ILD, which affects an estimated 19 in every 100,000 people, refers to a group of lung disorders that cause inflammation and scarring in the interstitium and make it difficult for oxygen to pass from the lungs into the bloodstream. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common type of ILD, accounting for approximately 50% of cases. Owing to significant gaps in understanding of these conditions, which are also difficult to monitor and diagnose, survival rates for IPF are currently worse that those of most major cancers.
The partnership, which will bring together the patient database of respiratory digital health specialists patientMpower and the artificial intelligence capability here at Qureight, aims to reveal new and exciting insights into understanding of ILD. The collaboration seeks to leverage the power of technology to better characterise ILD, offering the hope of improved treatment for this poorly understood lung condition.
Closing knowledge gaps
Spirometry, a key test to measure lung function and monitor the progression of ILD, is usually assessed in hospital at 6 to 12 month intervals. patientMpower’s technology enables daily monitoring of home spirometry, meaning data collated by the platform may hold important clues about the disease previously unidentifiable with periodic clinic spirometry alone.
The collaboration will see Qureight utilising our artificial intelligence technology to structure, curate and analyse spirometry data collated using the patientMpower platform. The resulting insights will help researchers and clinicians to better understand the complexities of the conditions, and their progression in patient populations. Closing these knowledge gaps is an important step towards improving the treatment offered to ILD patients, and to improving outcomes for these patients and their families.
The joint programme will begin with analysis of patient data from a clinical trial conducted at multiple sites across the UK, but it is envisaged the collaboration will expand to include appropriately-consented patient data from trials and clinical care programmes across Europe and the US.
Commenting on the implications of this collaboration Dr Mel Wickremasinghe, Respiratory Consultant specialising in ILD, at Imperial College NHS Trust and Principal Investigator of the clinical trial initially being analysed through the partnership, said;
“There is so much we have yet to learn about ILD, and of course this limits our clinical management of the disease and the treatments available to patients. Increasing our understanding of ILD is key to improving treatment and patient care. AI analysis of digital patient data has potential to revolutionise the way we define and manage health conditions. The two companies involved in this collaboration have a track record in ILD research, and the pooling of their complementary capabilities is an exciting step in the pathway to better understand ILD.”