Thrive Wearables is delighted to announce a collaboration with the globally acclaimed Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and SRUK (Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK), the only UK charity dedicated to improving the lives of people with scleroderma and Raynaud’s, to develop a wearable device to assist with the treatment of scleroderma and Raynaud’s disease.
Thrive will bring deep technical experience and trusted productisation processes to guide all aspects of the development to eventual mass production of a digitally enabled, data-driven wearable medical device as part of the consortium.
Raynaud’s is a common condition, affecting up to 10 million people in the UK – around one in six. The condition can be severe and painful, making simple, everyday tasks challenging. Raynaud’s affects blood vessels, which become narrower, particularly in the body’s extremities such as the hands and feet, in response to cold temperatures or emotional stress. During a Raynaud’s ‘attack’, the affected areas often turn white then blue and become numb. As the blood starts to return, skin can turn red and become painful.
“The assessment and measurement of Raynaud’s severity has been a long-standing challenge for doctors managing people with Raynaud’s symptoms. Recent innovations in biosensor technology and the expertise within Thrive have given us the opportunity to develop a wearable device that will allow us to measure the severity of Raynaud’s phenomenon in sufferers as they go about their normal lives. We expect this device to help clinicians and investigators to diagnose and measure Raynaud’s more easily, which could revolutionise the way in which we assess and treat Raynaud’s phenomenon.” – John Pauling, Consultant Rheumatologist, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Trust
“We are excited to be funding such an innovative partnership and project. We hope the development of this wearable device will not only generate a more quantitative method of assessing Raynaud’s in individuals, but will also hold the capacity to assess the effectiveness of new Raynaud’s treatments, bringing novel therapeutics closer to those in our community who need them.” – Sue Farrington, Chief Executive, SRUK
“It’s great to finally be able to announce this major health tech collaboration. Thrive is mission driven and works across the NHS, the charitable sector, and academia to deliver high impact wearable health innovations; the consortium we have formed is a great example of how this can become a reality. Targeting conditions such as Raynaud’s is a great example of where we can work together to have significant positive impact for huge numbers of people suffering through this common condition.” – Jacob Skinner, CEO, Thrive Wearables
We are really looking forward to working on a wearable technology solution for the benefit of users and clinicians.
The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust provides acute treatment and care for a catchment population of around 500,000 people in Bath, and the surrounding towns and villages in North East Somerset and Western Wiltshire.
Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK (SRUK) is the only UK Charity dedicated to improving the lives of people with scleroderma and Raynaud’s phenomenon. Their aim is to improve awareness and understanding of these conditions, to support those affected, fund groundbreaking research and ultimately, to find a cure.
Thrive Wearables is a leading wearables design and development consultancy, working with partners to create wearable technology that revolutionises healthcare and wellbeing, taking products from idea through prototyping to mass production.
If you have a wearable you’d like to develop, you can contact us here.