6 May 2009 07:02
Embargoed Release: 07:00 Wednesday 6th May 2009
Toumaz Holdings Limited (`Toumaz Holdings', the `Company' or the `Group')
Toumaz Technology Successfully Delivers Technology Platform for collaborative
EU-funded DIAdvisorâ„¢Clinical Trial
Toumaz Holdings, the specialist niche investor in emerging technologies, is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary Toumaz Technology Limited ('Toumaz Technology') has successfully completed the timely delivery of the hardware, software and sensors that are being used to capture large-scale data in the first phase of DIAdvisorâ„¢'s clinical trial. DIAdvisorâ„¢ is a collaborative research project aiming to develop a personal blood glucose predictor and treatment advisor for diabetes patients.
DIAdvisorTM (www.diadvisor.eu) is a large-scale integrating project (IP) aiming at the development of a prediction-based tool which uses past and easily available information to optimise the therapy of type I and developed type II diabetes. DIAdvisorâ„¢ will allow patients to actively and accurately predict their short-term blood glucose outlook at any time by analysing data retrieved from glucose measurements, insulin delivery data and specific patient parameters. The key data, captured by non-intrusive body-worn wireless monitors including those based on Toumaz Technology's breakthrough Sensiumâ„¢ platform, will be used to create physiological mathematical modelling, control and prediction algorithms. The resulting analysis and prediction information will be wirelessly transmitted to a healthcare provider advisory service, with recommended action and treatment advice presented to the patient via a handheld mobile device such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA).
The first year of the project oversaw the implementation of a large-scale data-acquisition clinical trial involving 90 patients across three sites in Europe; France, Italy and Czech Republic. As leaders of Workpackage 4, Toumaz Technology is responsible for the device platform development, including hardware, software and sensors and has ensured the successful and timely delivery of this device platform in the first year of the project.
The collaborative DIAdvisor project received a €7.1 million European Community Grant in April 2008 and the large-scale four year research and development project is being coordinated by Novo Nordisk A/S, a world leader in diabetes care. It will be delivered by a consortium of 13 medical, industrial and academic partners, including the European Division of the International Diabetes Federation.
The DIAdvisorTM project consortium recently held its second General Assembly (GA2), to review progress at end of the first year of the project. The GA2 meeting was hosted by consortium members Toumaz Technology at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London.
Dr Alison Burdett, Director of Technology for Toumaz Technology commented:
"The development of the DIAdvisorTM personal blood glucose predictor and treatment advisor has the potential to revolutionise the therapy of millions of diabetes sufferers in Europe and worldwide, minimising the occurrence of diabetic complications and reducing healthcare costs. The research and development carried out by all partners during the first year of the DIAdvisorâ„¢ programme brings this worthwhile goal one step closer."
Professor Christofer Toumazou, chairman of Toumaz Holdings, commented:
"Our increasingly sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy dietary habits have led to the incidence of diabetes approaching epidemic proportions. Our Sensiumâ„¢ technology is proving core in the deployment of a commercial solution to produce a successful personal continuous predictable monitor that will help transform the lives for diabetes sufferers. In addition, our collaborative and working relationships with leaders in the diabetes treatment market such as Novo Nordisk, will enable Toumaz Holdings to continue to build its presence in this expanding market."
For Further Enquiries:
Chris Toumazou Toumaz Holdings Tel: +44 207 245 1100
Limited Charles Cunningham FinnCap Tel: 020 7600 1658 Vikki Krause Hansard Group Tel: +44 7515 922906
About Toumaz Technology (www.toumaz.com):
Toumaz Technology Limited is the leading provider of ultra-low power wireless infrastructure for body monitoring solutions. Toumaz's ultra low-power smart sensor interface and transceiver platform - the Sensiumâ„¢ - enables non-intrusive, real-time wireless monitoring of multiple vital signs for a wide range of healthcare and lifestyle management applications.
Based on Toumaz's patented ultra-low power Advanced Mixed Signal (AMxâ„¢) technology, the Sensiumâ„¢ provides the enabling technology to connect the mobile individual to healthcare providers - simply, affordably and unobtrusively.
For healthcare professionals, this transforms the possibilities for pro-active monitoring and improved quality of care. For patients, it delivers new opportunities for lifestyle-compatible, personalised healthcare, as well as better therapeutic outcomes.
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