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(Sharecast News) - Medical imaging technology company Polarean announced a research collaboration with Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) on Wednesday, to study the long-term effects of Covid-19 in patients with breathing difficulties months after initial infection.
The AIM-traded firm said the collaboration would form part of the upcoming 'EXPLAIN' study.
Under the deal, Polarean said it would provide its investigational xenon polariser system to OUH for research.
In turn, OUH would work with Polarean to optimise the imaging workflow and analyse the datasets coming from the newly-enrolling study
Through "novel" analyses of gas-exchange images, Polarean and OUH were aiming to better characterise long Covid, and improve patient care.
"Oxford University is a leading pioneer in the use of 129Xe MRI to unravel the underlying pathophysiology that drives persistent breathlessness in patients with long Covid," said chief executive officer Richard Hullihen.
"We are delighted to collaborate with them on new image analyses as part of the upcoming EXPLAIN trial that might shed additional light on the mysterious illness that has been affecting a growing number of patients over the past few years and affecting their quality of life."
At 1235 BST, shares in Polarean Imaging wre down 3.41% at 51p.
Reporting by Josh White at Sharecast.com.
