When ResMed, a world-leading connected health company, engaged with the Medical Device Partnering Program in 2010, they wanted to investigate the feasibility of measuring specific signals from the head or face of a patient with Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). 

ResMed sought to develop a non-intrusive device to monitor the cardiac health of OSA patients which would enable the monitoring of health so treatment could be administered with greater insight.

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a condition where a person's upper airway becomes blocked during sleep and impacts more than 936 million people worldwide. Not only does OSA impact sleep quality, but patients are at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease and other heart problems.

The MDPP project resulted in a collaboration between ResMed and Flinders University, with a PhD scholarship funded to further research and development in this area.

ResMed's Manager Clinical Science and Innovation and co-supervisor, Mr Gordon Malouf said that this collaborative research project has enabled their company to advance research without diverting in-house resources.

"We have found the partnership with Flinders University to be a productive one as evidenced by Mark's [the PhD students'] results, and at the same time we expand our collaboration and innovation networks.

To reach ResMed's goal of changing 20 million lives by 2020, we are committed to growth and innovation. ResMed invests approximately 7% of our revenue back into research and development. This includes both internal and external projects like this one"said Mr Malouf.