Irish med-tech firm patientMpower is expanding its remit to develop an AI-powered tool for the prediction of lung disease as it marks ten years in business.

The development, in partnership with RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, University College Dublin (UCD) and Enterprise Ireland, is set to build on patientMpower's existing work as a leader in remote medical monitoring innovation in international markets.

The development aims to improve the management of chronic lung diseases, with work initially focusing on interstitial lung diseases (ILD), a condition with an estimated treatment market size of €3 billion globally.

People with the most common form of ILD have a lower average life expectancy than those with most cancers, but the speed of disease progression is highly variable and as yet unpredictable, severely impacting both clinical care decisions and patients' lives.

The AI-powered tool will monitor symptoms of ILD along with lung function and other medical parameters to predict the rate of progression of the disease. Utilising an algorithm to sift through collated data, clinicians will be better equipped to predict to the progression of ILD among their patients, and plan care accordingly.

Cepta Duffy, Department Manager for Life Sciences & HealthTech at Enterprise Ireland, said:

"Enterprise Ireland is proud to work with patientMpower as they continue to grow and innovate from their base in Dublin. Over the past decade, they have developed technology that is improving patient outcomes and supporting more efficient healthcare delivery in Ireland and in key international markets. Their latest project - developing an AI-powered tool to help predict and manage lung disease - is a strong example of the ambition and expertise within Ireland's digital healthtech sector, and we look forward to supporting their continued success on the global stage."

The RCSI Principal Investigator, Professor Killian Hurley, is a consultant respiratory physician at Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, and Professor of Medicine at RCSI, where he leads research into genetic lung diseases and regenerative medicine.

Professor Killian Hurley commented: "This collaboration between RCSI, UCD and patientMpower represents a significant step forward in how we approach the management of chronic lung disease. By combining clinical insight with advanced AI technology, we have the potential to transform care pathways and improve outcomes for patients living with conditions like ILD. It's an exciting example of how Irish-led innovation can have global impact."

Professor Fergal O'Brien, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at RCSI, added: "At RCSI, we are committed to advancing research that delivers real-world impact. Collaborations like this with patientMpower demonstrate how academic innovation can drive transformative healthcare solutions, improving outcomes for patients in Ireland and internationally."

Founded in 2015 by Eamonn Costello and co-founders Kerill Thornhill and Colin Edwards, patientMpower specialises in remote digital monitoring for lung conditions, enabling patients to better manage their own healthcare while simultaneously supporting the reduction of lengthy hospital waiting lists.

Based at The Digital Hub in Dublin 8, patientMpower has grown to provide digital health solutions across seven countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands. Over its ten years in business, its technology has supported the care of nearly 20,000 patients, with current delivery programmes spanning 12 different conditions across 35 clinical centres.

The Irish medical innovation business first found international success in 2019 with a deal in New York's NYU Langone Health, where a home monitoring solution was established for its lung transplant programme.

Using patientMpower software, which enables the identification of post-operative complications from home, NYU Langone recorded a 66% reduction in the need for outpatient app...