San Francisco start-up SoundHealth has launched an artificial intelligence (AI) powered app to enable allergy sufferers to get ahead of an attack.
Dubbed SONUcast, the application predicts a user’s susceptibility to allergies based on the dimensions of a person’s nasal cavity and sinuses. It also uses patented AI algorithms to scan a user’s face and produce a real-time, personalised forecast of their allergy symptoms based on their location by using real-time meteorological data to warn a user of the likelihood of an impending allergic reaction to air-based particulates such as pollen.
Related: RefleXion announces first ever combination radiotherapy using X1 system
The app uses the company’s Sonuband device which the company states is the world’s first US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved device for the treatment of nasal allergies. The device uses acoustic resonance therapy to force open airways to allow for better breathing and treat the symptoms of allergic rhinitis, including nasal congestion, rhinorrhoea and nasal itching.
Paramesh Gopi, founder and CEO of SoundHealth, said: “Existing apps use an imprecise, one-size-fits-all approach. Our breakthrough AI and deep clinical science personalise predictions based on an individual’s facial structure – and are poised to transform patient care by empowering patients to take control of their allergies. With the SONU band and SONUCast, SoundHealth enables patients to potentially avoid allergy attacks with therapy that is FDA-approved and as effective as nasal steroids for the treatment of rhinitis.”
The company says that Sonucast has been trained on data from thousands of human subjects and hundreds of CT scans, making it the first-ever AI to be used for allergy forecasting and acoustic resonance therapy (ART). The company also claims that a randomised controlled trial of its Sonuband device resulted in 80% of users seeing significant clinical improvement over two weeks.
Jayakar Nayak, associate professor of otolaryngology at Stanford Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, said: “Our nasal anatomy is the silent architect of respiratory health in many individuals, and can dictate how we respond to environmental triggers. SoundHealth’s SONUCast represents a major step forward for patients as it can empower them to more effectively predict and therefore manage their nasal allergies. The data and clinical science behind SONUCast are quite groundbreaking and may set a new standard for both prediction and treatment of nasal congestion due to allergies.”
Elsewhere in the field of allergy treatment, French company Crossject has secured €6.9m in funding to advance the development of ZENEO Epinephrine, its prefilled needle-free platform and treatment for severe allergic reactions. Meanwhile, AliveDx has obtained the European In Vitro Diagnostic Device Regulation (IVDR) CE mark for its microarray immunoassay in allergy diagnostics.
