Pulmosonix gets grant for device development

Researchers at Melbourne-based devices company Pulmosonix have received a $AUD165,000 development grant from the NHMRC to work on a new device for simple and non-invasive assessment of the condition of deeper tissues and organs.

The research team, consisting of Malcolm Wilkinson, Philip Berger and Andrew Ramsden, and based at Monash University's Ritchie Centre for Baby Health Research, is responsible for developing the platform acoustic technology employed in Pulmosonix's two other devices, the Upper Airway Patency Monitor (UAPM) and the Lung Inflation Monitor (LIM).

"Essentially the grant will allow us to get to the point of having proof of concept for the device," said Martin Soust, CEO of Premier Bionics, which owns Pulmosonix.

"We have a very early prototype, so it's early days and in that sense is perfectly suited to this type of grant."

The 12-month grant will be used to complete pre-clinical work and bioengineering on the Vibropulse, prior to Pulmosonix funding further development on the device. The researchers aim to demonstrate that the device is capable of rapidly assessing the condition of lungs, for example in major lung trauma injuries like pneumothorax.

Soust said much of the groundwork had already been done for the device, as it used the same technology as the UAPM and LIM devices.

"Pulmosonix is already rapidly advancing its UAPM and LIM devices and if the outcome of the next phase of the research into tissue mobility assessment is positive, we will add the Vibropulse to the Pulmosonix product suite at that time," said Soust.