Cambridge, MA – July 7, 2020 – Shimmer, a leading provider of wearable wireless sensor products and solutions, has partnered with the University of South Florida to develop an early warning system, including a wearable device, to help detect the progression of COVID-19 for those most at risk of severe infection.
In 81% of cases, COVID-19 causes an illness that is so asymptomatic or mild that people do not need hospitalization, while many of those with preexisting respiratory issues are associated with the vast majority of serious, severe, and fatal cases. Knowing this, researchers have put together a study utilizing existing noninvasive medical monitoring technology to monitor the physiological conditions of up to 100 study participants, each having tested positive for COVID-19.
The wearable devices, which are being provided by Shimmer Research, Inc., will track a variety of markers, including skin temperature, thoracic bioimpedance, oxygen saturation (SpO2) and more. Once the data is collected, scientists will use machine learning and artificial intelligence to synthesize the information and find patterns within the physiological fluctuations. These patterns will then be used to develop various profiles for potential patient outcomes.
“Being able to accurately measure a variety of indicators is critical in detecting and assessing the progression of COVID-19,” said Geoffrey Gill, President, Shimmer Americas. “By tracking multiple indicators researchers will be able to identify trends, variations and opportunities that can be missed with intermittent or single variable monitoring.”
Shimmer Research, who has also recently been named a finalist for Informa Pharma Intelligence’s prestigious 2020 Citeline Best Sponsor-facing Technology Initiative Award, works with Enterprise Ireland, Ireland’s trade and innovation agency. Enterprise Ireland partners with Irish enterprise companies to help them start, grow, and win export sales in global markets. Enterprise Ireland is thrilled to work with Shimmer as they continue to innovate and provide top-notch technologies during this challenging time.
The Shimmer3 EBio sensor is a fully-validated, CE marked and extensively used off-the-shelf product that offers the opportunity to measure critical indicators of disease severity with special emphasis on lung health, a primary concern for COVID-19 patients. Shimmer has initiated research to discover, validate and use digital biomarkers to predict the course and outcome of COVID-19. Other researchers are expected to join in this effort to accelerate progress and provide independent validation.
“In short, continuous monitoring with the Shimmer3 EBio can provide a specific quantitative assessment of respiratory function and other symptoms that can act as outcome measures to address some of the challenges of measuring more traditional outcome measures,” added Gill. “The pandemic has put the world in a very unfortunate position, but we’re proud that our wearable products may help clinicians slow or halt the progression of this terrible virus. The entire Shimmer team is available to help in any way we can.”
About Enterprise Ireland
Enterprise Ireland is the Irish State agency that works with Irish enterprises to help them start, grow, innovate and win export sales in global markets. Enterprise Ireland partners with entrepreneurs, Irish businesses, and the research and investment communities to develop Ireland’s international trade, innovation, leadership, and competitiveness.
About Shimmer
Shimmer is a leading provider of wearable wireless sensor products and solutions since its foundation in 2008. As a pioneer in the industry, we are committed to pushing the boundaries and driving the future development of wearable wireless sensing through our personnel and world-class engineering team.
Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and with a location in Boston, USA, we generate revenue by offering wearable wireless sensing technology, solutions and consultancy services to the research and education, enterprise, and end user markets. Shipping to over 70 countries worldwide our technology and solutions are utilized by the brightest start-ups, Fortune 500 companies, and the world’s leading universities. Shimmer is a privately-held company and manufactures all of its products in partnership with our sister company Realtime Technologies in its Dublin facility which is accredited to the quality management standard ISO 9001 and the medical device standard ISO 13485
