The Eurecat technology center, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, and Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) have created the company Ephion Health. The new startup will be dedicated to commercializing a digital platform that allows monitoring the evolution of patients with diseases affecting mobility. It is estimated that these types of pathologies affect at least 25% of the population.
The platform quantifies the mobility and functional capacity of patients through eight types of biomechanical and physiological sensors. These data are collected through a mobile application and transmitted to the startup's servers. All information generated by the patient is analyzed using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, and an index (from 0 to 100) is obtained, indicating their state of health.
The tool, developed by Eurecat and transferred to Ephion Health, has been validated with people suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, thanks to the financial support and training offered by EIT Health, a European body for innovation in health based at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB). This genetic disease primarily affects men and causes progressive loss of muscle mass, leading to a gradual decrease in mobility. In Europe, it is estimated that there are about 40,000 people suffering from this dystrophy. After clinical validation with these patients, the platform is in the certification process and will be available on the market in the coming months.
The data recorded by Ephion Health is collected through a mobile application and analyzed using AI algorithms to obtain an index (from 0 to 100) that indicates the patient's state of health.Compared to other available tools, Ephion Health allows for objective and precise analysis of patients' mobility and functional capacity, both in the hospital and remotely. Currently, questionnaires are used where patients rate their abilities.They are useful perceptions for health professionals, but they are limited by their subjective nature.Functional tests are also carried out, where patients walk down a hallway and a specialist assesses their mobility. Like the previous mechanism, these tests continue to be subjective and, furthermore, are not entirely accurate, require the patient's cooperation, and must be performed in the hospital with a clinical evaluator.
Beyond offering a more efficient system, the Barcelona-based startup aims to expand the number of diseases that can be monitored in this way. That is why two new clinical studies have been launched with neuromuscular disease patients at the Santa Creu i Sant Pau and Sant Joan de Déu hospitals. Likewise, there will be a third pilot in collaboration with Quirón Salud to monitor the risk of falls in elderly people. According to preliminary studies by the company, the use of this technology in clinical practice can allow savings in the European health system of at least one billion euros. Ephion Health's platform will also be available to pharmaceutical companies researching new drugs for diseases affecting mobility.