Tel-Aviv-based RespirAI Medical, in partnership with Omaha-based Right at Home has been awarded a grant from the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Foundation. The funding will expand the Tel-Aviv-based startup engagement in Omaha to further develop an AI-powered home monitoring platform for managing chronic pulmonary conditions, with COPD as the first indication, originally invented by researchers at the University of Nebraska Omaha and University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) (unemed.com).
The project represents a culmination of a decade of development, starting with the pioneering research Jenna Yentes, PhD, began at the UNO’s Biomechanics Department in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Rennard, UNMC Professor of Medicine in Pulmonary and Critical Care. Through the UNeTech institute’s early support and incubation, and UNeMed’s technology transfer expertise, RespirAI evolved from an academic discovery into a promising healthcare technology company.
“Watching RespirAI’s journey from a research concept to securing international funding is deeply satisfying,” said Joe Runge, Associate Director of UNeTech Institute, an early supporter of the project. “The collaboration exemplifies the forward-thinking support provided in the state of Nebraska: Translating world-class research into products that solve problems for Nebraska companies.”
The funded project will expand RespirAI’s innovative technology, which originally focused on detecting what was once considered impossible: The early signs of a sudden flare-up of often deadly symptoms related to COPD. The collaboration with Right at Home will develop a comprehensive home monitoring system that can track multiple chronic conditions and warn of potential health deterioration.
The BIRD Foundation award validates the collaborative model of university research and startup incubators building world-changing companies. RespirAI and Right at Home join other awardees like Amazon Web Services and the University of Pennsylvania in building international innovation collaboration.
For more information about RespirAI and UNeTech Institute’s startup development programs, visit unetech.org. For a portfolio of similarly compelling available technologies please visit unemed.com.