Sensium awarded Technology Strategy Board funding

RNS REACH

29 July 2014

Toumaz Limited

Sensium Healthcare awarded Technology Strategy Board funding

Toumaz Limited (AIM: TMZ, 'Toumaz', or 'the Group'), a pioneer in ultra-low power wireless semiconductor technology, announces that Sensium Healthcare, its wireless healthcare division, has been awarded £250,000 by the UK's innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board.

The award will support a collaboration with the Leicester Diagnostics Development Unit at the University of Leicester to develop the next generation of SensiumVitals®, the Group's wireless vital signs monitoring system. Sensium Healthcare is lead partner in the project.

SensiumVitals® currently provides wireless measurement of heart rate, respiration and temperature for patients in general wards and Accident and Emergency waiting areas. Readings are taken every two minutes and notifications are issued if measurements exceed pre-set thresholds. This project will focus on expanding the parameters and capabilities of the system.

The partnership with the University of Leicester is designed to ensure that the development process is fully informed by the needs of patients and clinicians - which in turn should help facilitate uptake of the technology within the NHS - in particular, for patients in emergency care.

Anthony Sethill, CEO of Toumaz Group, said:

"This funding is recognition of the potential of SensiumVitals® to improve patient safety and deliver economic benefits to hospitals. The roll-out of the system is just beginning - and we are already greatly encouraged by the interest shown in the UK and abroad.

"To ensure that SensiumVitals® maintains its leadership position in the field of wireless monitoring, we will continue to place a heavy emphasis on innovation. In the University of Leicester, we have found the ideal partner to guide us in this process."

Professor Timothy Coats, Professor of Emergency Medicine, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester and Director of the Leicester Diagnostics Development Unit, said:

"SensiumVitals® is a ground-breaking system in the world of patient monitoring. The ability to take measurements every two minutes allows clinicians quickly to identify early signs of patient deterioration.

"By working with Sensium Healthcare on its next generation product, our joint aim is to develop system enhancements which are fully aligned with the needs of patients, clinicians and the broader NHS."

Enquiries:

About Toumaz (www.toumaz.com)

Toumaz Limited is a pioneer in low-power, wireless semiconductor and software technologies for healthcare and consumer audio. The company has two divisions, Sensium Healthcare and Frontier Silicon. Sensium Healthcare develops wireless solutions for patient monitoring. Frontier Silicon provides chips, modules and software for digital radio and connected audio devices.

About SensiumVitals®

SensiumVitals® is an ultra-low power system for wireless monitoring of patient vital signs. Readings are taken every two minutes and the data is sent wirelessly and securely to clinicians via hospital IT systems. The system is currently used in general wards and Accident & Emergency patient waiting areas - with future potential for broader hospital and in-home applications.

The key benefit of SensiumVitals® is to provide clinicians with timely warnings of patient deterioration. This allows them to make earlier interventions, which in turn leads to shorter stays in hospital and lower healthcare costs. The system also enables patients to be monitored whilst moving around freely within the hospital - a further factor in aiding swift recovery.

About the Leicester Diagnostics Development Unit

The Leicester Diagnostics Development Unit (DDU), based at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, is a collaboration between the University of Leicester and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. The unit aims to investigate and develop non-invasive techniques for the diagnosis and screening of disease states, with a particular focus on emergency care. The DDU brings together experts from the University of Leicester's Space Research Centre, the Departments of Mathematics, Chemistry and IT Services with clinicians from Emergency Medicine Academic Group, based in the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences.

The University of Leicester is a leading UK University committed to international excellence through the creation of world changing research and high quality, inspirational teaching. Leicester is the most socially inclusive of Britain's top-20 leading universities. The University of Leicester is The Times/Sunday Times 2014 University of the Year Runner-Up and the THE University of the Year 2008-9. Leicester is a three-time winner of the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education and is the only University to win seven consecutive awards from the Times Higher. Leicester is ranked 21st out of 119 institutions by The Guardian University Guide; 14th out of 121 institutions by The Times/Sunday Times and the University is ranked among the top two-per cent in the world by the QS World University Rankings, Taiwan World University Rankings and THE World University Rankings. http://www2.le.ac.uk/about/facts

About The Technology Strategy Board and Catalyst funding

The Technology Strategy Board is the UK's innovation agency. Its goal is to accelerate economic growth by stimulating and supporting business-led innovation. Sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Technology Strategy Board brings together business, research and the public sector, supporting and accelerating the development of innovative products and services to meet market needs, tackle major societal challenges and help build the future economy. For more information please visit www.innovateuk.org.

Catalysts are run jointly by the Technology Strategy Board and the Research Councils. A Catalyst is a form of research and development funding which focuses on a specific priority area and aims to help take projects from research to as close to commercial viability as possible. The Catalyst model supports projects in priority areas where the UK research base has a leading position and where there is clear commercial potential. Current Catalysts include: Biomedical Catalyst, Agri-tech Catalyst and the Industrial Biotechnology Catalyst. For more details please visit: https://www.innovateuk.org/-/catalysts.