How can we develop medical devices to help manage chronic respiratory conditions

Academic Industry Meeting days (AIMdays) are one-day events that give academics the chance to discuss questions set by industry on a particular subject. Industry register questions that they would like help finding a solution to, which is then followed by academic registration – you can sign up to answer as many or as few questions as you wish. The idea originated within the Ångström Materials Academy at Uppsala University, which arranged its first Materials Day in 2008. The success was immediate. The industrial companies got expert feedback on issues of importance to them, the academic scientists gained valuable insights into the kind of issues that are important to industry, ideas for further research were generated and various forms of collaborations started.

On AIMdays, participants are given an hour to discuss an area of research focused on a question submitted by attendees. A round table discussion approach is employed to stimulate lively interaction between industry and academics that may lead to future collaborations.

At the recent AIMday on aging, Jeremy Walsh, from Cambridge Respiratory Innovations Limited, posed two questions relating to respiratory care in the elderly. The questions were “Will self-care respiratory monitors improve Patient Activation Levels in the elderly?” and “Do smart inhalers have a long-term future?” Dr Philip Turner (University of Oxford) and Dr Angela Calvert (Oxford University Innovation Ltd) steered a lively discussion. Dr Laila Guzadhur and Dr Tim Hardman, from Niche Science & Technology Ltd, provided insights on adherence in asthma patients that have been gained during the course of the RASP-UK initiative. Discussion centred around the involvement of Aerocrine AB and Vitalograph and the contribution these technologies are bringing to the research.