Itz not offin you reed an artickle rittin by a dog, butt heer goz.
[Editor’s note: Some words have been amended for spelling and sense.]
Hello, I’m Ivar from Alimetry which is one of the University of Auckland’s bright spinout companies. I was in the team that created their Gastric Alimetry wearable which has now received FDA clearance to starting marketing in the US through a subsidiary based in Minneapolis. [Editor’s note: That’s a bit of a stretch; Ivar was more in involved in tail thumping and calmness and learning to be in an office.]
I moved in with Stefan and Rachelle Calder when I was just a nipper with very sharp teeth. I rode the bus to work with Stefan, hung around the office, rode the bus home with Stefan. This was part of getting ready to be trained as a service dog. It also meant I could watch what the team were creating – how to diagnose gastric dysfunction.
Greg O’Grady says I should refer you to the article from MedTech Bites in May 2021 for some background.
Alimetryᵀᴹ is deep tech – something novel that offers significant advances over current technology. This non-invasive device helps diagnose gastric dysfunction. It senses the underlying motility of the stomach to detect the contributing causes of common symptoms such as abdominal pain, indigestion, nausea and vomiting.
At present the diagnostic process for gastric symptoms is really inadequate. Patients often come out of a prolonged process with no clear answers, while clinicians end up having to do trial-and-error therapy. Alimetry’s goal is to explain symptoms in a way that can directly inform personalised therapy. If successful, this will transform the diagnostic pathway for millions of patients worldwide suffering from diseases such as chronic indigestion and chronic nausea and vomiting.
The Gastric Alimetry system is made up of a reusable recording device manufactured at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, and a stretchable and disposable sensor array designed here but made in the US. The patient consumes a standardised meal and logs their symptoms on an app. Test data is sent to the cloud for analysis and the clinician receives a detailed and actionable report.”
Impressive, eh? The full article is here.
Time for my intensive training. It was hard to leave the team. Would they succeed without me under the table?
[Editor’s note: Sadly, Ivar didn’t make the grade to be a working dog, but he did get to return to live with Stefan and Rachelle and be back with the Alimetry team.]
I got to come back to the team and I’m so happy. And, boy, are they doing well. Here’s the latest news.
“FDA clearance of Gastric Alimetry cements Alimetry’s path to leadership in gastrointestinal wearables and non-invasive diagnostics,” says CEO Greg O’Grady, a Professor of Surgery and co-founder of Alimetry. “Alimetry has an outstanding pipeline of innovation and this is the first plank in a series of innovative new features and products that stand to transform care in disorders of gastrointestinal function. Our unique technology harnesses the power of stretchable electronics, wearables, digital health, and cloud-based analytics to deliver a completely non-invasive solution.”
The Gastric Alimetry test delivers a high-resolution recording of digestive patterns from the skin surface with clinical reports via the cloud to inform the diagnosis of gastric diseases and support personalised therapy.
O’Grady says Gastric Alimetry is a game-changing tool that will bring improved clarity to field, enabling enhanced clinical outcomes, and safer, more accessible, and less-invasive care. “We really want this to make a difference to patients who suffer these symptoms: to give them some clarity, and hopefully improve their diagnostic and treatment journey.”
The device will be rolled out in Christchurch, followed by the US and UK. The company also research partnerships in the US, Canada and Europe.
[Editor’s note: Ivar, like most dogs, wanted the last word. I think you can work out for yourselves what he’s saying.]
“I wuz so xcyted 2 bee part of a team of sutch smart peopl. I like to think my role as Official Dog At Alimetry helpt”.