Seer Medical will launch its in-home epilepsy diagnostic technology in the UK and in Germany following investment from the University of Melbourne.
Diagnosing epilepsy is tricky because the seizures are often infrequent and unpredictable. Full diagnosis is important because it allows doctors to match medications with patients’ seizure cycles, which leads to improved health outcomes. Without in-home diagnosis, patients may need to spend a week in hospital to receive a full diagnosis.
The Seer technology allows people who may have epilepsy to take home a portable diagnostic system. In Australia, this reduces waiting time to receive a full diagnosis from more than two years to a few weeks. It also saves hospital expenses, frees up hospital beds, and makes diagnosis more accessible to people living in remote or regional parts of the country.
In-home diagnosis is covered by Medicare in Australia.
“Access to home epilepsy diagnostic service gives so many more people the opportunity to improve their healthcare with life changing results,” said Professor Mark Cook, CMO, Seer Medical and Chair of Medicine at the University of Melbourne.
Seer Medical has satellite offices throughout Australia.
The technology depends on a wearable device that measures electrical activity in the brain using electroencephalography or EEG. It also uses electrocardiogram or ECG to measure electrical activity in the heart. This is because some heart problems may cause blackouts that can be confused with epileptic seizures. It uses cloud services to capture all the information and machine learning for big data analysis.
The University of Melbourne and others have invested in Seer to take its technology global.
Seer Medical employs more than 100 people, including University of Melbourne alumni. It offers internships and shares research data with the University and other research institutes.
For more information please contact Seer Medical via its website or call 1300 392 898.
Seer Medical was founded in 2017 to empower people to take greater control of their health. The Seer diagnostic service is available in metropolitan and regional locations across Victoria, New South Wales, ACT, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.
The Epilepsy Foundation uses evidence-based practice to stop avoidable deaths, ensure children get a good education, help people get and keep their jobs and help people feel safe and connected.
The University of Melbourne is a public-spirited institution that makes distinctive contributions to society in research, learning and teaching and engagement.
Banner image: Devices that monitor the brain’s electrical activity to detect epileptic seizures are paving the way for their eventual prediction.