by An app using artificial intelligence (AI) could be “revolutionary” for patients with chronic lung conditions such as cystic fibrosis, with the technology able to predict when a patient will fall ill up to 10 days in advance.
Breathe RM is expected to allow cystic fibrosis (CF) patients to be monitored remotely, eliminating the need for regular well-being checks in clinics.
The technology can also predict when patients are likely to develop a serious infection – known as an exacerbation – which can lead to weeks in hospital.
It is being trialled at the Royal Papworth Hospital with support from medical research charity LifeArc and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
About 50 patients are involved in the year-long project, called ACE-CF, and researchers hope to recruit 400.
Breathe RM was designed as a “to-do list”, collecting data that users should input daily.
Home monitoring would crucially eliminate the need for patients to attend clinics for check-ups every six to eight weeks, and appointments lasting several hours with patients in isolation due to carrying some antibiotic-resistant infections in their lungs.
Lung function is measured using a hand-held device called a spirometer, and oxygen in the blood is measured using a peg oximeter on the end of the patient’s finger.
Both devices are connected to the app using bluetooth and data is entered automatically.
The technology also collects data from the likes of personal smart watches, and patients also self-report how often they turn and how well they feel.
The AI algorithm used in the app was created by Andres Floto, professor of respiratory biology at the University of Cambridge and research director of the Cambridge Center for Lung Infection at the Royal Papworth Hospital.
Subtle differences in data are observed, alerting patients to when to clear their airways or call their doctor in hopes of avoiding worse.
Professor Floto, who is also a practicing CF physician, told the PA news agency: “At the moment, we think we’re pretty good at predicting when someone will get sick about 10 days earlier than usual.
“It’s a traffic light system, and really this whole philosophy is about empowering people with CF to take control of their own health.
“So for the purposes of the trial, we’re asking people to keep an eye on the algorithm.
“Green – keep doing what you’re doing. Amber – do more of what you know you should be doing, maybe doing more airway clearance, more adherence to medication.
“And red – get hold of the CF team because red would indicate that you are unlikely to be ill in the future.”
ACE-CF is also involved in Magic Bullet, a company founded by husband and wife team Kirsty Hill, 47, a project manager, and David Hill, 54, who works for Microsoft.
They began looking for solutions for CF patients after their son George Hill, 19, was diagnosed as a child.
Mrs Hill said the couple’s “initial concept” was a “virtual connection”. She said: “At the time, if I’m honest, what we wanted was something that could help our son help himself and take away the nagging element of the parent.
“It can be really stressful in a relationship if you’re asking someone to do a job all the time.”
Mrs Hill told PA that Professor Floto was “always looking to drive real change in this space”.
She added: “If that sharpening predictor remains in the trial, that will be a revolutionary feature that we can offer people through the app.
“What I know from someone who has CF, and from talking to other people, is that they always want to think about CF as little as possible.”
According to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, around 10,800 people in the UK have the condition.
Mrs Hill describes George as a “funny” person with a passion for racing ridges who is now training to be an engineer at Thorpe Park.
Inspired by his brother’s condition, her other son Sam, 21, is studying medical genetics and hopes to make an impact on genetic diseases.
Steven Tait, senior business manager at LifeArc, said: “People with CF are very aware of their condition.
“Usually they can get an inkling, ‘I’ve got a cold, I’m going to get worse’. But this should help them quantify that and it should help their doctor get ahead of the game, basically.”
It is hoped that the same technology in Breathe RM can also be used to help those with bronchiectasis, another chronic lung condition in which the airways of the lungs widen.
A separate study, called Bronch-Ex, is being funded by LifeArc as part of its wider £100 million investment in treatments for chronic respiratory infections.
Mr Tait said: “You never hear about bronchiectasis, it’s kind of a silent disease. I think there are up to 200,000 people in the UK – and counting.
“It is often misdiagnosed; in older people it is misdiagnosed as COPD and in younger people it is misdiagnosed as asthma.”
