Biometry Welcomes Top Asthma Researchers to Its Clinical Advisory Board
Boston, MA, February 12, 2022 --(PR.com)-- Biometry, Inc., is pleased to welcome two of the top asthma researchers, Prof. Ian Pavord and Dr. Simon Couillard to its clinical advisory board.
Ian D Pavord, MA DM FRCP FERS FMedSci is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Oxford and Honorary Consultant Physician at the Oxford University Hospitals. Professor Pavord identified eosinophilic, type-2 high airway inflammation as a key treatable trait in patients with asthma and COPD and recognized that this pattern of airway inflammation is associated with an increased risk of exacerbations of airway disease and corticosteroid responsiveness. He discovered and validated simple, clinically accessible biomarkers of type-2 high inflammation and demonstrated their clinical value, resulting in new management guidelines for severe asthma and COPD. His team carried out the first proof-of-concept study of the biological agent Mepolizumab (anti-IL-5), showing that it was highly effective when given to patients with eosinophilic, type-2 high inflammation. He has been a key driver of the successful clinical development of 4 other biological agents targeting this process, including Dupilumab. In 2004 he delivered the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Cournand Lecture and in 2016 received the ERS gold medal for research in asthma. He chaired the 2018 Lancet Commission on asthma.
Prof. Pavord said, “It is an exciting time to be involved in the care of patients with asthma and COPD. We have discovered important biomarkers of risk of attacks and long-term decline in lung function and we have very effective treatments for the relevant mechanisms. We are therefore in a position to predict and prevent poor outcomes in our patients. The challenge now is to get biomarker assessments done in the appropriate setting at the appropriate time. My hope is that the team at Biometry can help deliver this.”
Simon Couillard, MD FRCPC MSc is a specialist in respiratory medicine, clinical researcher, and assistant-professor at the Université de Sherbooke. He completed a two-year clinical research fellowship in severe asthma and graduated with distinction from his MSc in experimental and translational therapeutics at the University of Oxford. He is undertaking a joint Oxford-Leiden PhD on risk prediction in asthma. His research themes are biomarker-guided management of airways disease.
Dr. Couillard said, “It will be a pleasure to work with the dynamic team at Biometry. In asthma as in cardiovascular disease, we need to have objective, precise, and accessible measurements to guide our management decisions. The advent of a mobile-based strip test to measure exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) has huge implications for the clinical and research community; we owe our patients to make the most of it."
Prof. Pavord and Dr. Couillard collaborated at Oxford to create a prototype scale (ORACLE) to predict asthma attacks that combines biomarkers of type-2 high inflammation and clinical risk factors. The model was built using data from the control arms of the Novel START, CAPTAIN, QUEST, Benralizumab Phase 2b, PATHWAY, STRATOS 1–2 and DREAM trials (n=3051). It was compared to a dataset of 222,817 US patients with and without asthma attacks. The model demonstrated close agreement between predicted vs observe attack rates. Further work hot off the press on the entire active and control arm trial populations (n=4739) found that the prototype ORACLE quantifies the excess risk associated with raised biomarkers (FeNO and blood eosinophils) which is removed by type-2 anti-inflammatory therapies. The prototype ORACLE shows how measuring FeNO and blood eosinophils can improve patient outcomes.
Bryan Nolan, Biometry’s CEO, said, "I am pleased to welcome these outstanding asthma leaders to the clinical advisory board at Biometry. Biometry’s solution is built on the forward-looking ideas pioneered by Professor Pavord and Dr. Couillard. Their expertise will guide and improve our product and enhance its ability to predict and prevent asthma attacks.”
About Biometry, Inc.
Biometry’s mission is to end asthma attacks and prevent unnecessary loss of lung function. Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in the world, impacting over 339 million patients. In the US, asthma costs $82 billion annually and impacts 25 million patients. 62% of those patients are uncontrolled and at higher risk for an attack. Biometry’s platform pairs patented diagnostics, digital health, and machine learning with a care team to monitor patients at home. We leverage the data to identify at-risk patients and proactively intervene to prevent symptoms and attacks by delivering guideline-based coaching and education via digital channels and a care team.
Ian D Pavord, MA DM FRCP FERS FMedSci is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Oxford and Honorary Consultant Physician at the Oxford University Hospitals. Professor Pavord identified eosinophilic, type-2 high airway inflammation as a key treatable trait in patients with asthma and COPD and recognized that this pattern of airway inflammation is associated with an increased risk of exacerbations of airway disease and corticosteroid responsiveness. He discovered and validated simple, clinically accessible biomarkers of type-2 high inflammation and demonstrated their clinical value, resulting in new management guidelines for severe asthma and COPD. His team carried out the first proof-of-concept study of the biological agent Mepolizumab (anti-IL-5), showing that it was highly effective when given to patients with eosinophilic, type-2 high inflammation. He has been a key driver of the successful clinical development of 4 other biological agents targeting this process, including Dupilumab. In 2004 he delivered the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Cournand Lecture and in 2016 received the ERS gold medal for research in asthma. He chaired the 2018 Lancet Commission on asthma.
Prof. Pavord said, “It is an exciting time to be involved in the care of patients with asthma and COPD. We have discovered important biomarkers of risk of attacks and long-term decline in lung function and we have very effective treatments for the relevant mechanisms. We are therefore in a position to predict and prevent poor outcomes in our patients. The challenge now is to get biomarker assessments done in the appropriate setting at the appropriate time. My hope is that the team at Biometry can help deliver this.”
Simon Couillard, MD FRCPC MSc is a specialist in respiratory medicine, clinical researcher, and assistant-professor at the Université de Sherbooke. He completed a two-year clinical research fellowship in severe asthma and graduated with distinction from his MSc in experimental and translational therapeutics at the University of Oxford. He is undertaking a joint Oxford-Leiden PhD on risk prediction in asthma. His research themes are biomarker-guided management of airways disease.
Dr. Couillard said, “It will be a pleasure to work with the dynamic team at Biometry. In asthma as in cardiovascular disease, we need to have objective, precise, and accessible measurements to guide our management decisions. The advent of a mobile-based strip test to measure exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) has huge implications for the clinical and research community; we owe our patients to make the most of it."
Prof. Pavord and Dr. Couillard collaborated at Oxford to create a prototype scale (ORACLE) to predict asthma attacks that combines biomarkers of type-2 high inflammation and clinical risk factors. The model was built using data from the control arms of the Novel START, CAPTAIN, QUEST, Benralizumab Phase 2b, PATHWAY, STRATOS 1–2 and DREAM trials (n=3051). It was compared to a dataset of 222,817 US patients with and without asthma attacks. The model demonstrated close agreement between predicted vs observe attack rates. Further work hot off the press on the entire active and control arm trial populations (n=4739) found that the prototype ORACLE quantifies the excess risk associated with raised biomarkers (FeNO and blood eosinophils) which is removed by type-2 anti-inflammatory therapies. The prototype ORACLE shows how measuring FeNO and blood eosinophils can improve patient outcomes.
Bryan Nolan, Biometry’s CEO, said, "I am pleased to welcome these outstanding asthma leaders to the clinical advisory board at Biometry. Biometry’s solution is built on the forward-looking ideas pioneered by Professor Pavord and Dr. Couillard. Their expertise will guide and improve our product and enhance its ability to predict and prevent asthma attacks.”
About Biometry, Inc.
Biometry’s mission is to end asthma attacks and prevent unnecessary loss of lung function. Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in the world, impacting over 339 million patients. In the US, asthma costs $82 billion annually and impacts 25 million patients. 62% of those patients are uncontrolled and at higher risk for an attack. Biometry’s platform pairs patented diagnostics, digital health, and machine learning with a care team to monitor patients at home. We leverage the data to identify at-risk patients and proactively intervene to prevent symptoms and attacks by delivering guideline-based coaching and education via digital channels and a care team.
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Biometry, Inc.
Anmol Wassan
508-736-1884
www.mybiometry.com
Anmol Wassan
508-736-1884
www.mybiometry.com
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