The Australian Lung Health Initiative (ALHI) has received $28.9 million from the Federal Government to achieve medical breakthroughs in lung scanning technology.
The project entitled ‘4D Functional Analysis: A New Frontier in Lung Health for Children’ is a joint venture between medical technology company 4DMedical (ASX:4DX), the University of Adelaide and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).
Funding from Stage Two of the Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Frontier Health and Medical Research Initiative will be provided in tranches throughout the five-year project duration.
Bringing together world-leading scientists, physicists, engineers, medical researchers, respiratory physiologists, data scientists and manufacturers under the ALHI consortium, the project will develop the world’s first dedicated lung function scanner called the XVD Scanner™.
The XVD Scanner aims to provide detailed and rapid lung analysis for adults and children, addressing the need for safe, accurate and sensitive lung health assessment tools.
Leveraging 4D’s proprietary XV Technology™, the XVD Scanners will help overcome existing diagnostic limitations in pediatrics where children have higher chances of acquiring cancer after exposure to ionising radiation.
“Delivering improved technology to diagnose and assess the lungs will have major benefits both on a local and global scale, such as enabling the most disenfranchised members of our community to receive this high-quality lung imaging technology,” said ALHI Chair Lusia Guthrie.
“In particular, we are tremendously excited by the potential of XVD Scanners to provide faster, lower cost and safer lung analysis for both adults and children.”
Dr Stephen Rodda, Executive Director for Innovation and Commercial Partnerships at The University of Adelaide, added that the dedicated scanner will be used to study lung diseases and their treatments.
Commenting on the grant-awarding, 4D Medical Founder and CEO, and the project’s Chief Investigator, Andreas Fouras said: “Never before has lung health been such a focus in the world, and we look forward to showcasing Australia’s excellent R&D capability in commercialising this vision.”
“4DMedical’s XV Technology is uniquely suited to diagnostic support and monitoring of patients with COVID-19 and has been cleared for that use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”
Over seven million Australians are impacted by lung disease, creating a global market opportunity worth $40 billion per annum for lung diagnostics.
