The feasibility study has comprised a market analysis and an evaluation of the technical requirements for commercialisation of a hand-held medical device for diagnostic assessment of sinusitis.
GPX Medical develops laser-based gas measuring technology with the aim of medical applications. This technology can be used for analysis of gas-filled cavities in the human body, such as the sinuses. The technology can be implemented as a hand-held instrument, based on laser spectroscopy, to be used within health-care to aid in diagnosing sinus related problems, e.g. sinusitis. The instrument provides information on the open/air filled sinus cavity size, the oxygen concentration in the cavity and thereby the ventilation status of the sinus. The technology is non-invasive and safe to use.
The improved diagnosing possibilities that come with this information can improve care, reduce cost of health care, and reduce the unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics which is related to the global threat of antibiotic resistance. The number of deaths related to antibiotic resistance was about 700 000 in 2015 and is expecting to grow to about 10 million persons/year in 2050 if nothing is changed.
The diagnostic tools used for suspected sinusitis today are either not useful enough and hard to interpret, or are painful and very time consuming since laboratory analysis of samples is needed. It would clearly be very valuable to have a better, simple tool for a quick evaluation of sinus related problems. Such a tool would help the physician making a correct diagnosis and better select which patients need further referral or treatment.
