Smartphone-based monitoring of jaundice in newborns

Smartphone-based monitoring of jaundice in newborns

Worldwide, 114.000 newborns die each year due to neonatal jaundice, a common condition caused by high levels of bilirubin. Approximately the same number of children grow up with permanent disabilities associated with brain damage when jaundice is not diagnosed early and treated. Current solutions for jaundice diagnosis require hospital laboratory facilities for blood testing and newborn monitoring by professional healthcare workers. Estimations indicate that jaundice management increases healthcare costs by €1684 million every year. In answer, Picterus have developed innovative technology based on biomedical optics and photonics complemented with machine learning algorithms that facilitate accurate remote diagnosis of jaundice by taking a simple picture with a Smartphone. Unlike the current solutions used for jaundice diagnosis, Picterus enables health personnel and parents to screen new-borns for jaundice with a tool that is reliable and comes at a low cost, regardless of the geographical location. By using Picterus, midwives or nurses doing early home-visits can safely assess the degree of jaundice in the new-born and save time that can be allocated to other needs the new-born or family might have. It reduces the need for hospital visits, and further, it reduces stress on the midwives and parents. The reduction in healthcare costs, due to remote and low-cost diagnosis of neonatal jaundice, will allow better allocation of resources in other important medical areas, but our contribution to solving the problems associated with jaundice in low- and middle-income countries (where current tools are often too expensive for a routine use) will produce a more significant impact. Picterus has the capacity to reduce outpatient visits for jaundice by 50%, with potential savings of €306 million. Through commercialisation of this innovation, we have projected that our global turnover will reach €25 million and create a total of 14 direct jobs by the 4th year of introduction