A Staffordshire-based company is looking to transform the way that patients manage and monitor their asthma, thanks to support from Keele University.

Redecol Ltd, a specialist medical device company based at Keele University’s Science and Innovation Park, has received fully-funded assistance from the University’s Business Bridge* programme in the development of their Breathe Easy Flow device.

Speaking about the device, Dr Lee Brooks, Research and Development Manager at Redecol Ltd, said: “Breathe Easy Flow is an asthma monitoring tool which does not require a forced breathing technique. The handheld device, which connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth, can detect when a person’s asthma is worsening and enables a link between them and experienced healthcare professionals so that they can respond to prevent an attack.

“The cost to society of poorly-controlled asthma is huge. In the UK alone, A&E admissions relating to asthma attacks are estimated to cost £162m annually – much of which can be prevented through improved control. Coupled with the fact that there are around 30million asthma sufferers in Europe alone, the potential benefits of the Breathe Easy Flow device are huge.”

Following the success of a UK study, Redecol Ltd is now conducting clinical trials of the device in India – a country with an infrastructure robust enough to successfully host such trials but with a population where a considerable number of people have currently untreated asthma.

The Business Bridge programme supported Redecol in the development of a product user guide and instructional video aimed at an Indian audience through one of the programme’s Innovation Vouchers – an initiative that allows local SMEs to access a range of professional specialists who can support business development.

Lee added: “Working with Keele University and the Business Bridge team has been fantastic. They proactively learnt the ins and outs of our business, which enabled them to understand exactly what we needed. As a result, their support was a key factor in ensuring that the trials were a success.”

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent businesses can benefit from a range of specialist support and funding, more details of which are available through Keele University’s Business Gateway - 01782 733001 / business.gateway@keele.ac.uk.

*The Business Bridge project (ref: 32R16P00713) is part-funded from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds England Growth Programme 2014-2020.