system which helps vulnerable people live in their own homes for longer.
WhzApp is a mobile app which allows clinicians to connect with patients and manage their conditions remotely through self-assessment while patients' vital health indicators can also be monitored.
