A device that allows breast cancer patients to test their blood at home has had a significant boost with an agreement between inventors, Entia and Pfizer.
It was developed using funding from the Digital Health Technology Catalyst, part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) medicines manufacturing challenge.
Entia’s virtual oncology platform shares patients’ results with their healthcare teams, remotely, reducing unnecessary visits and allowing changes to be detected earlier. Pfizer and Entia will support healthcare professionals to access this solution for NHS breast cancer clinics.
The platform is currently in late-stage development with regulatory approvals expected for the UK and EU in early 2022.
Supported by the NHS
It has been developed with patient and healthcare professional input through trials overseen by Europe’s largest single-site cancer centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, supported by UKRI.
Entia’s solution includes individualised training and support for patients who use the device and data visualisation tools for healthcare professionals to ensure the solution releases capacity within healthcare systems and improves delivery of care.
UKRI Innovation Lead for the Digital Health Technology Catalyst, Chris Sawyer, said:
The innovators we fund through the catalyst are acutely aware of the things digital technology can help solve. Entia’s blood monitoring device is a real, workable way of strengthening our health service and making it more resilient.
What UKRI can do is help develop good ideas and get them tested and adopted as quickly as possible through both funding and our specialist network that connects innovators to a complex system.
Improving the lives of cancer patients
Entia’s founder and CEO Dr Toby Basey-Fisher, said:
We founded Entia with the belief that we could improve the lives of people during cancer treatment. We knew that by combining virtual services with our blood monitoring technology we could truly transform the way cancer care is delivered in a reliable way.
Pfizer recognise the incredible journey we are on and how combining our approach with treatments provides patients with the freedom to live their life how they choose. Importantly, our approach also aims to free up capacity and streamline clinical services by integrating with existing practice.
Erling Donnelly, Pfizer UK Oncology Lead, said:
Living with cancer is hard enough for people and so it’s important that we try to relieve the burden of treatment monitoring, as well as helping our already stretched healthcare services.
We’re excited to partner with Entia to do this for people living with metastatic breast cancer.
Partnering with digital health and monitoring experts such as Entia will further support Pfizer’s breakthrough therapies in an area where the burden of living with cancer is significant.
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