Contactless, Multidimensional Sleep Monitoring and Assessment Solution

Project Information

Sleepiz

Grant agreement ID: 827140

DOI

10.3030/827140

Project closed

EC signature date 2 August 2018

Start date 1 September 2018

End date 31 December 2018

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

SLEEPIZ AG
Switzerland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Sleepiz (Contactless, Multidimensional Sleep Monitoring and Assessment Solution)

Reporting period: 2018-09-01 to 2018-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

More than 30% of the world-wide population suffers from sleep disorders. Sleep apnea is one of the most serious sleep disorders, whereby one stops breathing frequently while asleep. Globally 1 Billion people suffer from sleep apnea, while less than 20% are diagnosed. If left untreated sleep apnea doubles the risk for sudden cardiac death, stroke, and increases the risk for cardiovascular mortality fivefold. In addition, it may lead to hypertension, diabetes, dementia, cognitive dysfunction, poor work performance, and traffic accidents.
The current gold standard in sleep apnea diagnosis, Polysomnography, requires patients to sleep in a hospital overnight, attach more than 30 sensors and cables to their body, and be monitored by a technician the entire time. While there are technologies that can be used from home testing, none address the real issue of patient comfort and time-burden for healthcare practitioners, as these technologies still require the attachment of many sensors and lengthy data analysis. As a result, sleep practitioners are searching for more efficient diagnosis tools, that enable them to screen more patients and perform better triage due to the elimination of device set-up and lengthy data analysis.
At Sleepiz, we believe the medical community should benefit from technology advancements to address this problem. We develop an easy to use and patient-centered solution with advanced software and hardware engineering. While the current-state of the art requires extensive cabling of the patient, our contactless solution enables doctors to medically screen patients for sleep apnea in their most natural sleep environment and behavior, at home.
The aim of the SME Phase 1 project was to validate the commercial feasibility of the Sleepiz solution. The main objectives of the project were (1) market analysis, (2) cost-benefit benchmarking, and (3) value chain stakeholder outreach. Sleepiz AG has successfully completed all the above-mentioned objectives and will continue to develop the solution through SME phase 2 to bring the innovative patient-centered solution to market.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the feasibility study the main goal was to validate the commercial feasibility of the Sleepiz solution. A market analysis, cost-benefit benchmarking, and value chain stakeholder outreach was conducted.
In the market analysis, the customer need could be validated in a clinical segment and the most important customer groups were narrowed down. Meetings with key opinion leaders enabled better insights into the product’s acceptance, definition of core requirements, and forging of new customer relations. Henceforth medical users for phase 2 trials were recruited. Based on the findings in the market surveys, the financial projections for funding requirements and revenue estimates were updated.
In the cost-benefit benchmarking, the solution was benchmarked for cost and time of conducting a diagnosis. The findings indicate that Sleepiz provides an efficiency improvement of 2x to 3x over competitors across Europe – while reducing the likelihood of measurement failure during the night. In addition, competing solutions have a much higher cost of ownership due to the labour-intensive set-up and data analysis. Due to the inherent time and cost savings with Sleepiz’s solution, the number of screenings could be increased by 2 to 3 times if rolled out in Europe, lowering the associated economic burden of undiagnosed sleep apnea, arising from comorbidities, productivity loss, and accidents, by 50% across Europe. To highlight these benefits, Sleepiz will produce more scientific publications in 2019.
In the stakeholder outreach, Sleepiz managed to conclude partnerships with medical device manufacturers, key component suppliers, and began talks with distributors and health insurers. Over the last year, Sleepiz has established over 20 partnerships with clinics, research institutions, suppliers and customers in eight different countries across Europe. Through thorough technological surveys, a detailed cost mapping was completed, and production cost could be accurately estimated for different volumes, validating the economical pricing policy of the solution.
The feasibility study enabled deeper insight into the market and led to the adjustment of several hypothesis. During the market analysis a more comprehensive market application potential came to light – highlighting the strong need and demand for our high-impact solution.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Sleepiz has demonstrated a high accuracy compared to the medical state of the art without requiring any attachment or sensors to the body, while reducing the time and cost associated with screening by a factor of 2 to 3 times. The feasibility study is concluded successfully and Sleepiz will continue to develop the solution through the SME phase 2 project. As a next step, thorough clinical validation will be conducted with medical Key Opinion Leaders in order to obtain medical device approval in Europe. Through the introduction of our technology we hope to ease the burden on the healthcare system in diagnosing sleep disorders, while providing better technology to patients. By increasing public awareness and lowering the barriers to medical screening, more people will be able to get diagnosed and thereby the negative socioeconomic implications of sleep apnea will be reduced. Studies by the Harvard Medical School and McKinsey in the US have estimated the economic burden of unmanaged sleep apnea to be between USD 67B and 165B annually, due to hidden healthcare costs, accidents and productivity losses. Similar numbers can be extrapolated to the European population and can be reduced in a cost-effective manner through a higher diagnosis and treatment rates, enabled by the Sleepiz solution.

Sleepiz AG Team